CDFI creates a 'Surreal Island' with giant digital billboard

China Duty Free International (CDFI) has launched a visual digital experience for its new flagship store in Macau, offering a series of immersive animations.

In collaboration with WPP's Superunion, CDFI's display "The Surreal Island" is made up of large-scale digital displays set within the 7,500 square feet of retail space at the Grand Lisboa Palace, Macau. Nine LED screens bring to life the concept of the "Surreal Island" with a series of immersive animations, inspired by surrealist art.

The agency was tasked with creating content for digital screens that include 20-metre ceiling displays and wall panels three times the height of an average person. Working in collaboration with Peru-based surrealist illustrator, Paolo Torres, Superunion has created a poetic world inhabited by characters and scenes, designed through a whimsical combination of retail products and magical creatures. According to the agency, a Tiger tote bag stalks the rainforest and a Venus statue built of lipstick sits at the centre of a lake whilst porcelain whales dance in the sky.

"Each of these narratives was illustrated and brought to life in motion, designed to seamlessly exist alongside the store’s daily life. The scenes are highly intricate, with day and night cycles that reveal discoveries through every view," the brand said. "The China Duty Free team gave us an invaluable opportunity to flex our skills beyond branding into experience design, culminating in a fine blend of creative tech, illustration, art direction, and cinematography. This immersive and dreamlike space speaks to the vibrancy of experiences and culture in Macau, setting up the flagship as a true destination for luxury shopping," said Louisa Luk, senior designer of Superunion.

CDFI aims to capture the imagination of affluent visitors of Macau through this giant display. The "Surreal Island" experience is brought to life through a series of dynamic, flexible and sensory visual animations that play on scale and pay homage to the juxtaposing technique of surrealist art.

Miuling Lau, senior marketing manager at CDFI said: “Macau is known for its larger-than-life attitude to experiences, having established its identity as a casino city in the last 15 years. We hope that we can transport our guests to another world as soon as they step into our store and that this project marks the beginning of an otherwise expansive brand world for Surreal Island, where we can break out of the original retail context into other platforms and experiences.”

CDFI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Duty Free Group. The group is a state-owned company authorised by the State Council for duty free business nationwide. China Duty Free Group also runs over 240 duty free stores in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, and Cambodia, and its sales channels cover major domestic airports in China, Hong Kong and Macau international airports as well as the world's largest duty free complex Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex.