Manchester City Council

Heliosphere Swimmer

Manchester City Council commissioned Knifedge and
The DreamEngine - Heliosphere as part of the opening ceremony of the 2008 FINA World Swimming Championships.

Working closely with Dream Engine’s Creative Director, Steve Edgar, and Manchester’s Mike Parrott, the Knifedge team led by Creative Director Timothy Bird produced an animated swimmer contained within a watery sphere.

With the use of some projection trickery, the animation appears to be taking place inside the 6.5m diameter Heliosphere. As the “water” drains out, the Heliosphere rises, revealing the swimmer - apparently reincarnated as an aerial dancer - as the live part of the Heliosphere performance starts.