The 400-foot installation transforms the walls of the arena into a living environmental interface

Shoot the Tide media installation sets inside the Climate Pledge Arena

Inside the Climate Pledge Arena, a large-scale media outlet installation titled Turn the Tide transforms two interior walls into an architectural interface that combines environmental imagery, lightingand move. Designed by Digital Kitchen within the arena of Populousthe installation spans nearly 400 feet along the east and west walls of the building. The intervention is integrated into the spatial environment of the arena, which is recognized as the world’s first net zero carbon certified arena. Rather than acting as a stand-alone screen, the project integrates multimedia systems directly into the architectural surfaces, connecting the visual content to the wider sustainability context of the space.

The installation spans two large interior walls. The east wall is about 190 feet wide and is made of 150 interlocking panels. On this surface, macro images of land, water and air form a continuous visual gradient that shifts in response to movement within the space. The images were created using high-speed and time-lapse cinematography captured with Blackmagic Design cameras and Canon L-series lenses. Close-up shots of natural materials and environmental elements form the basis of the evolving visual composition displayed on the wall. On the west wall, circular LEDs the panels are integrated into the arena’s living wall system. These displays feature sustainability milestones related to the arena’s environmental commitments and climate pledge signatories. Through this configuration, environmental data becomes part of the building’s internal environment. The installation translates information about sustainability performance into a visible spatial element encountered by visitors moving through the arena.

Turn the Tide spans the east and west walls of the Climate Pledge Arena | all images courtesy of Digital kitchen

Turn Tide places media as a permanent architectural layer

The project was developed over an eight-month production period under the direction of the executive creative director Mason Nicoll at Digital Kitchen. The process combined motion design with digital fabrication techniques to coordinate multiple material systems, including LED panels, vinyl surfaces, and backlit fabric components. A workflow using Adobe Creative Cloud and DaVinci Resolve tools was used to maintain color consistency and visual continuity throughout the architectural scale of the installation.

With Turn the Tide, the media acts as a permanent spatial layer in the interior architecture of the arena. The installation integrates animation, lighting systems and material surfaces into a single design element that complements the building’s environmental agenda. By incorporating environmental imagery and sustainability metrics into the architecture, the project introduces a visual system that connects visitors to the arena’s climate-focused context as they move through the venue’s interiors.

the 190-foot-long east wall consists of 150 interlocking panels that form a changing environmental gradient

backlit fabric, vinyl graphics and LED systems ensure visual continuity between materials on an architectural scale