From Slide Projectors in Nightclubs to Arena LED: The Story of Observatory

Every studio has an origin story. Ours starts with borrowed slide projectors, a nightclub on Tottenham Court Road, and a young art student trying to create something worth watching between DJ sets.

Observatory founder Ben Sheppee still keeps a few of those heavy old projectors behind his desk — a reminder of where this all began, and of how much the industry has changed. Behind them now sits a render farm processing content for arena tours across Europe. The distance between those two things is the story of Observatory.

Where It Began: Lightrhythm Visuals

Ben's professional career in visual content began properly in the early 2000s, when he established Lightrhythm Visuals in San Francisco. The practice grew from his background as a visual artist — exploring abstract typography, projection, and the aesthetics of interrupted digital processes — into a full commercial operation serving the events and entertainment industry across 14 countries, with periods living and working in California, Japan and France.

As Ben told the PRG Ideas Exchange (October 2018): "We pride ourselves on being informed creative architects in this ever-evolving technical world. We develop concepts, aesthetics and sometimes combine technologies to deliver new experiences."

Observatory: Founded 2018

Observatory was formally established in 2018, building on the foundations of Lightrhythm Visuals and relocating to London, where the studio now operates from London's Design District. The name reflects something of the founding philosophy: an observatory is a place from which you watch, study and make sense of what you see — and then translate that into something others can experience.

The studio expanded its senior team with the appointment of Simon Harris as Director of Production — a well-known figure in the visual production world having previously worked for Bryte Design, Green Hippo and Avolites, with credits including Beyoncé's Glastonbury Headline Performance, George Ezra's 2018 European tour, and EDC Las Vegas. (Observatory, 2020)

What We Do

Observatory creates animated visual content for live events, brand experiences, arena tours, tradeshow activations and immersive installations. Our work spans 3D animation, motion graphics, real-time Unreal Engine content, projection mapping and AI-assisted production techniques.

Clients span music (Jacob Collier, Jamiroquai, The Prodigy, Enter Shikari, Andy C), corporate and brand (Kinly at the London Stock Exchange, Cannes Lions, Deloitte, HSBC), and fashion and culture (Glamour Magazine Women of the Year at Outernet London).

Our philosophy, as Ben put it in TPi Magazine (May 2022): "Having a deep knowledge of art and history, you can create something truly incredible through the digitisation of old art and movement. We are not here to just regurgitate media trends, but to add something unique."

Growing Thoughtfully

Observatory has always been a deliberately lean, high-quality studio. Recent milestones include our ongoing partnership with the University of Greenwich's Animation programme, our nomination as Best Visual Content Creator at the TPi Magazine Awards, and our fourth consecutive year as the official content partner for the TPi Awards ceremony itself. We're always interested in ambitious new collaborators — get in touch.

Sources: TPi Magazine (May 2022) · PRG Ideas Exchange (October 2018) · bensheppee.com · Observatory.design