Double Take Projections were commissioned by Underbelly on behalf of Edinburgh City Council to project some of Scotland’s fascinating winter history on to the iconic building which houses Scotland’s national records. The Christmas light show was a free event, new to Edinburgh’s Christmas action-packed diary, as part of a drive to ensure attractions were spread out around the city.

We were asked to design a Giant Advent Calendar to project 25 glimpses of Edinburgh winters from years gone by; one revealed each day throughout advent, offering an entertaining take on history for passers-by to enjoy. The 25 windows of the building provided a perfect backdrop for our projection mapping; allowing us to put a calendar door on each one.

We choreographed and filmed our selected actors using a green screen infinity cove to create the illusion of them walking the length of the building, pulling walls down and effecting the geometry and colour of the facade.

Over 500,000 people witnessed our Christmas projection mapping show. They were treated to an explosion of animated archives, time-travelling giants, the Balmoral clock turning and Bay City Rollers blasting out over Princes Street. General Register House was a perfect position for the show with it being situated on one of the busiest crossroads in the country. The outdoor projection show went viral on social media with over 116,000 views on our Facebook platforms alone and with international press coverage.

As part of my 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology work with HES, I worked with Double Take Projections on the creation of a digital advent calendar using extensive imagery from the National Record of the Historic Environment and the Scran resource that we maintain. I found Double Take to be highly professional project partners, and we were able to establish a highly effective work pattern from the start, enabling us to deliver the advent calendar on time. I enjoyed working with them: they were completely respectful of licensing and copyright matters that are paramount within an archive, and the nature of our collaboration led us to collaborate further on promotional lectures and events.
Neil Gregory, Deputy Head of Engagement, HES

“Every year thousands of people come to General Register House to search our records and find out more about their families and about Scotland’s people and history. We’re delighted to share our building for Edinburgh’s giant advent calendar and give people a glimpse of just some of the treasures we hold.”
Tim Ellis, Chief Executive, National Records of Scotland