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Lighting

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Victoria Park in Hackney, East London, exploded into life in June as legendary French pyrotechnic artists Groupe F performed their high-energy Garden of Light spectacle - with live fire and music.

The result was an unforgettable incendiary experience; Groupe F used the park environment as a backdrop, filling the surrounding space with sparks, flames, bangs and flashes - as well as a colossal jet-flamed Catherine wheel. Groupe F’s relationship to fire and ‘fireworks’ is certainly not a classical one. The show opens with an alchemist character,stoking and playing a ‘keyboard’ of fire - and just as alchemists changed the properties of real substances, Groupe F transformed fire into water for the finale of the 45-minute show.

Thousands crammed into the park to enjoy the two nights of free performance, part of the month-long London International Festival of

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As one of Germany’s biggest distributors of lighting equipment to the entertainment industry, German distributor Lightpower handles brands such as Clay Paky, MA Lighting, Rosco, ETC, Eurotruss, Rainbow Colour Changers and Pulsar. The Paderborn-based company recently provided L&SI with an insight into its role in two very different projects in southern Germany.

Known as ‘the Tent Event’, the Zelt (or ‘tent’) Musik Festival (ZMF), took place in Freiburg this summer, for the 19th consecutive year, in the heart of a very hot and humid Black Forest. With more than 100 events spread over 19 days, ZMF has a diverse appeal, attracting around 150,000 people of all ages and musical tastes, from across Europe. It also has a strong family appeal, with a cosy beer garden atmosphere, and entertainments for children during the day.

Lightpower’s involvement, which

Doughty - Banner - from 6 June 2025

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Firepower is the new Royal Artillery Experience, set in the historic buildings of the Royal Arsenal on the River Thames at Woolwich.

The attraction was designed by Event Communications, whose main challenge was to overcome people’s discomfort with the reality of war. They tackled this by highlighting the role in the fight for democracy and freedom played by the armed forces, especially the Royal Artillery, which has been present at all major theatres of war involving the British Army over the last 300 years.

The centrepiece of Firepower is the ‘ground-shaking’ Field of Fire - a spectacular multimedia presentation that recreates what it feels like to be in the middle of a real battle. On entering, visitors are surrounded by various pieces of artillery. Suspended above these are four 5m wide front projection screens. Projecting onto each screen is a Barco 6300 LCD Vid

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The small Midwestern town of Carthage, Missouri, in the US, is home to a unique amphitheatre that draws tens of thousands of visitors annually.

When Samuel Butcher, the creator of the American figurines and greeting cards featuring Precious Moments and his sons Jonathan and Don decided to develop an attraction in their home base, they turned to a creative team that included the lighting designers of Nautilus Entertainment Design for their inspiration.

The ‘Fountain of Angels’ is an open-air music and water production featuring a plaza of large programmable fountains centred around 252 bronze sculptures - some weighing as much as 1,000 pounds each. The action centres on a fountain containing a water jet that shoots 75 feet into the air, surrounded by a cathedral arch and two foam jets that are smaller versions of the main water jet. The water is held in a 100,000-gallon un

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Capitalising on recent installations such as the Core in Yeovil, The CC Club in Piccadilly, London and Toxic8 in Cambridge, custom neon specialists Simply Neon are expanding in several directions. Within the space of a month, the company has appointed a new general manager, moved into a new, expanded UK base in Staines, Middlesex, and is opening a European branch based in Portugal. Simply Neon’s so-far buoyant 2001 continues with the appointment of Phil Kendrick as the new UK-based general manager while managing director Tony Newman opens a Portuguese office, aimed at developing new market opportunities in Europe. Originally trained by Hoover as a toolmaker, Kendrick has enjoyed a varied international sales and marketing career spanning many areas including garden building and the surveillance/security industry. Kendrick comments: "It’s great to be onboard with Simply Ne

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Lighting distributor Fourth Phase in London was chosen to provide additional projection equipment for what was the culmination of U2's Elevation Tour, which played to fans at the specially constructed 80,000 capacity arena at Slane Castle, County Meath, Ireland, on August 24 and September 1.

U2's regular show designer Willie Williams and lighting director Bruce Ramus worked with the band to create a simple background to complement the mega group’s performances. Working closely with head of projection Anne Johnston, Williams chose Fourth Phase in the USA to supply products for the duration of the world tour: initially the design used four projectors but, due to the greatly increased size of the audience at Slane Castle, Fourth Phase London was asked to supply an additional four projectors.

Integral to the production, the E/T/C Audiovisuel PIGI projectors were used to project abs

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Four days of events will mark the public opening of the world's first rotating bridge. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge links Newcastle Quayside with the new arts and leisure developments on Gateshead Quays - including BALTIC the Centre for Contemporary Art, which opens next year, and the Music Centre Gateshead, where work has already started on the new international centre for music performance and education. The £9.7 million lottery-funded project will be officially opened on Friday September 14, the date for the first public showing of its high-tech lighting system. This will be followed by a weekend of unique live musical performances - staged by music north, the producing and presenting arm of Music Centre, Gateshead.

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Announcing a UK exclusive distribution agreement, AC Lighting will use its presence at the PLASA exhibition to display the product range of leading German manufacturer, MA Lighting Technology Gmbh. MA Lighting will also be present at the show (J12) and in addition a private suite has been booked to provide facilities for in-depth product demonstrations away from the noise of the show floor.

Taking pride of place at PLASA will be the grandMA lighting console and the release of Version 3.00 software. This release facilitates advanced networking capabilities, including the ability for multiple operators to programme complex shows on the console and for full tracking back-up between consoles and replay units. The grandMA is the largest console in the range and harnesses the benefits of the latest technologies: a distinguishing feature is the three colour TFT touch displays with brilliant c

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For the first time PLASA is running an on-site clinic at the PLASA Show to lend useful business support and advice to member companies exhibiting at the event. This new initiative, which will also see the launch of a new health-related service, is aimed not only at existing PLASA members, but also at prospective members who can learn for themselves the advantages to be gained from using PLASA services. During the course of the Show, representatives from the Association's range of service providers will be on hand in the PLASA Clinic to answer questions and assist members. Services available include the following:

Telephone Interpreting Service provided by Comunicado: interpreters specializing in over 100 languages. Cost is charged per minute, less than half price to PLASA members.

Legal Advice Service provided by Sherman Phillips: advice on intellectual property, contract, leasehold

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An alliance has been established between ultraviolet lighting manufacturer and scenic production firms Wildfire and UV/FX. The agreement, which commences immediately, calls for UV/FX to handle all of Wildfire’s scenic design and production, while UV/FX will exclusively utilize Wildfire’s ultraviolet lighting fixtures, lamps and other creative materials on all of its projects.

"Over the years, Wildfire has helped create some of the most dramatic ultraviolet scenic productions at destinations and events all around the world. Working with UV/FX, we will be able to expand our scope of services while continuing to create the innovative ultraviolet lighting systems that the industry has come to expect from us," said Wildfire vice president John Berardi. This new alliance also reunites UV/FX president Richard Green and creative director Kent Mathieu with Wildfire, the co

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New from Selecon at PLASA this year is the mechanical dowser accessory, which completes the Pacific MSR light system. The dowser continues the modular design philosophy of the Pacific: it is a separate accessory that simply drops into the Pacific lamphouse, onto which can be mounted any of the Pacific lens systems. Using graduated optical filters, the dowser provides a visually even fade from full output to blackout. Control is via DMX. The daylight colour temperature (5600K) and high efficiency of the 575W MSR lamp combine to deliver a high output, high impact beam. The Pacific heat management system ensures even energy distribution at the gate allowing for the use of dichroic glass patterns. Hot restrike, standard MSR and MSD lamps can be used with the Pacific. Power supplies include a universal electronic power supply and 220 - 240v magnetic ballasts for architectural applications. Th

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In its West End debut, Selecon's unique 80volt Pacific is being used to show Eliza Doolittle and Professor Henry Higgins in the best possible light in Cameron Mackintosh's new production of My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. After an initial run at the National Theatre, the show, lit by top lighting designer, David Hersey, has transferred to the much larger stage at Drury Lane. With an output equivalent to a 2.5kW light, the Pacific provides the effect of sunlight streaming through the four large windows of the professor's study.

Bryan Raven, general manager of White Light who supplied all the lighting for the show, explains. "The phone call came half way through the focus period of the West End transfer of the acclaimed National Theatre production of My Fair Lady. It was lighting designer David Hersey: did White Light have anything brighter tha

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PLASA 2001 will see the official release of LightJockey 2.0, an upgraded version of Martin’s popular Windows- based lighting controller. LightJockey 2 incorporates a host of useful upgrades including a new PCI card for increased PC interface capabilities (also USB and PCMCIA interface options.

Windows 2000 compatible, other new features include a Solid Beam Virtual Visualizer, a high quality visualization simulator capable of creating realistic, solid, 3D beams. Visually accurate and easy to understand, the simulator allows you to create virtual visualizations off-site. For more flexible music capabilities, LightJockey 2.0 interfaces with Winamp to play a multitude of digital audio files including MP3. LightJockey 2.0 includes audio CD ROM capability as well. It also supports SMPTE and MIDI timecode with suitable interface. And a new show-saver backup feature ensures that shows w

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Members of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s technical teams in Stratford-upon-Avon will go on strike on 15 September in protest over planned redundancies. Almost 90% of 200 members of the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU) have agreed to the action. BECTU had previously attempted to negotiate on behalf of its members, but without success. BECTU assistant general secretary Gerry Morrissey said performances would be affected from 15 September because of the walkout by lighting staff, stage crews, wardrobe employees and technical workers.

A production of Julius Caesar is listed for that night in the midst of a season which includes performances of Twelfth Night and Hamlet. BECTU has also said that industrial action will continue after 15 September. The union says about two-thirds of technical staff at the company could lose their

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Smoke Factory of Hannover, Germany, has earned a worldwide reputation as a manufacturer of professional fog-generators. The list of Smoke Factory innovations introduced over the years includes: 0-10 V control of output and output volume; DMX control of output and output volume; XLR standard connection for fog-generators; Radio remote control; Direct output volume control through lighting desk fader; Continual fogging and electronic temperature control.

The Tour-Hazer, being launched at the PLASA Show, is an addition to this Professional Touring Range. The DMX-controlled Tour-Hazer creates a fine haze instead of big clouds of fog. By filling the air with a perfect ‘designer mist’, the Tour-Hazer creates an ideal environment for beams and moving light shows. Unlike many other hazers, the Tour-Hazer does not need a compressor. It is small, easy to handle and to carry, comes wi

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On Saturday 1 September, Nintendo hosted its 2001 Conference & Exhibition at the Methodist Church Hall Westminster in London, utilizing the main church hall and a further eight rooms. The church was transformed into a main conference hall, two central gaming areas, break-off gaming areas and press/Q&A rooms. Stage Electrics was contracted to design the event's lighting using WYSIWYG visualization software and the new HOG PC from Flying Pig Systems. Stage Electrics’ production team also provided lighting, rigging and mains distribution. PSL provided the five Barco projection system with Concise’s powerful Stealth graphics system for the main hall. Rigging was supported by Outback Rigging.

Creative director Andy McDonald of Cake Media explained that the event had been staged to reveal the launch of the new Nintendo Game Cube and to communicate sales and marketing results. The

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at PLASA 2001 with exciting new developments in full spectrum digital lighting technology:

C-Splash, the newest fixture in the C-Series line of full spectrum digital lighting products. C-Splash brings beautiful coloured light and colour-changing effects to underwater locations such as fountains and landscape ponds. Fully enclosed in a switch-free brass housing, C-Splash is easily programmed through Color Kinetics’ new external, handheld Zapi controller, and is powered by the brand-new sMOPS power supply.

iColor Cove LT is the newest cove light fixture in the popular iColor Series of digital lighting products. iColor Cove LT significantly extends the types of applications in which digital cove lighting is used. Specifically designed for installations requiring lower intensity light output and a lower cost, iColor Cove LT offers all the intelligent control capabilities and benefi

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The Edinburgh International Film Festival, sponsored by FilmFour, ran from 12-26 August, 2001. To promote the Festival, FilmFour devised a projection of iconic film images and stars onto the rocks beneath Edinburgh Castle. To facilitate the project, leading lighting distributor Fourth Phase London was commissioned by Alan Ramsey at Fisher Productions to ensure the images would be clearly visible along Edinburgh's Princes Street. The high profile exercise presented huge challenges from the outset - projecting images from 125m onto a rocky surface, as opposed to a screen, meant that Fourth Phase technicians had to think carefully about the equipment they would use to complete the brief to its full potential. The rock's rough surface absorbed rather than reflected projected light, requiring pre-distorted imagery combined with a powerful 12,000W Pani projector. Additionally, Fourth Phase Lo

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PLASA is now just two days away and it looks like this year’s event will be the best ever. PLASA is where you get to find out what over 400 of the industry’s leading players have been doing in the past few months. It’s got to be better than leafing through hundreds of product brochures or trawling the internet for information. Aside from the exhibition, there are plenty of things to catch the eye, including the DJ Competition on the Sunday, the newly-introduced iDJ Talk Zone offering advice to DJs, a comprehensive seminar and workshop programme, the PLASA Awards for Product Excellence, the various Feature Areas, and the many events, press launches and on-stand receptions organized by exhibitors. If you still haven’t registered for the event, don’t worry, you can register on the day. All you need to do is turn up at Earls Court 1 and register on the door. See

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Pulsar has announced some new additions to the ChromaRange family of LED technology lighting fixtures. To complement the existing ChromaLight, ChromaDome and ChromaZone, these new items will allow further flexibility for the use of LED fixtures and provide a comprehensive solution for architectural and entertainment lighting design projects. The entire range will make their exhibition debut at this year’s PLASA and promise to be the highlight of the show.

ChromaBank contains 12 ChromaHearts packaged together in one linear lighting source featuring a total of 960 LEDs. It has a built in ChromaZone to power and control the unit, offering numerous internal effects and chases that can operate in stand-alone mode or with an external DMX/PMX controller. ChromaBanks are idea for TV, Theatre, Stage and Club applications providing incredible illumination and flexibility from a LED based f

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Genlyte Thomas Group LLC (GTG) has reached an agreement to acquire the assets of Rosco Entertainment Technology, a subsidiary of Rosco Laboratories (Rosco) of Stamford CT, a privately held corporation. Rosco Entertainment Technology is a manufacturer of entertainment lighting equipment and controls, including the Intelligent Power System (IPS) line of theatrical dimming equipment, and the family of Horizon lighting controls. GTG plans to operate the business under the name Entertainment Technology, reverting to a name familiar to the theatrical lighting industry. Larry Powers, president and chief executive officer of Genlyte Thomas, commented: "We are pleased with the potential for this acquisition to enhance our commercial lighting products package. We intend to focus Entertainment Technology (ET) on providing innovative products into the educational, hospitality, theatrical, and t

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First published in 1976 and well established as the classic practical lighting guide, The Stage Lighting Handbook marks 25 years with the publication of a sixth edition.

Since the publication of the first edition, there have, of course, been revolutionary changes in stage lighting technology - all quickly embraced by the regular new editions of the book.This latest edition naturally embraces all the latest technology, but also continues to discuss the basic principles - event to the extent of advising how to use one single spotlight if that is all that is available. It also includes up-to-date information on new equipment and discusses its impact on working methods.

While continuing to provide an introduction to readers with no previous lighting experience, the scope of the book has been widened to include more advanced aspects of lighting design and technology. Consequently, the num

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The doors have opened at Earls Court for Day 1 of the 24th PLASA Show, and the first visitors are now filling the show floor, where over 370 exhibitors are displaying their latest innovations to the industry. Over 400 products are making their first appearance at a PLASA Show, with the cream of the crop entered into the PLASA Awards for Product Excellence, and displayed in the New Technology Gallery on the Top Deck of Earls Court, which is this year sponsored by Lighting&Sound International magazine.

Throughout today, and for the duration of the show, the team from PLASA Media will be bringing you all the latest news and pictures from the show floor. To follow events as they unfold at PLASA 2001, visit our dedicated news section at the address below:

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The 56 products nominated for this year’s PLASA Awards for Product Excellence are currently available for visitors to view on the Top Deck of Earls Court, in the Lighting&Sound International-sponsored New Technology Gallery (pictured). The Gallery allows a one-stop view of all the latest product innovations in the categories of Lighitng, Sound, Stage Engineering and Audio-Visual. Judging for the Awards will take place during the show, by a panel of experts from each respective field. The winners will be announced at a special ceremony at 9.30 on Wednesday morning, at which time PLASA will also present the money raised from the Awards entries to a number of charities.

To view the complete list of products entered for the PLASA Awards for product Excellence, visit the web address below:

  1. Martin Pro Forms Strategic Alliance with Beacon
  2. Le Mark Launch New Catalogue
  3. High End Attractions at PLASA 2001
  4. Martin Pro On Tour
  5. TMB Opens Beijing Office
  6. New Version of Martin’s MAC 2000
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