ENTTEC joins Junior Major in epic WA Museum exhibition
At the heart of Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor – a landmark exhibition currently running at WA Museum Boola Bardip – lies a spellbinding audiovisual finale that quite literally lights up history.
Blending ancient myth with cutting-edge technology, the experience is the work of Sydney-based creative studio Junior Major, who were commissioned to deliver three interactive installations to enhance this bold cultural showcase. And while the artistry is undeniably theirs, we’re thrilled that ENTTEC technology had a sparkling role in bringing their vision to life.
Running from 28 June 2025 to 22 February 2026, the exhibition features over 225 rare Chinese artefacts, including ten of the famous Terracotta Warriors – some never before seen outside of China. But beyond the historic treasures, visitors are taken on an imaginative journey into the life, legacy and afterlife of China’s first emperor, Qin Shihuang.
And it’s that afterlife where things get seriously high-tech.
Enter the Emperor’s tomb
The final room of the exhibition is a sensory triumph titled Enduring Mystery: Emperor’s Tomb. It’s a swirling, shimmering reimagination of what lies within Qin Shihuang’s burial chamber – still unopened to this day. Inspired by ancient historian Sima Qian’s vivid accounts, the space blends projected jade trees, golden birds and a galaxy of glowing stars above, forming a dreamscape that feels at once sacred and sci-fi.
Here, Junior Major have combined live-rendered visuals in Unreal Engine with Pointcaster tracking and TouchDesigner compositing. Visitors move through the space, triggering visuals on the floor and projections on the walls.
Overhead, a ceiling of star-like LED lights reacts in real-time, mapping constellations to movement – an ethereal layer powered in part by ENTTEC LED Mapper (ELM) software and our custom-built SMART PXL 40 LED dots.
We supplied 96 strings of PXL-40 Dome Diffuse RGBW dots (including 12 spare strings to accommodate design changes) which Junior Major then mounted into custom-designed frames fabricated in their Sydney workshop (aka Tom’s garage!).
The result? A field of light that dazzles with detail, precision and mood. Controlled by ENTTEC’s ELM software and a pair of OCTO Mk2 pixel controllers, each dot is mapped with precision, syncing seamlessly to the visuals and even tracking visitors as they move below.
Pixels, projections and poetry in motion
This wasn’t just about spectacle, although it certainly delivered on that front. It was about storytelling through technology.
Junior Major’s installations across the exhibition include four interconnected works:
The Warrior Pit: a massive projection revealing life-sized animated warriors through dynamic shifts in light and color.
The Object Trail: a gamified treasure hunt where magnetic tokens unlock secrets.
The Tomb’s Threshold: a cleverly tracked entrance experience where projections simulate the Emperor’s lethal crossbow traps.
And of course, The Emperor’s Tomb, where our SMART PXL dots shine brightest.
The constellation effect, for instance, isn’t just beautiful – it’s thematic. Ancient Chinese astronomers believed the stars were mirrored in imperial architecture, so Junior Major’s dynamic ceiling acts as a poetic extension of that belief. With ELM handling real-time pixel mapping and our UL-listed dots standing up to museum rigging specs, it’s a technical setup as robust as it is refined.
Designed to dazzle
Our SMART PXL 40 dots aren’t just pretty lights, they’re purpose-built for creative visionaries like Junior Major. Each 42mm RGBW pixel is injection-moulded, IP67 weatherproof, and IK10 impact-rated, making them ideal for demanding environments, whether it’s an outdoor art festival or a suspended indoor installation.
Every dot is built and tested in-house by ENTTEC, ensuring quality, safety, and ultra-smooth 16-bit dimming curves that dazzle from any angle.
For this project, Junior Major opted for:
– 96 x strings of 6 dots
– 300mm pixel pitch
– RGBW LEDs for stunning color depth
– Dome Diffuse lens for a soft, otherworldly glow
They also made use of our OCTO Mk2 pixel converters – powerful and installer-friendly units that can run 16 universes of pixel data across dual outputs, with seamless Art-Net, sACN, and KiNet compatibility.
Coupled with ELM’s rock-solid mapping engine, the setup ensured smooth integration with Unreal, Pointcaster, and TouchDesigner, enabling precise, real-time lighting effects that respond to both visuals and human movement.
A stellar collaboration
We want to take a moment to give full credit where it’s due. This project is a shining example of what happens when technical excellence meets creative brilliance. Junior Major’s talent for weaving narrative, design and interactivity into one unforgettable experience is nothing short of masterful. ENTTEC’s gear simply played its part reliably and invisibly, just the way it should.
So, if you’re planning a museum installation, immersive art piece or experience design project that needs serious pixel performance, talk to us about SMART PXL dots and ELM. And if you haven’t you haven’t yet visited Terracotta Warriors: Legacy of the First Emperor in Perth, now’s your chance to step into the afterlife.
Special thanks to the whole Junior Major team for allowing us to be part of such an incredible project.
Learn more about their work @ www.juniormajor.com
Exhibition info: WA Museum Boola Bardip
Learn more about ELM here – and prepare to unleash your own creative potential!
With enormous thanks to the team at
