This year marked the 10th anniversary of the LUMA Projection Arts Festival, an event that has transformed the way visitors experience art, technology, and storytelling. Since its inception, LUMA has been a driving force in revitalizing downtown Binghamton, New York, by creating stunning immersive experiences that bring people together in communal celebration. Festivals like LUMA not only inspire awe but also serve as powerful catalysts for local economic growth, drawing visitors from around the world, boosting tourism, and fostering a thriving arts community.

As LUMA celebrates this major milestone, we spoke with Joshua Bernard, co-founder of the festival, to learn more about the event’s origins, its impact on the community, and the role Panasonic Connect has been able to play.

Q: Can you tell us about the LUMA Festival and your history of working with Panasonic?

Joshua Bernard: LUMA is all about the intersection of art, technology, and storytelling, and projection mapping is one of the best ways we believe you can tell a story. We were inspired by a lot of the festivals happening in Europe and realized that nothing quite like it existed in the United States.

We were excited about the idea of community and downtown revitalization in a Rust Belt city like Binghamton, New York, with its incredible historic facades that no one had been highlighting in compelling ways. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring together our arts community through a projection mapping festival. That's how LUMA was born, and Panasonic Connect – through its projection technology – has been an invaluable partner in helping us bring these ideas to life.

Q: How has the projection arts industry and community grown over the past few years?

Joshua Bernard: Projection mapping in the United States is really starting to take off. People are exploring different, exciting, and innovative ways to use the art form. Initially, projection mapping was all about fireworks—creating effects like making a column collapse or making a building appear to explode. But that quickly became repetitive. Now, artists are finding ways to tell stories using projection mapping.

For example, we’ve had artists incorporate motion capture of dancers, who appear to transform into the building through the projections. It’s all about connecting with the audience and creating an emotional impact. The technology itself should be invisible, yet magical—something that Panasonic Connect has really helped us achieve.

Q: How does projection mapping create communal experiences for your audience?

Joshua Bernard: We live in a time of increasing social isolation, where everyone has their own digital feeds and screens presenting them with their version of the world. As a result, communal storytelling experiences have become rare. We don’t have as many moments like an opening night at a movie theater, where everyone laughs, gasps, or falls in love at the same time.

Projection mapping, especially with its spectacular visual impact, brings back that communal experience. It evokes that sense of excitement and connection that used to exist, drawing people together in small towns like Binghamton. It fosters social cohesion and offers an experience that can truly compete with the amazing quality of home viewing technology.

Panasonic’s projectors play a crucial role in creating this vivid and immersive experience. This year, we leveraged 29 of Panasonic’s projectors to bring the artists' work to life. Resolution, brightness, and color quality are key in making the event truly captivating and unique.

Q: Where do you see the projection arts industry headed, and what role does technology play in its future?

Joshua Bernard: One of the most exciting advancements in projection technology is how projectors are becoming brighter, smaller, and lighter. With Panasonic, for example, we can now conceal projectors better each year, making the experience more seamless and organic.

People are excited about technologies like LED panels, but projection mapping creates a more magical experience. When everything is perfectly aligned, and the projectors are hidden, it appears as though the building itself is glowing from within. This is a unique effect that works best with projection—and particularly well with Panasonic projectors. That’s why we love working with them.