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Lighting

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The Royal Festival Hall, arguably the UK’s highest profile multi-purpose performance space, recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in a blaze of colourful architectural lighting, basking radiantly and beacon-like on the South Bank, for two glorious weeks.

The idea was first suggested by the RFH’s head of production, Nigel March, in February. Knowing the event was approaching, he decided that it was time to take advantage of the building’s massive white marble facades by lighting it in a visually stimulating style.

"It was an unmissable opportunity," says March who worked hard to get the project approved, realised and within budget, collaborating closely with his associate and production LX Barry Waterman and team of South Bank technicians. The outdoor lighting was sponsored by Accenture (formally known as Andersen Consulting), and March’s concept i

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The ABTT has confirmed that its ABTT Theatre Show 2002 will be held at the Royal Horticultural Halls on 19 and 20 June 2002. Further details of booking arrangements will be announced shortly. Any enquiries should be directed to the ABTT Office on 020 7403 3778.
PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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At a time when many high-tech companies report lay-offs, closures and down-sizing, Stardraw announces expansion into America. US distributor R&S Solutions has been acquired and will continue operations under the name Stardraw.com Inc. "This is an exciting step forward and forms a key part of our strategy for global expansion," says David Snipp, Stardraw’s founder and managing director. "North America is a very important marketplace for us and already represents around 50% of our installed user base. With a direct presence in America we will be able to build on the excellent foundation laid for us by R&S Solutions over the past three years."

Randell Green, founder of R&S Solutions, takes up the position of President at Stardraw.com Inc. He explained: "This is a development that we have all wanted for quite some time now. It is a very logical step and capi

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As if to put paid to theories of how, thanks to new technology, we’ll all be working from home and communicating with the rest of the world via the internet, Showlight 2001 was the biggest, and quite possibly the best, so far. Three hundred people journeyed from across the globe to be part of this unique event, made even more special by virtue of it taking place just once every four years.

Edinburgh, a truly cosmopolitan city, added its own particular charm to the event and the Festival Theatre couldn’t have been a better choice of venue. It is the sponsors (aka exhibitors) that enable Showlight to take place, and the stage of this great theatre - the second largest in the UK - was capacious enough to house the 40 exhibitors, plus delegates, very comfortably. With an audience made up of a mix of students, consultants, lighting designers, manufacturers and suppliers, the atm

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Oxford-based company Airstar Space Lighting helped illuminate the recent Playtex Moonwalk in Battersea Park in London where more than 7,000 women stripped to their bras to raise funds for cancer research. The world-wide leader and pioneers of the lighting balloon industry used one of their large helium-filled lit Solarc's and several air-filled Crystal's to guide the way for the half-dressed walkers during their midnight charity stroll. On the same weekend, Airstar provided light for 50,000 night-time revellers in Oxford's Cuttleslowe Park during an annual hot-air balloon festival. Airstar's products have been used around the world for a variety of projects including Film and TV productions, festivals and cultural and sporting events. The balloons have also been hired to light the set of the Oscar-winning blockbuster Titanic, for the 1999 Miss World contest in the Seychelles and numerous

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UK-based video, film and broadcast group, OpTex, has launched the Auraflash softlight range at a number of venues around Europe including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. A sister product to the award-winning Aurasoft, the only luminaire to have received the accolades of both an Academy and an Emmy Award for lighting technology, Auraflash is available as a dedicated softlight with an integrated 700mm reflector, as well as in specific lampheads to fit existing Aurasoft 600 and 800 housings.

Both the dedicated Auraflash 700 softlight and the Auraflash 600 and 800 lampheads are compatible with most popular flash generator packs, including Elinchrom, Bowens, Broncolor, Balcar, Profoto, Hensel, Multiblitz, Systems Imaging, Norman and Speedotron via an interchangeable pack-to-head cable. All models feature a purpose-built, fan-cooled 3000Ws flash head with 650W mode

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For the third consecutive year, City Theatrical has been named to the Inner City 100 - a list of the fastest growing companies located in America's inner cities. The list is a joint project of Inc, magazine and the non-profit Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC). City Theatrical placed 52nd on the nationwide list of firms. "Inc. and ICIC started the list to reverse bad perceptions that prevent businesses from locating in inner cities - and therefore prevent inner cities from thriving," says City Theatrical president Gary Fails. "But they are finding that inner-city businesses actually set the pace for many business trends, including outstanding customer service and top-speed turnaround."Based in the Bronx, with easy access to New York's theatre district and suppliers, City Theatrical manufacturers precision lighting accessories for theatres, convention centr

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Mad Manufacturing will be providing the full lighting rig in the HK Audio demo theatre at the JHS Event 2001, held at the company's Garforth head office. In addition, Mad Manufacturing will be a guest exhibitor at Event 2001, able to both demo their impressive state-of-the-art lighting and effects systems, and to access the large number of trade visitors throughout the busy three-day duration of the show. With a well-deserved reputation for innovation in what is a highly competitive market, one of Mad's recent successes was the launch of the IMP, or Image Marketing Projector. This is a simple-to-use projector system which features an array of onboard programming options designed to give retailers a high-tech but convenient method of in-store product promotion.

Alongside the IMP, Mad's new installation range also includes the popular 250W AXIS moving head, and the IMP Pro series of effe

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This year’s Monaco Grand Prix, held at the end of May, saw Michael Shumacher steer his Ferrari to yet another flawless finish for his fifth win in Monaco. This was Schumacher’s 48th career win, three short of the all-time record of 51 held by Frenchman Alain Prost, and puts him at the head of the Driver’s Championship and Ferrari first in the Constructors Championship.

The action was relayed on two Lighthouse screens, provided for the race for the 12th year in succession by French audiovisual company, Lumison, on behalf of Automobile Club de Monaco. The larger screen, 120 panels of LVP2056 in a 12 x 10 configuration and measuring a total of 150sq.m, was placed at Saint Devote - the first bend of the race and the most dangerous part of the Monaco Circuit - and a second screen of 30 panels was positioned on the roof of the temporary television building at the entrance t

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Two of the UK's leading facilities houses recently announced the formalisation of a new exclusive hire agreement. The arrangement sees ARRI Lighting Rental become the sole supplier of lighting facilities to Magic Eye Studios, one of London's leading commercial and TV studios. Wandsworth-based Magic Eye, recent home of 'The Weakest Link', has been seeking a prominent partner with which to develop business opportunities. After considering various options, Magic Eye decided on ARRI Lighting Rental: "Their reputation for quality equipment and service, coupled with a refreshing attitude to business, settled it for us. Our clients deserve the best equipment and technicians, and that is what we intend to give them." This is the first time ARRI Lighting Rental has established links with a studio. Managing director Tommy Moran explains: "We have had many opportunities in the past t

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Adam Hall is using PLASA to launch a range of new products. These include the Racklight - a brand new concept for illuminating 19" racked products for stage, studio and installation. This product uses innovative technology to produce clear and uniformed light, will not get hot or burn out, is very strong and durable, and does not use conventional bulbs!

Also new is a brand new range of loudspeaker systems for PA stage and installation use. The range of Talon loudspeaker systems comprises a standard series of compact loaded ply wood cabinets available in either black painted or carpet finish and a series of unique high spec cabinets featuring the Fane 'Concept One' primary drive units.

Other new products featured on stand include the latest additions to Amphenol's range of audio connectors, new versions of the 'Astroboard' lightweight material for constructing flightcases, and a

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The Dickson CyberExpress is a 21st century retail concept, first launched in Hong Kong last autumn. The HK$380m investment by the Dickson Group of Companies has resulted in a 70,000sq.ft, high-tech development at Kowloon Station.

It’s a full-on interactive shopping environment, offering a wide selection of the best known brands in the universe. The ‘cybermall’ functions as a complementary intelligent retail centre to Dickson’s e-commerce venture, DicksonCyberExpress.com.

The idea was to create the ultimate consumer experience for cyber-chic shoppers. The team chosen to pull the project together included UK-based design and production company Media Projects International, retail designer JGA Inc from the US, Hong Kong architects Gensler, UK-based AV systems specialists Electrosonic and various LDs and directors.CyberExpress’s seven ‘zones’ inc

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Popular Scottish band, Mogwai, played a pre-launch gig for their second album ‘Rock Action’ at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London. Mogwai, known as the 'no words' band because of their cinematic and instrumental music, played the pre-launch gig prior to embarking on a tour of Japan. The lighting rig for the event featured a host of Martin moving heads supplied by Bandit Lites and specified by LD Nick Jevons. He used six MAC 2000s, 10 MAC 500s and 10 MAC 600s, all controlled via an Avolites Pearl 2000, to create a cinematic and dramatic lightshow which perfectly complemented the various moods of Mogwai’s music. Jevons has been a lighting designer for over 10 years, and in his time has designed spectacular lightshows for bands such as the Super Furry Animals, Reef, Elastica and Skunk Anansie. In addition, he has also designed the lighting for a large number of extreme

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The PSA launched its latest initiative for those working within the Entertainment & Events industry. The aim of the Register - called Skill Base - is to provide all operatives with the opportunity to obtain recognition of their skills and qualifications, and to provide evidence to a contractor or employer of their ability to do a job competently and safely.

The creation of the Register is also intended to help counteract some of the problems facing the industry, such as declining employment, skills shortages, lack of training, poor health and safety records, and an unfavourable public image. The Register will set agreed industrial skill standards, based on qualifications and experience, which are being established in co-operation with trade associations and employers across Europe. This will further enhance the new International groups being established by the PSA in Ireland, Holland

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The Cloud One Group Ltd, located in Birmingham, have appointed Bill Jones as business development manager. Well known within the industry, and most recently with Lightfactor Sales, his background in sales, aligned with his vast knowledge of sound and lighting equipment, will strengthen the group’s long established position within the areas of equipment hire and event production. Installations, flight-case manufacturing and the sale of pro audio products are other areas covered by Cloud One, Stratford Acoustics - the rental arm - and Midland Custom Cases.

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MCL London’s newly formed in-house lighting service has seen a busy inaugural month - from serious design, as a stand-alone service, to the supply of services as part of a complete package. In June MCL’s LX designer Nick Whitehead provided complete lighting design and rigging facilities, for a major international retailer’s London conference, as part of the full AV staging service that MCL is supplying throughout the UK. The project - an internal communication event for senior management - required a cost-effective solution converting an existing in-house studio facility into a theatre-style auditorium and dining area. Vision, sound and staging were also provided as part of the complete package under the MCL brand. Nick came up with the well-proven ‘black box’ idea as part of the integrated solution. "We provided the client with a 30m x 20m ground supp

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Exhibited widely in Europe, Japan and the US, Panamarenko, whose works are immediately recognizable and highly distinctive, has become one of the most famous contemporary artists in the world. Obsessed with flight, Panamarenko calls himself an artist-technologist, producing work that is a cross between art and science.

Belgium’s Museum of Contemporary Art (SMAK) in Ghent recently hosted a three-month retrospective exhibition of his most impressive works, an event that opened with a one-off show entitled Panamarenko by Night which took place on March 23. Martin’s Belgian distributor EVDV proposed giving Panamarenko’s work an additional touch of dynamism for the show so its architectural lighting specialist Duncan Verstraeten took the opportunity to incorporate Martin effects lighting into this rather unusual environment. He contacted lighting specialist Lode van Pee o

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MA Lighting has extended its product range with another innovative new console, the grandMA ultra-light, which neatly plugs gap between grandMA light and the well-known Scancommander.

The compact desk offers 1024 control channnels (two DMX lines) and most of the software and programming features of the grandMA light. It uses the same future-oriented grandMA software and is therefore compatible with other show files. The console features a full-color TFT touchscreen, 10 manual executor faders, 10 executor buttons, four encoders and a single multi-functional trackball (for mouse and wheel-operation). It has Ethernet, MIDI and timecode, together with a floppy and a built-in hard-disk. Two control desks (also in combination with other grandMA range controllers) can be linked for full tracking back-up or playback tracking in order to increase the channel count. In comparison to grandMA ligh

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Zero 88's newly appointed Dutch dealers, Rolight Theatertechnik have hosted the first in a series of Zero 88 open days in Holland. The theme of the two-day event was of partnership, with a renewed emphasis on servicing the needs of the Dutch lighting market. On the first day, Tim Burt Zero 88's product manager, met with representatives from Rolight Theatertechnik and the six main Zero 88 trading partners in Holland. The meeting gave the customers a good opportunity to see the latest developments in the product range and also to discuss future requirements. The second day was very much a hands-on experience where a large number of visitors from all sectors of the industry were given the chance to see and use the wide range of products that Zero 88 now produces. Rolight and the main Zero 88 trading partners, will be running further open days around Holland where the product range will be o

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The perfect time to show off High End Systems' hottest products is during the hottest time of the year in Texas. During July 11-12, High End Systems is inviting all interested parties to see the latest new offerings at its Lone Star headquarters in Austin. From 3-6 pm on both days, visitors can chill out with the High End team with cold beverages and hors d'oeuvres while watching demos of x.Spot, EC-2, Handshake, Indy 575, Color Pro and Studio Beam. The office is located at 2217 West Braker Lane, Austin, Texas 78758. Anybody wishing to attend should call the special reservations hotline at +1 877-468-1693.

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Lightfactor has recently supplied lighting and control equipment to St Paul’s Church in Hammersmith. The church is a large 1000-capacity building, constructed in 1880 and the current lighting refit is part of the church’s ongoing programme of events, designed to involve and stimulate participation from the local community. The need for dramatic, theatrical-style lighting is a growing one, with services frequently featuring live music and performers. As part of the technical refit, Lightfactor supplied four LightProcessor Paradime rack-mounting dimmers and a LightProcessor Q24 control desk - now utilised to control the concert lighting system. At the same time St Pauls’ have also purchased three Paradime Wall packs and four architectural remote button plates to control the ‘house’ lights for every day services and functions.

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Bytecraft announced recently that whilst earlier this year it had injected much needed capital into UK company Caire Ltd, in order to protect staff and creditors of that company it was now putting Caire into liquidation. "Bytecraft feels that liquidation is the only responsible course of action," said general manager John Rowland in London. "Because of a long-standing relationship with the Caire parent company, and also because we had bid several projects with Caire Ltd, we felt we needed to help the company when it ran short of funds," Rowland added.

Earlier this year, Bytecraft has injected £60,000 into the troubled company and had, in fact, been implementing Stage 5 of its international strategy that called for a permanent presence in the UK. An investment position in Caire Ltd added value to the opening of a UK daughter company Bytecraft Europe with potential

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CP Sound has just completed the installation of an innovative new lighting rig, plus a re-invention and design of the sound system incorporating several new elements at The Core in Yeovil, Somerset. The club - formerly known as Duke’s - is owned by locally-based independent operator Terry Clare. Steve Howie from Howie Design was commissioned to produce the interior design, basing his themeing on ideas triggered from the complex and world of the cult 1999 Warchowski Brothers movie, The Matrix.

Audio-wise at the Core, CP Sound’s Colin Pattenden utilised as much as possible of the existing installation, whilst also addressing the previous system’s serious lack of bass. He added four JBL MS125S cabinets to the room, complete with new RSE PFX 1200 clip control amplifiers. CP Sound also added a DJ monitor where previously there was none - plus two JBL top cabinets for infi

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Neil Finn, of Crowded House and Split Enz fame, has been busy touring an entertaining live show with some semi-legendary muso mates and a very flexible format. L&SI caught up with him in New Zealand and the UK, courtesy of Catriona Strom and Steve Moles . . .

Auckland’s St James Theatre was the setting for the start of the Neil Finn & Friends shows, which featured a line-up including Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, Johnny Marr and Sebastian Steinberg on electric and double bass, and Lisa Germano doing vocals and a number of instruments.

Oceania Audio supplied sound, with the company’s Paul Jeffery acting as both technical manager and monitor engineer. "The concert was certainly a challenge," said Jeffery, "but having worked, off and on, for Split Enz and Crowded House for many years, I’m quite familiar

  1. DHA’s Fifteenth PLASA
  2. Moving Moving Lights at RSC
  3. Hotcakes Wins Award
  4. Amptown Launch Transflex2
  5. IALD Honors Nine Lighting Designs
  6. ECA2 at Expo 2001, Japan
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