Sweden - In 2008 a new lighting event took place in Uppsala, Sweden in which various objects around the city - buildings, statues and trees - were illuminated by different lighting designers and architects.

A guided tour of 4 km was created to view the lighting installations, an event that took great care in promoting the city after dark. The event also promoted public health by getting people out at night to walk around and experience the town in a different light.

As the project was greatly appreciated and was a huge success, the Uppsala Municipality decided to make the event a biennial celebration, therefore reoccurring in 2010.

One of the key sites of 2010 was the old mill in Uppsala's city centre and the water surrounding it. Sound, light and video company Kreativ Teknik of Uppsala transformed the area into a dynamic coloured adventure with music and sound effects. With

UK - White Light transformed the atrium of Selfridges' central London store for the Christmas period with the installation of a collection of strategically placed giant mirrorballs.

For this project, it was decided that the normal rotation of the mirrorballs wasn't enough - they also travel up and down through the atrium, courtesy of TRG Rigging. White Light's team therefore installed moving lights around the outside of the atrium, programmed to follow the movement of each ball.

Installation work took place over five nights. Coemar's Infinity Spot M was chosen for its high light output within a smart compact unit. The fixtures e motor cues were controlled using a grandMA lighting console; this was initiated by Selfridges' building management system in the morning, and the four minute show was then scheduled throughout the day using the console's built-in Agenda feature.

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UK / USA - The New Year sees the launch of the enlarged PLASA trade association, following the formal merger between industry trade bodies ESTA and PLASA on 1 January.

The merger has created one of the largest networks serving the industry worldwide. Operating from regional offices in Europe and North America, PLASA now has a membership of 1100 businesses, organizations and individuals working across the entertainment, events and installation industries, giving it a substantial worldwide industry voice.

The move also greatly strengthens PLASA's position of leadership in the development of industry standards, best practices and skills.

The formal merger represents the first phase of the two associations coming together, and the months ahead will be focused on the further unification of the wider range of projects and initiatives that now sit under the PLASA banner.

In the m

The Netherlands - Yamaha Commercial Audio Europe is to distribute a new line of audio products designed for the contractor installation markets, produced exclusively for the company by Spanish manufacturer, Equipson SA.

Launching at ISE in Amsterdam, which takes place at the city's RAI Centre from 1-3 February, the new WORKproCA series will include a range of ceiling speakers, active and passive wall mount loudspeakers, subwoofers, power amplifiers and mixer amplifiers.

Competitively priced, the WORKproCA range has been targeted to meet the requirements of clients who demand high quality installations while working to tight budgets.

"Our European installation dealers having been asking us for some time to provide them with a range of products to compete in the volume contractor space," says Nick Cook, European marketing director of Yamaha Commercial Audio Europe.

France - First inaugurated in November 2000, the centre d'art et de culture in Meudon on the south western outskirts of Paris is an important part of the local cultural landscape. The 495-seat theatre offers a varied programme throughout the year, including cinema, and consequently welcomes over 55,000 spectators annually. After 10 good years, it was deemed necessary to replace the existing APG sound system.

Samuel Songis, production manager at Meudon performing arts and culture centre reports, "We had 10 years of great service from our trusty APG DS15s which were flown in pairs from the proscenium arch. They've always performed exceptionally well, apart from the more 'rock 'n' roll' shows where, it has to be said, they lacked a bit of power and dynamic, especially for the vocals. That said, rock 'n' roll was never meant to be the principal application for DS15s, and they

Australia - Clearlight Shows has recently supplied the Malthouse Theatre with a range of new ETC products for the Merlyn Theatre and the Beckett Theatre.

The new inventory includes an ETC ION 3072 channel console with a 20 fader wing, an ETC ION 3072 channel console with a 10 fader wing and an ETC Element 40 250 channel console. Added to that were 18 Source 4 19° Profile and thirty-six Source 4 Junior 25°-50° profiles.

"The crew and the 'creatives' are thrilled with the new consoles and lighting equipment as it has opened up a range of possibilities they were unable to achieve previously," commented Frank Stoffels, CUB Malthouse's building manager.

(Jim Evans)

France - As part of a significant expansion for major French rental company, TH Audio, based in south-western France, the company has recently invested in an Eclipse digital mixing console from Innovason. The move coincides with the purchase of a line array system and associated processing from APG as well as an investment in new premises.

TH Audio's owner, Thierry Avignon, confirms that 2010 was one of their busiest and most successful years to date, and looks forward to more of the same in 2011. "The Eclipse has been out virtually non-stop since the summer on a massive variety of events from major outdoor festivals with tens of thousands of people to traditional indoor concerts and corporate events. It has been a dream to use and has perfomed impeccably every time.

"I was first attracted to the Eclipse because of its ease of use. Nothing has been left to chance on

UK - Rich Mix, Shoreditch's thriving multi-arts and community centre, is now treating clients to its 450-capacity live room with improved sound reproduction - thanks to the installation of a JBL VRX line array system and Soundcraft Vi1 digital mixing desk.

Occupying an old five-storey industrial building originally used as a clothing factory, the social enterprise Rich Mix originally opened with three cinema screens four and a half years ago, showing world cinema and first run movies.

But far from being purely an art house it started to run events in the bar - and under the supervision of director, Jane Earl, this is one of the activities that has taken off.

Technical manager Glenford Barnes had been far from happy with the previous sound system, the shortcomings of which were exacerbated by the highly reverberant concrete and glass box it found itself in. "We had issue

USA - POET Theatricals designs and produces the shows on the Celebrity Solstice class of vessels. Their creative director, Michael McPherson, features Martin LC Series LED panels in the show Edge on the cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse.

McPherson comments, "I like Martin products and I have used them for years. We use them in all of our shows actually. Martin panels are robust and built well, so for the guys who have to load them in and out, they hold up well."

The Eclipse is the third new vessel in this line of ships, following the Solstice and the Equinox. POET is designing and producing the next three shows on the new cruise ship, the Celebrity Silhouette, which is set to launch in 2011. McPherson says, "I'll use them on the next ship too because they worked out so well."

Martin's LC Series is a semi-transparent, modular system of LED panels, suita

USA - After five years of restoration, modernisation and seismic retrofitting, the historic Rotunda building of the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum in July 2010 reopened with a new face and a whole new set of lighting - decorative LED bulbs supplied by Torrance, California-based LEDtronics.

Renovation of the 97-year-old Beaux Arts-inspired building was part of a multi-phase, $107m project that included the modernisation of the electrical system to support multimedia presentations and events, improve climate control and enhance exhibition lighting in an energy-efficient manner. Modernising of the lighting system involved a retrofit from incandescent light fixtures with custom-manufactured LED systems without compromising the historical integrity of the original fixtures, notably in the Rotunda.

LEDtronics provided 90 5-watt PAR38-180 Series bulbs and 160 1-watt DEC-G2

UK - Brighton Goes Gospel is that city's non-religious community gospel choir, entirely run by volunteers. To mark its 10th anniversary, the choir staged a night of gospel music in the Brighton Dome's Concert Hall before Christmas, a high-spec visual event featuring six cameras and a mix solution using the latest video products from Roland Systems Group.

Led by choir director Karen Gibson, and musical director Jason Thompson, the 180- strong choir was joined by prominent UK gospel singer Beverley Trotman of X-Factor fame and the Kingdom Choir as well as other surprise guests. The highly regarded seven- piece JT Band provided musical accompaniment for an audience of 1400.

Brighton-based video services company As Described handled the three-hour show's visual requirements, providing a live mix of six cameras and pre-recorded video material, relaying the mix to projection screens

Europe - GLP 120 RZ impression zooms were the LED moving lights chosen by LD Andy Hurst for Faithless's European arena tour at the end of last year. They were selected specifically to deliver the fast moving impact of a digital club environment on stage. The concept was a fitting one, since the band's sixth album - celebrating 15 years of the Maxi Jazz / Sister Bliss collaboration - is called The Dance.

Hurst selected a mixture of conventional and LED washes - detailing 68 of the impression zooms, mounted both on the main V truss and custom made floor towers (at stage left and right), for the chase and movement elements.

"Over the last couple of years I've done a lot of dance shows with the likes of The Prodigy and the advantage of LED is the speed of it," says Hurst. "If you're doing fast shutter chases through lamps, with LED there's no stutter as there

USA - Barco has announced that its three-chip DLP projection technologies will be used throughout the expanded and renovated Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria, New York) when it reopens later this week. Seventeen Barco projectors will be used in high-profile spaces including a 50ft long seamless projection wall in the lobby, the new Video Screening Amphitheatre, a new 68-seat screening room, and in the inaugural exhibition Real Virtuality.

The exhibition's six experiments in art and technology, including a commissioned work by the Flemish collective Workspace Unlimited titled Realtime Unreal, utilise 10 RLM-W6 projectors in a variety of installations, two of which are stereoscopic. These installations employ video game engines, motion- and position-tracking, and sophisticated image processing to create simulated worlds that extend, augment, or disrupt the physica

UK - ETC dealer Northern Light has recently finished a technical installation at the newly refurbished and renamed K College in Tonbridge, Kent (formerly West Kent College).The college is undergoing an £86m regeneration project in which it is modernising its facilities and building a flagship college in the south east of England. One of the first new buildings to be built includes a multi-use performing arts facility, specified by Arup Theatre Consulting installed by Northern Light with loose equipment supplied by Stage Electrics.Steve Myers, project manager for Northern Light, says, "Northern Light has a long history of both working with Arup Theatre Consulting and of carrying out technical fit-outs in educational establishments - we completed more than 1,000 installations in schools, colleges and universities. ETC dimming and control systems work extremely well in a f

UK - The British Military Tournament brings together all the best elements of the world famous Royal Tournament and incorporates them into a new show for the 21st century. Unusual Rigging provided both staff and equipment - in the form of over 130 points, 130 hoists and 400m of truss.

"Unusual had a 21 year unbroken relationship with the Royal Tournament until its last production in 1999," says Unusual's managing director Alan Jacobi, "and so we were delighted to be able to continue to support its modern day revival. The British Army is dedicated to keeping us safe, and we're proud to be able to support them in return."

Unusual supplied all the rigging equipment, motors and truss, and also fabricated many of the scenic pieces at the company's facility in Bugbrooke, near Northampton. They also took responsibility for automation of all the scenic pieces.

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USA - Hartselle, AL's newest house of worship, Hartselle Church of Christ, boasts inspirational architecture featuring high ceilings and ornate brickwork. It's an impressive looking sanctuary, and the church's elders are understandably proud.

But that same stunning architecture had created some unforeseen challenges. As Christopher Bragg, senior systems engineer at Covington, GA-based Messenger Media Systems, explains, the room's acoustic signature did not lend itself to getting the message across to the congregation.

"It's a very wide room, and very reflective," says Bragg. "As a traditional Church of Christ, their service is very much centred around the spoken word. And while those brick walls look great, they can create problems with intelligibility, making it difficult to clearly discern what's being said."

The reflective nature of the space called fo

UK - Hundreds of children and their families enjoyed a spectacular light show and a beautifully lit sponsored walk around Edinburgh's West Princes Street gardens thanks to the imagination and ingenuity of Black Light's Events Team. The Glow in the Park event took place at the end of October 2010. As part of Light Relief Week 2010, it was organized to raise much-needed funds for the Royal Blind charity, whilst also highlighting some of the difficulties faced on a daily basis by blind and disabled people.

"We put up a full production rig at the park's Ross Bandstand for a 10-minute programmed light and music show," says Black Light's events manager, Stephen Reid, who explains that the whole system had previously been set up in Black Light's warehouse to do a full 'plot' of all lighting cues and to ensure a perfect show.

Reid also explains that, in order to turn

Denmark - Volbeat's Front of House engineer Mads Mikkelsen is contending with a band whose music embraces three powerhouse signatures, profound low end content, distinct multiple guitars, and big vocal harmonies. Volbeat's recent tour drew a decidedly young audience to arenas all across northern Europe.

"The band sound is a lot more dirty live," said Mikkelsen. "I double channel each of the two guitars, slightly delaying each to opposite sides of the PA to get that big guitar and bass sound and the J-Series delivers exactly what I am aiming for. That's one of the reasons I chose to use the J-Series."

Mikkelsen has a full d&b audiotechnik J-Series loudspeaker system supplied for the tour by DPA Soundco A/S in Denmark. "For me the J-Series is just the best for a great rock guitar sound. I am a very big fan of loud, clear and massive rock music and the J

UK - Media Powerhouse, one of the UK's leading AV rental services companies, has announced that Special Project Solutions (Special Projects) has joined the Group. Special Projects is a problem solving company whose services span the entertainment and industrial sectors, covering technical project management, design translation, bespoke fabrication and mechanical and lifting solutions. Being a part of Media Powerhouse Group will strengthen the specialist technical management and system integration expertise in both companies, say Media Powerhouse.

Special Projects was formed in 2007 by directors Tim Roffey and David Green. Prior to forming the company, Roffey, one of the country's top experts in entertainment rigging and installation, spent 10 years at Unusual Rigging where he managed the worldwide tour of Mamma Mia! and engineering projects such as Old Trafford's Quadrant

USA - On the heels of the retired Wybron Mobile Showroom's successful 15-month tour comes the launch of the Wybron Mobile Light Lab, which will begin its Visuality 2011 Tour in February with over 100 events in the US.

The Wybron Mobile Light Lab is a 48ft pop-out-equipped trailer that features all of Wybron's leading products. Wybron president Keny Whitright had it custom-built after proving the popularity of the company's Mobile Showroom, which travelled the country in a rental trailer from 2009 through 2010.

Whitright chose a larger vehicle and tailored it to the feedback collected from visitors to the Mobile Showroom. He also decided to allow visitors to take the helm of their Mobile Light Lab experience.

Upon arriving at a host dealer, visitors will enter the Mobile Light Lab's reception area. There they'll be able to view the day's schedule, which will include ed

California Calling - NAMM returns to Anaheim this week with the organisers and exhibitors in buoyant mood despite the continuing fragile nature of the world economy. Alongside the many musical instrument offerings will be a healthy quota of pro audio exhibitors, covering live sound, the fixed installation sector and recording. Some significant new product launches are promised, while the annual TEC Awards have been revamped and the educational programme extended.

The education session schedule for this year's Hands-On Training (H.O.T) Zone offers "the broadest educational experience for professionals in the recording, live sound, DJ, house of worship, commercial systems integrators, and stage and lighting industries in the history of the show".

The H.O.T. Zone will offer attendees free one-hour classes on more than 75 educational topics over four days, including topi

Saudi Arabia - The annual Eid Al-Fitr Festival is the three-day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

In Riyadh, Samir El-Wesemy's company, EvenTech, staged a major outdoor event at the Regime Palace District, sponsored by the Supreme Authority for Riyadh Development and attended (and officially opened) by HRH Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz. The event on all three days featured traditional shows from Saudi teams that represented all the cities in the Kingdom - and included children's shows with puppets.

EvenTech conceived the initial designs and developed the technical infrastructure, installing and providing all the event equipment such as projectors, screens, moving head lighting, trusses, staging, decoration and cinematography.

They fielded three Christie HD12K 1080HD 12,000 ANSI lumens DLP three-chip projectors from their inventor

USA - The new Wybron Mobile Light Lab will kick off its Visuality 2011 Tour in February with events in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.

The Mobile Light Lab's debut event will occur at Barbizon Light of the Rockies in Denver, Colo., on 7 February. It will then set up shop at PRG Denver on 8 February before heading west to Salt Lake City, Utah, for an 11 February event at Oasis Stage Werks.

Next, it's off to visit PRG Las Vegas, 4Wall Entertainment and Advanced Entertainment in Las Vegas, for events on 14, 15 and 16 February respectively. The Mobile Light Lab will then venture farther south to Arizona for events at AV Concepts in Tempe on 17 February and Clearwing Phoenix on 18 February.

The Wybron Mobile Light Lab will host events at dealers in Washington, Oregon and Northern California in March.

(Jim Evans)

UK - StudioTak Studio Vinyl has once again been the floor of choice for the ITV show Celebrity Juice, now into its fourth series and staring Keith Lemon, Rufus Hound, Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton.

Le Mark's peel clean Studio Vinyl has been used throughout the series, offering a 'bang tidy', gloss black set floor.

"The set looks superb, StudioTak is made to be the first choice for set designers working on a tight budget yet demanding visually impressive sets. The ability to lay the floor almost instantly and remove it without leaving residue is so important in today's fast changing studios" says Stuart Gibbons.

(Jim Evans)

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