The circus is a longtime favorite outing for families around the world. All of us at some point in our lives have wanted to see exotic animals up close and personal. However, in recent years, the popularity of the circus has been falling. This isn’t due to a waning desire of people to see exotic beasts perform; but rather to a growing sentiment that training animals for the explicit use in a performance is morally wrong. A German circus has taken all of this into consideration, and decided to bring the animals to the people in a new way – hologram displays.
German Circus Changing With The Times
Circus Roncalli began phasing live animals out of its shows back in 2017, according to BGR. However, audiences still want the awe and wonder that accompanies a trip to the big top to eat popcorn and watch daredevils do life threatening stunts. The German circus partnered with a company called Bluebox to create one of the most stunning shows on earth. Bluebox has installed 11 Optoma display devices inside the big top. The devices project a hologram onto flat surfaces surrounding the ring. However, if you’re seated in the audience, you would never know the images are flat. They appear to be completely 3 dimensional, and the show is amazing.
Hologram Delivers New Life
According to circus fans in Germany, Roncalli is perhaps the most well known German circus. Older fans can remember sitting under the big top with the ringmaster running the show from the center ring. The smoke, the music, the animals – all part of the golden age of the circus. In recent years the sentiment surrounding the treatment of circus animals has caused a decline in the number of people who attend the event. Roncalli is hoping that the use of a hologram display might help revive a once loved tradition.
By partnering with Bluebox to use the Optoma devices, the German circus company has been able to eliminate live animals from its shows. This will also reduce their cost of operation over time, as giving proper care to exotic animals can be very costly. Then there are the caretakers and trainers to consider, who all have to be paid for their efforts. By utilizing the hologram display from Bluebox, they can eliminate much of that cost, although the initial investment is most likely a large figure.
Are Holograms Going To Be The Circus Of The Future?
It is hard to say whether the move by Roncalli will be followed by other circus companies around the world. The use of a hologram display in lieu of real animals definitely has its upside. However, for some people, the ability to see the animals after the show is as much part of the circus as the show itself. The German circus company’s idea has definitely captured the world’s attention for the moment. As to whether it starts a worldwide revolution in circus performances, we will have to wait and see.
