The late rapper Sidhu Moosewala returns to the stage as a hologram

Studio Tangram is based in Brianza, in Mariano Comense, whilst Mdh Hologram is based in London. The team is international, but the ‘mastermind remains Italian’. Valter Adam Casotto, a prosthetic make-up artist and winner of the David di Donatello award, also took part in the digital resurrection of Sidhu Moosewala.

No artificial intelligence. To create the hologram of the rapper Sidhu, the Italian company – in accordance with the wishes of the artist’s family – used a stand-in, prosthetics and the singer’s own clothes. ‘AI is too mechanical and impersonal; we prefer there to be some imperfections to make our product more human. The aim is not to make the created character identical to the real one, but to recreate his manner and his energy,’ explains Palma.

Generally speaking, to create a hologram, one starts either with videos and still frames of the subject to be replicated, or with footage of the subject themselves or their stand-in – as in Sidhu’s case. It is important to start with a foundation on which to build the entire project, namely a storyboard that identifies the scenes to be used and/or filmed. Next comes the most substantial phase: computer graphics work, which allows images to be created and manipulated on a computer, followed by post-production.

To ensure that the image created can be seen in three-dimensional space – and that the hologram thus ‘comes to life’ – the Pepper’s Ghost technique comes into play. Invented in the 19th century and often used in the theatre, this trick exploits the reflection and transmission of light through a reflective surface positioned at a 45-degree angle to the audience. The object or actor is situated in a hidden, brightly lit area. This light strikes the reflective surface – at the time, a sheet of glass – and is partly reflected towards the audience. The spectator’s brain, which does not perceive the reflective screen, projects the reflected image onto the stage area – which is dark and empty – making it appear three-dimensional.

For Sidhu’s concerts, a projector will serve as the image source and a special plastic screen – invisible to the human eye – positioned between the stage and the audience will reflect the image. In this way, the hologram will be visible to the entire arena. The various surrounding elements will be positioned in such a way as to reinforce the optical illusion.

A world tour featuring a digital recreation of an artist has never been done before in history. The Italians at Studio Tangram are leading the way in an industry currently experiencing a severe slump: ‘With Covid, the events sector has ground to a halt. We’re below zero,’ explains Palma. “These days, people have lost the desire to spend as much as, or in the same way as, they used to.”