This month’s sponsored article is from Epson, who teamed up with Indiana University to install three Epson Pro L12002QNL native 4K 3LCD Laser Projectors with ELPLX02W ultra-short-throw lenses in the university’s on-campus museum art studio. This is the first installation in North America using Epson’s native 4K Pro L12002QNL projectors.
The Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University now features one of the most advanced multichannel 4K projection setups found at any university museum in the U.S.
Designed by renowned architect I. M. Pei in the 1980s, the museum stands out with its bold triangular shape and modern concrete-and-glass design, contrasting with the surrounding limestone buildings. While the building itself is a work of modern art, it previously lacked a dedicated space for contemporary works. Traditionally, the museum showcased over 45,000 pieces from around the world in well-lit galleries focused on classic art forms.
“We wanted to focus on new visuals,” said Elliot Reichert. “We had this brand-new gallery, built from what used to be office space, and we wanted it to be flexible and fully dedicated to contemporary art. It needed to be world-class—able to stand alongside works by Picasso, Pollock, and ancient Egyptian artifacts—but also cutting-edge and adaptable,” he explained.
Reichert led the effort to design a video-focused exhibition space, working closely with colleagues across campus. He connected with local artists to understand the tools and techniques they were using for video art, as well as the challenges of displaying it effectively—knowledge only an experienced curator could bring.
“I quickly realized this wasn’t your typical black-box video gallery,” Reichert said. “Most video spaces are set up like mini theaters, but our space was different—it had white gallery walls and an unusual trapezoid shape. It wasn’t ideal for projection, but we were determined to make it work.”
Given the room’s modest size, unusual trapezoidal shape, and bright white walls, Reichert and his team knew that a traditional setup wouldn’t work well. Instead, they decided to create a fully immersive, three-channel video installation—using one projector per wall. This setup would allow them to showcase a wide range of contemporary video art and completely surround the viewer in the experience.
Even before Reichert joined the museum, the idea of using projection-based art had already been circulating. Conveniently, artist and professor Jawshing Arthur Liou was working on multichannel video installations on campus. The museum invited him to explore the possibilities for this space. Liou responded with an ambitious new work: a 4K, three-channel immersive video inspired by Indiana artist T.C. Steele, titled House of the Singing Winds. The concept was first discussed with the museum’s director, David Brenneman, and later developed with Reichert’s input. The project brought together artists, faculty, students, and technical staff from across the university to create one of the most immersive projection-based art installations at any U.S. university.
Designing and Installing the Space
There were many challenges in turning this vision into reality. The gallery had three large, 16-by-9-foot white walls arranged in a trapezoid, no door, and a lot of natural light—none of which are ideal for projection. On top of that, the team wanted visitors to be able to walk right up to the walls without casting shadows or blocking the projections. This required thoughtful design, advanced equipment, and precise installation.
Enter Joshua Foster, the Manager of Learning Space Design at Indiana University.
“Early on, when we started planning this project with the museum, projection didn’t seem like an option,” said Foster. “There were huge windows nearby, a glass atrium roof—it just didn’t seem like we could get the vivid image quality we wanted.”
The team tested several projectors but couldn’t find a 4K model that met their needs at the time. Still, they had always hoped to use this space for projection, so they took steps early on to prepare for the right equipment once it became available.
Because of the university’s existing partnership with Epson, Foster and his team reached out to them for help. They had to solve a number of challenges: the room was very bright, had no door to block light, and didn’t have a standard drop ceiling—so a typical projector install wouldn’t work.
“We had to be really precise,” said Foster. “There was no drop ceiling, so we couldn’t just cut holes as needed. We actually laid paper diagrams on the floor to carefully map out the setup. Even tiny adjustments—down to the inch—mattered. With short-throw projectors, you don’t have much wiggle room in terms of throw distance or placement.”
Foster and his team ultimately chose three newly released projectors and lenses from Epson to bring their vision to life: the Epson Pro L12002QNL, Epson’s first native 4K 3LCD laser projector, paired with the ELPLX02W ultra-short-throw lenses. Indiana University became the first institution in North America to install these advanced projectors.
“These native 4K projectors are much brighter than anything we’d used before,” said Foster. “That large window we were worried about? We can actually leave it open. The brightness and vivid colors are strong enough that the art remains clearly visible, even from outside the building. At night, people can see the projection through the glass. It’s unexpected, but the space and the projector technology work together to create something truly unique—not just for the museum, but for the campus as a whole.”
Another bonus: these projectors use laser technology, so there’s no need for regular lamp replacements. This reduces maintenance and makes things easier for the university’s tech team.
With three powerful projectors now installed, the Eskenazi Museum of Art offers a flexible, immersive platform for contemporary artists to explore video as a medium. Even with the room’s tricky layout and natural lighting, the new system turned a challenging space into a dynamic digital canvas.
Each projector supports a separate video channel, allowing artists to use one, two, or all three for multichannel installations. The creative possibilities are wide open.
And thanks to their high frame rate support, the projectors deliver ultra-smooth motion—something both Reichert and Foster believe artists will find exciting, especially when paired with the stunning color performance.
Of course, it all needs serious computing power behind the scenes. “The video Elliot and Arthur created runs at nearly 12K resolution horizontally,” Foster explained. “We’re using a high-performance computer setup to handle that kind of output across all three channels simultaneously—it’s really impressive.”