The team behind stunning projections at the London 2012 opening ceremony are once again bringing their expertise to Edinburgh Castle Esplanade this summer for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Speaking on the Tattoo’s ‘Piping Up’ podcast, Projection Artist, Kate Dawkins from Kate Dawkins Studio, talks about her experiences working at the London Stadium, and other projects, and how they have translated to the intricacies of the Tattoo’s projection design since 2022.

From dealing with unusual building shapes, to the expectations around working on internationally recognisable and revered events, the synergies and experiences of the Tattoo’s creative teams mean this year’s Show, Journeys, will be more than worthy of gold in this Olympic year.

In the conversation, alongside Creative Director Michael Braithwaite, she also points to experience working with Elton John on his ‘Are You Ready for Love’ as well as support for the star’s Las Vegas residency.

Kate said: “I created a music video for Elton John, which did go to number one! The company I worked for at the time were then approached for his Las Vegas Red Piano show. They loved what we did with the video, so we were asked to create the graphics for the show.

Successfully delivering the project, which the included the largest HD screen in North America at the time. Kate then went on to set direct the content for a giant ‘audience’ screen for both the Opening and Closing ceremonies at the London 2012 Olympics.

“I worked on the opening and closing ceremony and I think that sort of fascination of working within a tight-knit team to realise everything makes it so magical and it’s what I fell in love with.”

Kate, who’s won two BAFTAs for her visionary work, believes it’s this passion that helps create and deliver the strongest experiences for crowds.

“It’s these experiences that we’ve very much been building on. I love creating visuals for live performance and I’m excited for audiences to see what we’ve come up with at the Tattoo this year.

“It’s a wonderful theme to work with, and, thanks to our Naval lead, we are definitely travelling towards a watery world in parts of the design. Much like Stories we are investigating familiar cues that the audience will recognise but also artistic ways to interpret the music and convey the sense of travel, movement, adventure, and discovery.

“The Castle’s architecture is large and impressive, so our role is to bring our experience of balancing this iconic canvas with the performance to create perfect memorable moments throughout the show. Collaborating with the team over the years has produced incredible harmony between lighting and pyrotechnics and given the Show a dynamic experience”

To hear the full conversation and more about the creative plans behind this year’s Tattoo Show, listen to the ‘Piping Up’ podcast https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/our-story/piping-up-podcast, where Kate is joined by Creative Director, Michael Braithwaite.

Tickets for this summer’s Journeys Show are on sale now and can be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or on the phone, 0131 225 1188. The Show will run from 2-24 August 2024, with Presenting Partner, Innis & Gunn, offering a bar service at the event.

Tickets for 2025’s Show celebrating the 75th Anniversary of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will go on sale in August during Journeys.