Video mapping “Follow me. The Life of Peter”

When in the world one hears about St. Peter’s one often thinks of the Vatican Basilica, the most imposing and famous in the world, but one hardly ever remembers the man to whom it is dedicated. The video mapping project starts from here, from the figure of Simon, whose name Christ even changed, and intends to answer some simple questions: who was he? What do we know about him? The chosen scenes narrate in the first person the highlights of the apostle Peter’s life: the call, the following, the mission, the martyrdom. The façade of the Basilica, in addition to being one of the most evocative screens in the world for this narrative project, is designed as an integral part of the story to celebrate the Apostle’s testimony at the altar of Confession.

The inaugural screening of the video mapping “Follow me. The Life of Peter” will take place on the evening of Sunday 2 October, at 8:00 pm, with a greeting by H.E. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Vicar General of His Holiness for the Vatican City. The special guest, Andrea Bocelli, will take part in the event with a musical tribute. The world-renowned singer will perform, among others, The First Noël, a song from his new album. Flavio Insinna, the narrating voice of the video mapping, will be on stage too. Milly Carlucci will be the event host.

The project narrates the life of Peter through a sequence of images taken from the most important iconographic repertories of the Basilica and the Vatican Museums. High-tech tools designed to enhance and harmonise images, sounds and words were chosen to realise this narrative. A combination of ancient and modern that employs 3-D production technologies to enhance the artistic masterpieces of the Basilica and the Vatican Museums by artists such as Raphael, Perugino, Reni and Cavallucci.

The faithful, pilgrims and visitors from all over the world can enter into dialogue with the humanity of the Apostle and delve into the depths of the spiritual experience by retracing the main steps of the extraordinary life of the fisherman of Galilee – the ups and downs, the tenacity and the doubts, the tears and the gift of life – thus having the opportunity to recognise and identify themselves in his life experience. In the sequence of images, objects belonging to the daily toil and labour, such as the net and the boat, are proposed as symbols of the Church and Christian life. The moments chosen are part of an accomplished vocation, that of Peter, cherished within a greater love that continues to ask men and women of all times: “Do you love me?”. In the Paschal perspective that emerges from Peter’s experience, even doubts and betrayals are the condition to meet, love and serve the Lord and their brothers and sisters.