With the Surface 2 going on sale in the UK on Wednesday, we welcomed our next gen tablet to the market in style with British singer Dizzee Rascal unveiling a giant 27 by 16 foot high Surface where members of the public were able to test and experience how the new tablet works.
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| Giant Surface in Trafalgar Square
October 23, 2013 |
The huge Surface was set up in Trafalgar Square in the early hours of Thursday morning and remained there all day to show off its giant keyboard and demonstrate its multitasking capabilities. Throughout the day the public were encouraged to drop by to test out the new Surface 2 and take part in a number of activities including a competition to re-create a classic National Gallery painting on the giant Surface 2 and the opportunity to be in for the chance to win tickets to a secret Dizzee Rascal gig.
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| Dizzee Rascal unveiling the Giant Surface
October 23, 2013 |
This unique experience would not have been possible without the team at design and fabrication experts Helix. The London based team were responsible for bringing the vision of a giant Surface to life; enabling the public to physically trial the new device and see for themselves how all the functions and features work. Helix’s work varies from the creation of the Jonathan Ross Show’s new stage to the construction of the Hot Fuzz sets.
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| Giant Surface under construction
October 23, 2013 |
The whole construction took 13 days to complete and a workforce of 22 Helix team members, with an average of six people working on the project at any one time. Paul Evans at Helix said the giant Surface 2 construction was “one of the most ludicrous things I have seen in my life, and I have never seen a company do anything like this before. But without the solid work of the team and subcontractors, we would not have been able to get any of this done.” The team tackled many elements of the construction, from building the giant keys to work the same as a normal keyboard, to designing the shape of bezel for the giant screen.
Within two weeks, the creation was complete with a 27 x 16 foot Surface and 27 x 17 foot long keyboard which functions the same way a normal sized Surface 2 would.
“To create a working Surface at this scale is an extraordinary undertaking” said event producer Boz Temple-Morris ”very few people could do it. I think Helix’s experience working in a world of film stands them in good stead as they are used to fulfilling the grand visions of the director!”
“It’s not just about making it safe for the public but also giving people an entertaining and educational experience. After all, this is London’s ‘Town Square’. When you do something here, everyone knows about it.”
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| Giant Surface tablet under construction
October 23, 2013 |
