UK - Contemporary Spanish restaurant La Parrilla is at the epicentre of Swansea's proto-industrial chic development, dubbed "SA1". This involves the transformation of miles of derelict, neglected old docklands - complete with original buildings and architecture - into a trendy waterside development. PAI was called in to come up with an integrated sound and AV solution plus lighting control for the eaterie.

La Parrilla is owned by Daniel Tercero, who commissioned Swansea-based interior design practice Thomas Parry to create the interiors, who in turn asked PAI to come up with the relevant technical infrastructure. The PAI team has worked with Thomas Parry on many previous projects, and on this one they collaborated closely with main designer, Matt Bailey.

High production values were at the core of the technical installation, for which a C-Burn computer music system wa

Poland - With a huge multimedia show the Polish town Plock recently celebrated the Verva Festival 2007 on the banks of the river Vistula.

"For the complex setup that was spread over a long distance, the grandMA control system proved to be an invaluable tool. Its huge pre-programming abilities saved a lot of time during the design as well as during the programming part of the project development," says lighting designer Pawel Pajak.

One grandMA full-size and one grandMA light were used for the stage lighting and video server control. Additionally, another grandMA light controlled the searchlights using two wireless DMX lines. Two MA NSPs and grandMA 3D were also included in the event.

"Since the setup consisted of intelligent lights and video on stage with the searchlights being set on the other side of the river, we found working with the MA Net etherne

USA - Bandit Lites has invested in Jands Vista consoles for major international concert tours as part of a long-term upgrade of its rental stock inventory. The purchase came about after Jands' exclusive North American distributor, A.C. Lighting, was invited to a shootout at Bandit's US headquarters in Knoxville.

Bandit Lites founder and CEO Michael Strickland comments: "We were trying to find a console we thought could be our go to standard and the Vista received unanimous approval from the LDs at the demo. We did the demo in March and now have Vistas out on three major tours, with other large tours in the pipeline as well."

Chief operating officer Pete Heffernan adds: "We'd been very interested in the Vista since our UK office purchased one and we then got a demo at LDI, but it wasn't until we started seeing lots of interest from LDs that we realised it was tim

Germany - Brother, Brother & Sons has developed the EvenLED as a modular panel of 16 high power 6 watt RGB LEDs spaced evenly behind a standard backprojekction screen, which creates an even light field over the entire surface. Driven by the built in controller, EvenControl, a 16-bit resolution for each colour is possible. Not only saturated colours but also fine tinted colours can be achieved. Its also possible to control every single pixel/LED separately, says the company.

The EvenLED (100 x100cm) can be built to different specifications. The maximum number of modules is vertically limited by 12, but horizontally unlimited. Depending on the back projection screen, the average distance is 300mm. Additional features of the EvenLED are the low power consumption (150W), the very low maintenance, the low weight and heat and the long lifetime. Special flightcases for eight modules in

Europe - Alongside long time partner Doug Adams, owner and president of Pyrotek Special Effects, Metallica's tour Sick of the Studio '07 tour stopped at 11 European venues through June and July. An additional four song performance took place in London for the Live Earth Concert in recognition of global awareness.

Collaborating with lighting designer Butch Allen and working with James Lars, Kirk and Rob Adams' effects list consists of 18 Red mines, 40 Fireballs, 21 Stadium reports (for a loud bang effect), 16 Red flashes, 24 Ack Ack bursts, 24 silver comets with tails, 24 Red comets, and 24 White flashes with bang.

(Jim Evans)

USA - The powerful lighting design for the Broadway musical 110 in the Shade (at Studio 54 by the Roundabout Theatre Company) centres around a massive visual focal point - a glowing disc that evokes a 24-hour progression of atmospheric changes: dawn, high noon, moonlight, storms and shade. The disc - a lightbox filled with automated wash fixtures - represents the play's controlling motif of light and heat.

For Tony-nominated lighting designer Chris Akerlind, creating the complex effects of this unconventional lighting rig meant employing a comprehensive control console, ETC's new Eos. "The entire lightplot on 110 consists of some 200 fixed units and between 40 or 50 moving lights (VL 2000 wash units), 20 of which are committed to the lightbox," says Akerlind. "There were very limited hanging positions for the rest of the lighting rig. Next to no over

UK - London's Arcola Theatre has launched Arcola Energy, through which the operators aim to make Arcola the world's first carbon neutral theatre. "We will be installing biomass heating, solar panels, fuel cells and state of the art energy saving technologies throughout the building," says executive director Ben Todd.

"We will also create the first centre for new energy technology in the arts. It will be a knowledge incubator with dedicated workspace where engineers can develop initiatives to tackle climate change. Arcola Energy will be a hub for new thinking and cross-fertilisation between art and science, bringing together artistic, entrepreneurial and technological creativity.

"As a theatre we have a longstanding tradition of innovation, inspiration and deep integration with the local community. Working to the same principles, Arcola Energy will integrate

Hong Kong - Already a Guinness World Record for the ' World's Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show ', A Symphony of Lights'has further expanded to include 43 of the city's prominent buildings and skyscrapers.

Engaged by the Hong Kong Tourism Commission, Laservision has recently completed its fourth phase of integrating new buildings into the show in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Hong Kong Island now boasts 23 featured buildings while Kowloon's ever increasing contribution now totals 20. The show includes an arsenal of LED fixtures, searchlights, high powered lasers, floodlights, fibre optics, pyrotechnics and an original soundtrack that combine to represent the spirit and energy of Hong Kong. The expanded show was launched by the acting Financial Secretary, Mr Stephen Ip.

Phases three and four have seen the incor

UK - Lamina TitanTurbo from Marl Optosource are claimed to be the first LED lights to match a 100W tungsten lamp, and are designed to replace the popular R-20 flood lights.

TitanTurbo is available from Marl Optosource to lighting application designers in two models - a 3000°K 'warm white' version equal in light output to the widely used 75W halogen PAR-30 and equally popular 100W R-20 flood lights; and a 4700 degrees K 'daylight white' (cool) model - twice as bright.

Delivering more than 2,000 lumens in daylight white and more than 1,000 lumens in warm white light, TitanTurbo LED light engines are designed for all general lighting applications. The TitanTurbo Warm White has an enhanced red and orange colour spectrum that makes it suitable for a halogen or incandescent replacement.

The units feature a standard 60° beam pattern with additional wide, medium and narrow o

USA - Nexxus Lighting reports that it has been issued two new patents related to its LED lighting technology.

US patent number 7,229,027 is for a waterfall producing device that incorporates a light chamber to house LED lights to illuminate the water stream coming from the waterfall.

The second patent, US patent number 7,244,037, is for a detachable LED pool light that builds upon prior Nexxus Lighting patented technology that provides for an LED lighting fixture to be installed into the wall of the pool without a niche, and features an underwater connector that allows the light fixture to be connected or disconnected while the light is submerged in water with the power off.

"Illuminated waterfalls are used in a number of applications including swimming pools, portable spas and fountains," stated Steve Faber, Nexxus Lighting's director of engineering. "Incorpo

UK - White Light has supplied the first SeaChanger colour engines to be used in the UK to the Royal Opera House in London.

"For our new double production of the operas L'Heure Espagnole and Gianni Schicchi, the American lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin asked for a number of scrollers in our FOH positions," explains Royal Opera House lighting manager Simon Bennison. "Unfortunately for the Opera House and auditorium conditions this was not really possible - but it left us with a sizeable FOH lighting issue to solve - we needed a powerful and silent colour mixing solution for a tungsten unit."

Subsequent research by the ROH's Michael Scott and Paul Hornsby led them to the SeaChanger Colour Engine. "White Light supplied a demo unit which impressed us all enough for us to order eight SeaChangers, the first in the UK."

The SeaChanger colour engine

UK - PLASA has announced the four contenders for the first Gottelier Award, to be presented at this year's PLASA Show (9-12 September, Earls Court, London).

Named in honour of the late Tony Gottelier, the industry innovator and commentator who passed away in 2006, the Gottelier Award is aimed at those members of our industry who have made significant and sustained contributions to the advancement of entertainment, presentation or installation technology - whether in audio, lighting, rigging, staging, or any other related field.

Following a six-week period of gathering nominations from across the industry, the shortlist of leading nominees can now be revealed, ready for the voting process to begin.

The nominees are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Tony Andrews is a highly regarded designer and manufacturer of high quality point source loudspeaker systems, w

USA - Martin Professional, Inc has appointed Bill Sims as the western regional sales director for the company's Public Spaces segment.

Sims brings with him over 25 years of lighting industry experience, his early years spent running his own lighting consultancy firm. After a 10 year run with Strand Lighting where he worked as architectural product manager, he became the regional specification sales manager for the Juno Lighting Group.

When not on the road, Sims, who started in the new position on 16 July, will work from a home office near Orange County, California while also spending time at Martin's West Coast office in Simi Valley.

(Jim Evans)

USA - When fans of country music got together at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville (formerly known as Fan Fair), grandMA was centre stage. Lighting/production designer Mike Swinford used five grandMA consoles and three grandMA video servers to cover the concert portion of the four-day celebration. The CMA Music Festival, presented annually by the Country Music Association features more than 70 hours of concerts.

"The show is the centrepiece of a huge music festival that draws fans from all over the world," says lighting director/programmer Mark Butts. "When ABC started to broadcast it a few years ago it really upped the ante in terms of design and production. For us, the show is an interesting hybrid of on-the-fly, festival-style lighting and tightly-cued, precise television lighting. It's difficult trying to work in both worlds simultaneously, but it sure keeps

Germany / UK - Heading the Tarm display at PLASA 07, the tarmLED 4x4 is equipped with bright RGB high-power LEDs (3 in 1 SMD, 3 W), which is designed for indoor and outdoor use and promises "an outstanding image quality, even in direct sunlight".

The transparent (82%), lightweight and modular grid structure is video compatible. Because of its flexibility, tarmLED 4x4 can be bent in different shapes, such as cylinders or waves. With its all-metal construction and integrated quick fasteners, the tarmLED 4x4 is built to withstand the rigours of life on the road.

Typical applications, due to its low wind stresses and a viewing angle of 140° x 140°, include large screen backdrops for concert touring, trade shows and integration into architectural designs.

The complete system is fully IP65 rated. All electronics are integrated in each tile (417mm x 417mm) and the

UK - Chauvet continues its steady foray into the touring industry with a strong presence at this summer's Ozzfest. The manufacturer lights the Jägermeister's Mobile Stage, a self-contained portable stage, which premiered in July as the secondary stage for the heavy metal festival.

When not in use, the unit appears to be just another huge 34ft trailer, but at the push of a button, it unfolds Transformers-style to reveal a professional stage. The complete sound and lighting rig is set up in minutes. Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil observed: "The stage is an awesome portable stage with top notch sound and lights. I look forward to playing on it again."

All power for the stage comes from a built-in generator, and with a sound system designed for an audience of 10,000, power constraints were a prime consideration when the lighting system was planned. Designers found a solutio

Italy - Di and Di Lighting & Truck of Rome, one of Italy's largest rental companies for entertainment lighting gear, has established itself as a key supplier to Italy's well developed television market.

With a recent purchase of Martin moving head and LED lighting gear, Di and Di has now expanded into other rental areas such as the touring market. "With the recent purchase of Martin moving heads and LED lighting gear, Di and Di is a new reality in dry rental for the international market," comments Di and Di head David Biancifiori.

Di and Di has expanded its stock of lighting equipment through the purchase of a large, two million euro Martin lighting package. Added to its existing stock are 100 MAC 700 Profiles, 50 MAC 700 Washes, 100 MAC TW1 tungsten washlights, 50 MAC 2000 Washes, 50 Stagebar 54L and 50 Stagebar 54S LED luminaires and 50 LC 2140 LED panels.

Among

USA - The new World of Coca-Cola, the $100 million Coke museum which opened at a new site in Atlanta, features a 30ft tall replica of Coke's famous contour bottle which is encased in a 90ft, ice-like glass cylinder suspended above the lobby entrance, with lighting control via a grandMA.

Lighting designers Michael Creason and Seth Rapaport of Visionary Light & Media in Montverde, Florida, were charged with illuminating the iconic bottle and creating lighting effects for the attention-getting signage. Within the bottle are 216 Color Kinetics ColorCast 14 fixtures, 10 Flutes, 96 Birkett Strobes and one Coemar PAR. Each six-foot high level of two-ply glass panels forming the glass cylinder, which goes from opaque to translucent to give the illusion of ice, is outfitted with 104 x Color Kinetics Color Blast 12s.

"The client came to us with the fixtures already specified and pu

World - Bandit Lites is working with Keith Urban on his current tour in support of the Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy World album. The tour takes in Canada, the US, Europe and Australia.

Production designer Marc Brickman chose to use six Lycian M2 under hung truss spots, 52 Vari*Lite 3500 spots, 37 VL 3000 washes, seven VL 3000 spots and 36 Martin Atomic Strobes with Atomic Colors.

Additionally, Brickman puts great emphasis on smoke machine styles and effects as well as placement to enhance the show's looks. Specifically, the Martin ZR33 smoke machines provide an added effect by bering hung up in the upstage truss.

The most substantial element in the production design is a 29ft tall by 56ft wide LED display from Barco.

(Jim Evans)

South Africa - Robe lighting fixtures are used extensively on the live SABC2 TV broadcast of the South African version of Strictly Come Dancing.

The show is staged at the iconic Carlton Hotel in downtown Johannesburg. The 119m high building with its distinct bell-bottomed base has been mothballed since 1997. Once a week, its deserted but still highly atmospheric ballroom is reinvented beyond its former glory days.

The essential lighting requirement for the series was to make the dancefloor into 'an ocean of gobos'. Working with original LD Hugh Turner, rental company Gearhouse SA achieved this with a little Robe power - buying the fixtures off Robe SA's distributor DWR Distribution for the show.

Production company Rapid Blue have required the same spec for the last three seasons, explains lighting director Sean Rosig from Gearhouse SA, who programmes and runs each epi

USA - The Genlyte Group has announced record second quarter net sales of $408.9 million, an increase of 11.7% compared to $366.1 million in the second quarter of 2006. The Company also reported record second quarter earnings per share of $1.29, a 4.0% increase over the $1.24 reported for the second quarter of 2006. Second quarter net income increased to $37.4 million compared to $35.9 million reported for the second quarter of 2006.

Chairman, president and CEO Larry Powers said: "We are pleased to report second quarter increases in both sales and earnings. Our focus on higher margin product lines and the price increases helped us achieve higher sales and gross margins for the second quarter.

"Our commercial lighting business grew moderately from last year, but the growth was offset by weakness in the residential sector. In addition, results for the second quarter of

USA - Wybron has introduced the PS 450i power supply, one of the company's latest permanent install product offerings.

The PS 450i is RDM compatible and is modelled after Wybron's popular PS series power supply products. This new permanent power supply is compatible with Wybron's Nexera and Forerunner, as well as all of the company's InfoTrace System products, including the Coloram IT, CXI IT, Eclipse IT and Eclipse II IT.

"We are receiving more client requests for permanent installation products for theatrical and architectural applications," said Larry Turner, Wybron's CEO. "Therefore, we designed the PS 450i power supply to fill the greater need for this type of product."

The PS 450i is designed to easily mount to a wall or unistrut and has multiple convenient conduit knockouts. All connections are on terminal blocks with separate blocks for main power

UK - Lighting designer Paul Normandale used 120sq.m of Chroma-Q Color Web 250 to provide a low res visual effects backdrop for the main stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend event in prreston.

Artists featured on the main stage included Scissor Sisters, Razorlight, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Stereophonics, Natasha Bedingfield, The View, The Fratellis, The Fray, The Twang, Jamie T and Mika.

Lite Alternative's Paul Normandale provided the creative direction for all three stages at this year's event for SJM, assisted on the main stage by lighting director Glen Johnson.

The brief was to create a dynamic, encompassing visual range which as well as achieving a big look for the live stage audience, would translate well on camera for the TV audience.

The back wall of the stage featured a 19m wide by 6m high drop of Color Web 250, with further panels turning the stage corners to provide

UK - PRG Europe has supplied the lighting equipment for the revival of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which opened at the Adelphi on 17 July.

This is not the first time lighting designer Andrew Bridge and associate Michael Odam have worked on Joseph, nor PRG Europe project manager Peter Marshall - all were involved with the last West End production back in 1991, which starred Jason Donovan. This time the star of the show is Lee Mead, who won the part following the BBC show Any Dream Will Do.

The rig, installed under the supervision of production electrician Fraser Hall, includes some 70 Vari-Lite luminaires, over 200 ETC Source Fours, Wybron colour scrollers, Lycian follow spots and other conventional lights, along with strobes, smoke and special effects.

The reworking involved a major desk transfer from the Artisan control console to a Wh

Latest Issue. . .