The Taipei 101 New Year’s Day fireworks show is to include an upgraded LED system, featuring animations by Taiwan Bar Studio, the building’s owners said on Wednesday.
In its first public statement on this year’s show, Taipei Financial Center Corp (台北金融大樓) said that to enhance the visual impact, it has upgraded the 140,000 LEDs comprising the T-Pad wall, which covers the exterior of Taipei 101 from the 35th to the 90th floor.
The T-Pad video content, which has accompanied the display for the past two years, is to be provided by Taiwan Bar Studio, the creators of a range of popular Taiwan-themed designs, including the Formosan black bear character “Beeru,” the company said.
Taipei Financial Center chief operations officer Michael Liu (劉家豪) said that the budget for the New Year’s show is NT$60 million (US$1.96 million).
For environmental reasons, fewer fireworks are to be used than in previous years, although the show will feature more interaction between the fireworks and the video, presenting a different kind of visual experience, Liu said.
The length of the show — at least five minutes — would not be affected, he said.
Regarding the countdown graphics shown on the T-Pad for the past two years, Liu said that people should expect something different, although he declined to reveal this year’s theme.
Previous countdown graphics have included baseball player Chen Chin-feng (陳金鋒) and a celebration of facets of Taiwan’s culture under the title “The Glory of Taiwan.”
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