Turning a reinstall into art

When luxury takes flight, it’s not just about where you’re going, it’s about how you get there. For Bombardier, the world leader in business aviation, that journey is defined by precision engineering, elegant design, and sensory sophistication. Their Global 8000 aircraft represents the pinnacle of private air travel, an aircraft built for those who expect art in motion.

So when Bombardier approached 2Heads Canada to reinstall a pre-existing exhibit for the prestigious Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, we saw more than a reinstall, we saw an opportunity to turn a challenge into an installation worthy of the brand’s high-luxury DNA.

Setting the Scene

The Milken Conference is no ordinary event. Hosted annually at the Beverly Hilton, it draws an audience of global leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and visionaries. Precisely the audience that aligns with Bombardier’s elite clientele. It’s a gathering where ideas shape markets and brands must make a statement in seconds.

Bombardier’s original brief was modest. A reinstall of an existing pop-up structure within the hotel lobby. But when the outcome came into focus, the implications of a straight forward reinstall proved uninspiring. Rather than scaling back, Bombardier gave us a rare opportunity: to start with a clean slate and design something new, within tight constraints, and that would wow an exceptionally-discerning guestlist.

The Insight: The Art of Clean

Our creative team, led by Dominic Lehoux, quickly reframed the challenge. What if Bombardier’s aircraft could be presented not as a product, but as art? The Global 8000 is a masterpiece of design; quiet, powerful, and sculptural, so we built our concept around The Art of Clean, a sensory, gallery-style environment that could showcase the aircraft’s innovation through experience rather than display.

Without the budget for traditional models or heavy physical builds, we leaned into Bombardier’s design DNA, precision, technology and beauty, to create an installation that lived at the intersection of art and engineering.

The Concept: Light as Material

Our solution was to bring the Global 8000 to life through light itself. We planned to repurpose an existing model of the aircraft as a projection surface, layering digital artistry to highlight the aircraft’s innovations. But in true live event fashion, the model never made it to Beverly Hills in one piece, instead suffering thunderstorm-induced damage on the deck of a yacht. Your every-day problem.

That twist set a new creative challenge in motion. Working against the clock, we sourced a local fabricator with a large-scale 3D printer and — using Bombardier’s actual CAD files — rebuilt the aircraft model from scratch. Within days, our team produced a millimetre-accurate sculpture ready for projection mapping.

The projection itself was an exercise in precision. With only one projector positioned a mere three feet from the model, every pixel mattered. Our project manager Rob Lynch mapped seven separate

layers of projection, from the aircraft’s fuselage to the surrounding wall, creating a seamless, dimensional experience where light became form.

The Design: Immersive Storytelling in Motion

Every design decision was rooted in storytelling. Visitors stepped into an environment that felt part art gallery, part sensory theatre. The projection mapped content danced across the sculpted aircraft, a choreography of light revealing performance data, design details and flight range.

An orchestral score wrapped the space, underpinned by a resonant sub-bass that guests could feel in their chest, mirroring the deep rumble of take-off. When a Bombardier representative demonstrated a feature, the light mapping shifted in real time: engines roared, the room subtly vibrated through haptic floor responses, and a globe appeared to illustrate the Global 8000’s extraordinary range.

It was an artwork that lived and breathed, always visually striking, even when static, and operated autonomously around the clock.

The Build: Precision Under Pressure

On-site at the Beverly Hilton, we had just eight hours for construction before mapping could begin. Using spatial scanning and test patterns, we built a digital twin of the installation to perfect the projection geometry. Nine hours of calibration later, the light mapping aligned to the millimetre, capturing every contour of the aircraft in living light.

The Impact: Art That Stopped Traffic

From the moment the first pixels lit up, the installation became a beacon. Conference guests stopped mid-conversation, drawn by the luminous sculpture and immersive soundscape. The exhibit was so popular that hotel staff had to redirect traffic flow to manage crowds.

Bombardier’s team reported record engagements; conversations, leads and high-value interactions with exactly the right audience. The experience didn’t just tell a story; it made guests feel it.

And perhaps most impressively, it was achieved entirely in-house by 2Heads, from creative concept to engineering to projection content, all within four weeks and on a reinvented budget.

The Result: Turning Constraints into Creativity

In transforming a simple reinstall into an artistic experience, 2Heads Canada reaffirmed what we do best: finding the extraordinary within the impossible. The Bombardier installation at Milken was both a showcase of technology and proof that creativity, precision and innovation can take flight, even under pressure.