Denmark - The Hans Christian Andersen Festival 2017 benefited from a light show powered by a range of award-winning Elation Professional moving lights. While over the last five years complex projection mappings were popular, this year the festival director wanted a new concept and commissioned the Berlin-based artist collective, phase7 performing arts, with the task. Under the artistic direction of Sven Sören Beyer, phase7 performing.arts handled concept development and implementation of the new show and used 40 new Proteus Hybrid moving lights from Elation Professional to realise it. Based on Andersen's narrative Sunshine, freedom and a little flower, a Danish cast brought the show to life on an irregular, six-story Layher scaffold reminiscent of a fairy-tale castle. In addition to the figure of Hans Christian Andersen himself, embodied by Jesper Dupont
Tajikistan - Russian installation specialist Muztorg.PRO has provided Loft, a night club in Dushanbe, with a light system featuring 16 Rogue R2 Spot, 16 Rogue R2 Wash and 8 ÉPIX Bar Tour fixtures from Chauvet Professional. “To give the impression of separate areas within the large single venue space, it became quickly apparent that a creative visual solution was required,” commented Roman Kosinov, project manager at Muztorg.PRO. “In addition to a modern sound distribution and partitioning system, the Chauvet fixtures enabled us to create the illusion of separate visually portioned areas within the bar, restaurant and club.” On the ground floor of the venue, which incorporates a large dancefloor, bar and main stage, a selection of 240W Rogue R2 Spot fixtures - positioned from ceiling truss -- creates a dazzling array of fast-moving and colourful visuals for the
UK - An Avolites Tiger Touch II console was used to programme and control the lighting design for the Wild Fruit Summer of Love dance tent at the annual LGBTQ equality and diversity festival Brighton Pride. The Summer of Love' tent hosted headline act DJ David Morales and featured sets from Jocelyn Brown, Angie Brown, Rozalla and Prok & Fitch. Providing the venue with a series of intense lighting looks was lighting designer Paul de Villiers who worked closely with Dean Parker of Wilde Ones Event Services who supplied and managed the event. "We have worked with Dean and Wilde Ones on Brighton Pride for the past two years," says De Villiers. "The concept this year for the Wild Fruit tent was to 'go wide'. In the past, the tent's performance area was end-on, but this year we went broader and located the stage side-on." To create the 'wild fruit' d
Middle East - Dubai’s Spectrum Entertainment Services has joined the Adamson Network with the purchase of a E-Series system. Spectrum’s new Adamson system is comprised of 24 E15 and 12 E12 three-way, true line source array cabinets, 12 E219 subwoofers, and 24 compact E119 subwoofers. The new package has already been put to work at several large-scale events, including the 2017 Saudi National Day celebrations at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. “We’re seeing the demand for high-performance audio systems continue to grow and invested in Adamson’s E-Series due to its high-fidelity sound, phase coherence, even coverage, and clarity,” explains Julien Beyrouthy, general manager of Spectrum Entertainment Services. “We’re following our long-time clients to bigger venues while also supporting larger festivals and major international tours. Adams
Russia - At the end of August, the city of Astrakhan in southern Russia, hosted an impressive classical music event which gathered an audience of more than 5,000 people. Set inside the old walls of the Astrakhan Kremlin, a stronghold fortress that began construction in the 16th century, the Astrakhan State Theatre of Opera and Ballet performed an open-air presentation of the opera, Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin. On the night of the performance, the central square of the Kremlin was transformed into the seating area while the beautiful Cathedral of the Assumption and adjacent buildings served as the stage backdrop. A temporary 40 x 20m platform was assembled for the orchestra at centre stage. All sound equipment used for the performance, including Allen & Heath dLive mixing consoles, a main K-array PA system, Audio-Technica microphones and wireless systems
UK - Live entertainment lighting control specialist Eaton has enabled the University of South Wales (USW) to enjoy the power and flexibility of a Zero 88 FLX console which has been added to their line-up of lighting control options. This increases their stock of Zero 88 products, which already includes distributed dimming (both Alphapack and Betapack) and manual control of their new 1:8 scale mini rig from a Jester 12/24. Eaton is also supporting modules on USW’s BSc Lighting Design and Technology and Live Event Technology courses. First year students visit the Welsh factory in Cwmbran as part of their Introduction to Lighting module; while second years sit the Control Technology module that has been developed by the Zero 88 team. For the first time, final year students can work with Eaton employees during their Group Projects module, whe
USA - NanoLumens, creators of interactive LED visualisation solutions, reports that Nashville-based PixelFLEX has joined the NanoLumens partner programme. Now able to exclusively market the NanoLumens' Nixel SeriesTM flexible LED under the name TrueFLEX visualised by NanoLumens, the partner agreement coincides with the settlement of the corresponding NanoLumens patent infringement lawsuit. Monty Rains, president and COO of PixelFLEX said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement with NanoLumens, and are happy to have joined the NanoLumens Partner Programme. Through this joint effort, we believe that our customers will benefit greatly from the technology, and we are excited to now offer the TrueFLEX visualized by NanoLumens LED video solution.” "We welcome PixelFLEX to the NanoLumens partner programme and we look forward to working with them as they roll out the
Europe - Stageco continued its long-term association with The Rolling Stones on the band’s current tour No Filter. The staging company created the two steel tower and roof systems that have been leapfrogging around Europe since the start of September when the tour opened at Hamburg’s Stadtpark Festwiese. The Rolling Stones production manager Dale ‘Opie’ Skjerseth engaged in what he referred to as “my A team”, featuring creative director Patrick Woodroffe and set designer Ray Winkler from Stufish Entertainment Architects, with Jeremy Lloyd of Wonder Works co-ordinating the technical design elements and working with Stageco’s project manager Hedwig De Meyer and R&D engineers Tom Frederickx, Patrick Martens and Kai Eppinger, to create two complete steel, tower and roof systems that have been leapfrogging around Europe since the start of September
USA - LOUD Technologies has been acquired by US private equity company Transom Capital Group. The move is hoped to enable the growth of LOUD's brands, including Ampeg, EAW, Mackie and Martin Audio, and expand the company into adjacent markets. The pro audio firm will now be named LOUD Audio and retain its executive management team to ensure continuity with product development, distribution and the supply chain. LOUD CEO Mark Graham said: “This transaction is the first step in a broader strategic plan to enable and grow each of our iconic brands. Our brand and product strategies are greatly enhanced going forward as each will be working from a vastly improved financial structure and with access to growth capital. Transom is an exciting partner as they have experience in our industry and a great track record of building brands. Further, they share a commitment t
South Africa - A light show featuring CHAUVET Professional fixtures is supporting YouTube hit act Vidya Vox on her international tour. The Chris Reade and Jay Ballinger-designed light show includes a collection of Maverick MK2 Spot, Rogue R2 Wash and STRIKE 4 fixtures. “We use these fixtures in wide variety of ways to reflect the scope of Vidya’s music,” said Reade of Las Vegas based KYVA Design LLC. “Much of the credit for our impactful lightshow goes to Heather Cossette. Jay and I gave her a general overview of what we were looking for regarding visuals. Heather then took the concept and put her stamp on it through her programming and directing. We trust Heather's instincts. I personally am impressed by her creativity, detail, and fantastic attitude.” The net result of this collaborative effort is a lightshow that’s as sweeping and ebullient as Vidy
Thailand - Mahajak Development Co recently installed a complete Harman networked AV audio solution at AVANI Riverside Bangkok. In order to provide audio coverage and networked AV for a wide range of specialized areas and environments, hotel owner Minor International hired Mahajak Development to install a Harman AV audio solution comprising JBL Professional speakers, Crown amplifiers, BSS signal processors, Soundcraft audio mixers and AMX networked AV systems. “We asked Mahajak Development to provide us with robust AV solutions to accommodate a spectrum of events and functions,” said Pakpoom Worakamolkul, senior engineering manager, Minor International. “Thanks to the variety of speaker types and sizes in the JBL Control Series line, Mahajak was able to customise the solution in each different environment to deliver maximum coverage and intelligibility. The colour
USA - US retailer Macy’s has installed a LED video display from PixelFLEX at its Brooklyn department store. The company contacted provider of digital brand media solutions Reflect, who installed a new FLEXLite NXG 3.9mm LED video display from PixelFLEX. “Looking to add digital media to the new Brooklyn store design, the executives at Macy’s brought us on early in the project where they were originally concepting a large video wall composed of 55” LCD displays,” began Chas Thornhill, CTS, Reflect’s senior systems engineer. “I took one look at that and immediately started working to change the design from LCD to LED. In the end, we were successful in proving that LED would look better while being more cost-effective when considering the full installation and maintenance costs, and the FLEXLite NXG looks great in the new space.” Now with fully fron
UK - Olivier and Tony Award-winning sound designer Gareth Owen has recently specified an array of Allen & Heath products across three of London’s biggest theatre productions. Employed to solve the issues of personal monitoring for musicians in the West End shows, the ME-1 Personal Mixer is at the heart of the systems, which Owen has used for Wind In The Willows (London Palladium), Bat Out Of Hell (London Coliseum) and 42nd Street (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). “This is the future,” says Owen. “We have three of the biggest shows in London, two on Broadway and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame running out in Germany, all on the Allen & Heath set-ups and we couldn’t be happier. It’s been a truly great choice.” Rather than being driven by a traditional console, the ME-1s are fed by an Allen & Heath dLive DM64
Germany - Lewis Hamilton unveiled the latest Mercedes supercar on the eve of the Frankfurt International Motor Show with a laser display featuring tarm Showlaser products. Six full-colour 25W Phaenon X AT lasers, five full-colour 12W Phaenon N X Mini laser and lots of mirrors with different shapes and customised mounts formed an imposing laser grid, effectively showcasing the new features of the Mercedes-AMG Project ONE. The two-seater supersports show car brings the very latest and efficient, fully-fledged Formula 1 hybrid technology from the race track to the road. The show car marks the highlight of the sports car and performance brand´s 50th anniversary year. (Jim Evans)
UK - Cambridge-based co-educational boarding and day school The Leys has recently upgraded the drama technical facilities of its purpose-built theatre and performing arts centre with the latest energy-efficient Spotlight Green Line white LED Fresnels. As part of the lighting upgrade of the school’s 337-seat performance venue, theatre manager Paul Durose contacted A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET) to replace the existing conventional Fresnels / PC white lighting fixtures with energy-efficient LED equivalents. Paul had previously worked with AC-ET to upgrade the theatre and main drama studio's PAR and Profile fixtures to full colour-changing LED versions, so he approached them again to recommend several suitable white fixtures from their extensive portfolio of theatrical LED solutions. The company's specialist lighting sales division arranged for an on
UK - A Yamaha sound system was specified for the new Crossway Christian Centre in London’s Elephant & Castle. The church, which had existed for over 150 years, recently moved to a new building and required an adaptable audio system was needed to serve its numerous congregations. Rev. Dr Peter Stevenson, Minister at Crossway Church, consulted with Daniel Cunnings of Cunnings Recording Associates and chose an audio system based on two Yamaha MRX7-D and one MTX3 matrix processors. The system is controlled by six surface-mounted DCP4V4S panels, with Yamaha’s ProVisionaire Touch iPad app for Peter and church music leaders. “A key factor in the choice of equipment was that the system had to be complex enough to cope with everything from tiny meetings to large congregations with music. It needed to handle different congregations meeting in different rooms at t
Germany - Absen recently expanded and upgraded its showroom setup at their European HQ in Rüsselsheim, Germany. In the new set up, the company is showcasing its bestselling models and a number of new LED solutions developed for a number of industries including corporate, retail, rental staging, OOH and sports. The majority of the LED screens in the showroom are fed content from an AV Stumpfl Wings Engine Stage media server. The Wings software interface gives Absen technicians the ability to quickly change and replace professional audio-visual content, depending on the profile of the showroom visitors. Oliver Straub, the Absen technician in charge of the showroom comments: “Since we opted for the Wings Engine media server, handling content has become a lot easier for us. We now have one main system interface, that we know is reliable and can easily be adjusted.
USA - On 23 June 2018, a dedicated group of music industry professionals will embark on a 12-day, 500-mile bicycle ride along the California coast to raise awareness and funding for spinal cord injury sufferers. The event, produced by non-profit organisation Celebrate Overcoming, is inspired by the physical and spiritual journey of spinal cord injury survivor and musician David Francisco. In April 2016, David’s life changed forever, in a split second. While the 24-year-old was riding his bike home from his recording classes at Nashville’s Blackbird Academy, a distracted driver ran a red light and crashed into him at 40 miles per hour. The impact was catastrophic: He shattered his spine in three places, and was told he’d likely never walk again. After a year of intense physical rehabilitation, David has defied the odds and learned to walk, and this past Ju
Belgium - The band at the heart of popular Belgian TV series Ghost Rockers – produced by Studio 100 and syndicated throughout Europe – hits the road for a series of gigs around Belgium this autumn, complete with a fresh lighting design by Belgian design studio Painting with Light’s Paco Mispelters. One of Paco’s starting points was the practical consideration of different sized venues on the tour, so from the outset, the look and the lighting rig had to be scalable. The audience is young and the music is lively pop-rock, so he needed lots of dynamics, colour and vitality. Added to that, there is a narrative to the set – the show is directed by Tijl Dauwe so some strategic tricks were required, including a classical touch of theatrical magic - a Pepper’s Ghost. With no set as such, apart from some low stairs and a couple of risers, Paco also n
UK/Ireland - Unusual Rigging are no novices when it comes to the technical ins and outs of Miss Saigon. The company worked on the original show when it opened in the West End nearly three decades ago and again in 2014 when the show re-opened to rave reviews at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Cameron Mackintosh's production of Boubil and Schonberg's Miss Saigon began touring this summer – and once again Unusual Rigging have been brought on board to ensure the success of the musical as it tours the UK and Ireland. The show is currently running at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre in Dublin until the end of November when it moves to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Helen Guest, production manager explained: "The tour itself is based on the version of the show which ran at the Prince Edward Theatre but with some additions that were introduced in the Broadw
USA - Special Event Services (SES) used Outline loudspeakers to craft the live sound of the Avett Brothers during their three-night stint at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver. The 9,525-capacity mountain venue lies over 6,000ft above sea level and presents some unusual conditions to visiting sound reinforcement companies. SES president Jason Farah comments: ‘Red Rocks is a challenging venue, as it is very long, very steep, and the PA is at the bottom of the hill with limited trim height. I employed a few innovative techniques to overcome these challenges, and the results were nothing less than remarkable - in fact, the Outline GTO / C-12 / Mantas design I deployed provided the best outcome of all the PA systems I've ever used there.” Farah continues, ’Because the Avett Brothers’ music ranges from the very lively to tender moments, it was amazing to
Sweden - A sound system from d&b has been installed at Stockholm’s historic Maria Magdalena church as part of the building’s renovation. SoundCop Consulting, who provided consultation and installation services for the project, had initially chosen another system, but switched d&b’s xC-Series column loudspeakers after attending a demo by d&b’s local partner Arva Trading at another Stockholm church, Stefanskyrkan (Saint Stephens church). SoundCop Consulting decided to go with a combination of d&b’s xC-Series 2-way passive column loudspeakers, xS-Series loudspeakers, and B4 cardioid subwoofers along with the 10D four channel amplifier. Natanael Lyckelind, sales and support AV/pro audio, at Arva Trading explains: “The passive cardioid function of the xC-Series column loudspeakers results in excellent dispersion control, which makes them p
UK - Creative technical event production company Hawthorn constructed a 4,830sq.m set for eSports company ESL Gaming at the UK’s biggest games trade fair, EGX, held at NEC Birmingham in September. Hawthorn delivered the vast custom-made set and supplied lighting, sound, rigging and staging, with five artic lorries needed to transport their kit - three of which were used just for the mammoth set. The company created two large gaming stages, the ESL Premiership stage and the Twitch stage, both of which designed by ESL. Hawthorn custom built each set to ESL’s specifications, including the creation of custom gaming desks for the high-octane competition over the four days. “With the ESL Arena covering nearly 5,000sq.m of space, this was a demanding job for us in terms of scenic creation” says Hawthorn senior project manager Ryan Grant who led the project.
UK - SGM moving heads are used for an art installation currently projected on the facade of Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London. Wall of Dreams by Danish poet and artist Morten Søndergaard is being showcased from 18 October to 1 November as part of the Centre’s year-long Nordic Matters programme and aims to raise awareness of the refugee crisis in Europe. The projection is realised by the deployment of 16 SGM G-Spot LED moving heads mounted on existing poles surrounding the building. Special gobos have been designed containing the textual messages with each moving head containing several of these custom-made gobos making it possible to alter the building facade over night for a changeable appearance through programming. The bright output of the G-Spot produces razor-sharp effects for spectators to see and read from a distance. “The li
