UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has supplied a new stage lighting rig for the indigo at The O2, a live entertainment sister-venue to The O2 Arena which regularly hosts exclusive after-show performances by superstar artists, including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay and Prince. The 2,800 capacity venue has established itself as one of the Capital's most popular settings for big events on a smaller scale, hosting live music gigs; after-show parties; sports and club nights; stand-up shows including Jimmy Carr; and TV events such as the British Comedy Awards and the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. With such an impressive roster of artists using its production facilities, when the stage lighting rig was in need of an upgrade after 12 years of service, indigo at The O2's technical manager, Rob Burrows needed a system which was nothing less than cutting-edge to satisfy cli
Australia - Completed in 1862, Queensland’s stately Old Government House provided a dramatic backdrop for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Tying the stunning 19th and 21st century visuals together into a balanced panorama was a colourful lighting design by Tim Allder of Chameleon Systems that featured 110 Chauvet Professional COLORdash Par H12IP fixtures, supplied by Showtools International. To light the runways that ran on three sides of the iconic building, Allder had his COLORdash fixtures positioned on top of ground support vertical towers. Each tower had a 4-meter pipe on top that held five of the RGBAW+UV LED wash lights. “We relied on the COLORdash fixtures to set the mood on the walk-in, as well as to light the building’s columns,” said Allder. “The building provided an excellent backdrop for the catwalk with lots of depth for us to play with, and
Europe - Absen has appointed Alex Couzins to the newly created position of head of brand and marketing for Europe in a move that sees the company underline its commitment to the region. Alex, who joins from systems integrator AVMI, will be part of Absen’s corporate marketing team where he will be responsible for European brand marketing and providing local marketing support for the group’s VAPs (Value-Added Partners), referring to Absen’s ecosystem of highly trusted and experienced distributors and systems integrators. The role will involve collaborating with peers across the business, including China and the US, to develop and implement the company’s marketing plans and brand strategy at a European level. On his appointment, Alex commented: “I’m excited to be joining Absen at this exciting time. The company has a fantastic reputation for high-qualit
USA - Volt Lites, Inc. of Burbank, California has taken delivery of a complement of Ayrton Ghibli and Mistral TC fixtures, expanding its lighting roster with its first-ever Ayrton purchases. Helmed by co-founders Harrison Lippman and Matthew Shimamoto, Volt Lites is a lighting production shop for the greater LA rental community and a wider national clientele. “Both the Ghibli and Mistral-TC are exquisite LED profiles that hit all the marks and complement each other,” says Lippman. “The Ayrton line has really impressed us, and we’re excited to get the new fixtures into our clients’ hands: Volt Lites is one of the first companies to offer Mistral-TC in the US. The fact that ACT Lighting added Ayrton to their line card means we’ve been able to add Ayrton fixtures to our inventory.” Both fixtures have already been in demand by Volt Lite customers.
USA Chauvet Professional makes it possible to cover a wider area with an even coloured wash on indoor and outdoor stages. Introduced just in time for festival season, the company’s new IP65 rated COLORado Panel Q40 features a magnetic flood filter that produces a very wide, but still even wash. Powered by 40 15-watt RGBW LEDs, the rectangular wash fixture has a bright output (up to 9,480 lux at 5m) and creates perfectly smooth edge-to edge colour mixing. An adjustable beam angle of 15° or 24° adds to its versatility. “We developed the COLORado Panel Q40 in response to the demand on the part of designers for a reliable IP65 rated wash with a wide coverage area that could be used at festivals, amphitheaters and similar outdoor venues without sacrificing colour quality,” said Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “The bright output of the COLORado Panel Q40 also makes
USA - The Classical Academy (TCA) in Colorado Springs recently debuted its new performing arts auditorium with a production of The Little Mermaid enhanced by an all LED Elation Professional lighting system designed and installed by Second Opinion Audio. Second Opinion Audio designed all of the audio, lighting, video and motor control systems for the new performing arts space. “This is a total state-of-the-art system and we needed to have the lighting system reflect that,” said Second Opinion Audio founder Bob Langlois. “LED was the direction we wanted to go for maximum flexibility for the client. There is no other auditorium of this size that can claim this technology.” The Elation lighting rig is made up of both dedicated white light luminaires (24 WW Profile warm-white ellipsoidal spots, 12 DTW Par 300 variable white LED Par lights) and full colour LE
UK - Tim Fawkes has worked for Prodigy since 2012 and been their lighting designer for the last year. He’s currently fully embroiled in creating a lighting riot for the current No Tourists, tour promoting the Prodigy’s seventh album. HSL is again the lighting supplier, and the band are playing arenas and living up to their reputation for being among the most exciting live acts around. Tim went for a massive, wide and “epic” look for the stage. “I wanted to get away from the postage stamp look of some shows in arenas, where only a tiny part of the actual venue is involved,” he explained. In addition to feeling the energy and atmospherics of the lighting, the band wanted to embrace the whole audience and pull them kicking and screaming into the Prodigy live trip and lighting plays an absolutely instrumental part in this process. Tim was also invo
USA - The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA) has taken delivery of Ayrton Ghibli fixtures, supplied by ACT Lighting, Inc., Ayrton’s exclusive distributor in North America. Professor Daniel J. Anteau, the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance whose specialty is lighting design, had been looking to introduce cutting-edge LED moving head fixtures to use in UAA’s Main Stage and Harper Studio Theatre. He saw Ghibli online, enquired about the new light’s capabilities and sought out Ghibli users. “I wanted to know if it was as amazing as it appeared online,” says Anteau. “It seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Users told me how Ghibli compared to other fixtures I knew. That gave me a lot of confidence moving forward.” Anteau intends to share the Ghibli fixtures between UAA’s two stages. Although
USA - When fast-growing Action Church in Florida decided to transform an older building into the ministry’s new broadcast location, they chose to dynamically light the space using an Elation Professional intelligent lighting system designed by AVL integration company Crown Design Group (CDG). Action Church opened the new chapter, its fourth, in Winter Park, Florida, this past fall. As a dedicated broadcast location, the main sermon takes place at the new facility and is then fed live to Action Church’s other locations, one smaller location and two mobile sites that are set up and torn down each weekend that CDG has also outfitted with Elation gear. “Every Action Church location has live music and a pastor host but this is their first large, non-mobile location,” says CDG co-founder Ben Graham, whose passion is to see churches inspire and grow their congregati
USA/Europe - ADJ has announced the immediate availability of its new and improved PX HEX Series of LED-powered pars. Building on the success of the original HEX Series of wash fixtures, the new units feature improvements that are the direct result of customer feedback. The PX HEX Series retains the practical design and colour mixing potential of the original fixtures, but with the added advantage of two professional-calibre enhancements requested by existing users. The PX HEX Series fixtures are fitted with powerCON input and output sockets in place of the IEC sockets found on the original HEX Series units. This allows for a reliable power connection that locks securely into place and won’t pull out accidentally. It also allows for easy integration into professional stage rigs that are setup with powerCON power distribution. All of the new units are also
Norway - Norwegian LD Kimarius Abrahamsen chose Ayrton MagicBlade-R and MagicBlade-FX lighting fixtures as the main structural elements of his design for Cezinando’s tour and summer festival appearances this year, helping earn the Norwegian singer, rapper and songwriter his third NRK P3 Gull (Gold) Award as Live Artist of the Year. Bary AS was responsible for the production design of Cezinando’s show and the supply of the majority of the technical equipment, including the Ayrton MagicBlade fixtures. Frode Eggum Have of Bary AS says: “We want to congratulate Cezinando on his fantastic win and would like to think it might have something to do with his killer concert at Øyafestivalen earlier this summer which had everyone talking!” Bary worked closely with Abrahamsen on Cezinando’s show for Øyafestivalen, one of Norway’s biggest. But Abrahamsen’s st
India - Angriya, India's first luxury cruise ship, which will sail between Mumbai and Goa, was commissioned at a formal inauguration ceremony in October. Launched as a joint venture by Mumbai Port Trust and Angriya Sea Eagle Pvt Ltd., the flagging off took place in Mumbai, when PR Lighting customer, Goa-based Reynold Event & Promotions were sub-contracted to provide all the lighting by event management firm Wizcraft. The company recently purchased 12 of PR Lighting’s XR 480 BWS hybrid moving heads, pressing them straight into action for the occasion. They were used principally to colour wash the ship and provide gobo projections, and were mounted on platforms at dock-side, that lined the front of the ship. The XR 480 BWS is designed to provide three features in one (beam, wash and spot) from an advanced 480W lamp matched with a superb optical system. And ac
The Netherlands - Over the course of their 20-year career, Dutch rock stalwarts Racoon have woven their way through an array of evocative sounds, being as comfortable collaborating with Armin van Buuren on a trance version of one of their hits as they are performing with the London Chamber Orchestra. Reflecting the multi-faceted style of Racoon in light calls for a design that can convey a wide range of moods in a clear, but subtle fashion. Erwin van Lokeren, the band’s long-time lighting designer, is accomplishing this feat on the band’s Fall ’18 tour with a lightshow that (like his client’s music) is at once straightforward and complex. An indispensable tool in helping van Lokeren achieve this is his ChamSys MagicQ MQ80 console. “I have been Racoon’s designer since 2006, and it is always exciting and challenging working for them because their music is so
UK - Stage Electrics has won a contract to supply production lighting and AV solutions to Croydon’s Fairfield Halls as a part of the venue’s highly anticipated redevelopment. Working with the Contractor, Vinci Construction, and the theatre consultant, Sound Space Vision, the Stage Electrics team, will be starting on site this month. “Stage Electrics has a long-standing relationship with this venue,” comments Richard Phare, Stage Electrics regional commercial manager. “I was personally involved with Fairfield’s last technical refurbishment over 20 years ago. It’s fantastic that Stage Electrics can, again, play a part in this venue’s continuous development.” The Stage Electrics team are completing works within the venue’s three main performance spaces; the 1800-seat Concert Hall, the 750-seat Ashcroft Theatre and the Arnhem Gallery - plus a new multi
Europe - “When the call came to make a Michael Jackson show, I knew immediately: that's exactly what I wanted,” says lighting designer Marcus Krömer "Beat it! is a show inspired by the life and career of Michael Jackson, from his first steps with the Jackson 5 until his death,” he said. “The entire production is characterised by great respect for the artist and his work, but at the same time is not a tribute-show. Rather, we wanted to present his show and his music in a modern context, but still remain authentic,” states Krömer, outlining the idea behind the production. Also, the fact that this could not be achieved without a large slice of rock 'n roll was made clear to the Beat It! team. "Paul Happ, our programmer, and I worked a lot with his music and found so many details and little things that we all wanted to work out,” the designer ad
UK - Entec Sound & Light has now purchased the freehold of its warehousing and office buildings in Northolt, Middlesex, its location since January 1991. The company was nearing the end of its lease agreement in Northolt and had visited more than 60 potential facilities in a bid to relocate. However, Entec says “it was clear that no other property was able to offer the comprehensive range of facilities” already available at its current home, which is also situated close to Heathrow, with convenient links to central London and the rest of the UK via the M25, M40, M4 and M3. Nick Pendleton, Entec’s chairman, comments: “This is an important milestone for Entec - after 50 years, we finally have complete control of our own premises. This purchase follows almost a year of looking at all the options. Good access, security, warehouse size and expansion opportunities
USA - Elation Professional has merged hybrid with high-intensity in the latest luminaire in the company’s Protron line of strobe lights. Elation has introduced the Protron Eclypse, a high-powered and highly versatile hybrid LED luminaire that can function as a blinder, strobe, wash light or an effect light. With 96 10W RGBW LEDs that produce 37,000lm of power, the Protron Eclypse offers a full spectrum of colour options, including high-impact white light, for a barrage of coloured or white light effects possibilities. The fixture projects light at a 31° beam angle with strobe intensity, duration, rate and FX all controllable. The Protron Eclypse comes in a robust housing for durable on-the-road use. Versatile rigging options include an adjustable/removable yoke bracket with three-position mounting holes, ¼ turn omega bracket, and integrated interlocking pins for e
USA - The sun broke through the clouds on Easter Sunday, setting a bright, uplifting mood outside for the opening of the new worship centre at Christ Fellowship church in Port St.Lucie, Florida. Stepping inside the building, one of eleven Christ Fellowship campuses, worshippers encountered a sleek and spacious room with a curved thrust stage, two-tiered auditorium seating, three IMAG LED video panels, a larger wall centre stage and two smaller units to either side of it. Surrounding the larger panel and located at other positions around the stage was a collection of 161 Chauvet Professional LED fixtures, supplied by Mankin Media Systems. Although the 161 lighting fixtures may not have been obvious to most people entering the worship centre on Easter Sunday, once services started they transformed the room, creating an immersive field of colour and light that engaged eve
Columbia - Bogota’s landmark 14,000 capacity Movistar Arena (originally built in 1973 and previously known as the Coliseo Cubierto El Campín) is in the final stages of a two-year renovation and complete refurbishment which will see it re-open with state-of-the-art facilities to stage multiple sporting and entertainment events. Robe moving lights will be part of the house lighting rig which is being provided by Medellin based rental company Linea Estrategica, and this will include 60 x BMFL Spots, 60 x MegaPointes and 84 x Spiider wash-beam moving lights. Linea Estrategica owner and CEO Conrado Santamaria explained that the company tendered to be the full technical supplier - they are also providing audio, video and rigging - and won the contract which will be administered as a long-term rental over the next three years. Conrado explains that it was a straightf
Germany - The Adam Hall Group held its Event.Tech Days networking event to present the latest innovations from its solutions portfolio. The international manufacturer and distributor of event technology welcomed 50 customers and 80 participants at the company’s HQ in Neu-Anspach (near Frankfurt) on 21-22 November, where rental industry experts could see products from Adam Hall brands including LD Systems, Cameo Light, and Gravity. Additionally, in a format coined “Tech Talks”, the rental professionals were subsequently invited to openly discuss and exchange their insights, ideas and views surrounding the future of the event technology industry with the Group’s product management and R&D teams. The Event.Tech Days were rounded off by an evening event in cooperation with BMW that included networking, dining and drinks, live music, as well as the Germa
UK - Avolites’ lighting and video integration software, Synergy, debuted on Gary Numan’s Savage tour in November. The flagship performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall saw the British synth-rocker’s dramatic end-of-days video content emerge from LED screens into the 3D space as the multitude of GLP and Vari-Lite fixtures pixel-matched its colour and effects. Creative designer Luke Edwards’ two Avolites Sapphire Touch consoles and dual Avolites Ai Q3 media servers were loaded with the new Synergy software. “Synergy is the future and as a designer it’s making me very excited,” says Edwards. “It’s not just lights anymore. In fact, the term ‘lighting designer’ is one day going to be a thing of the past - Synergy integrates lighting and video so beautifully, so simply, so powerfully, that ‘multimedia designer’ is the new thing. It
UK - White Light has appointed Stuart Porter as Hog 4 product manager. Porter has worked extensively in London’s West End as an associate lighting designer and lighting programmer. He comments: “I am delighted to be joining WL. I am fully aware of the company’s reputation as a leading supplier of lighting equipment, having drawn on them myself for over three decades. This feels like a natural progression for me and I’ve been delighted with the immediate response by both the company and customers alike.” He adds: “As an experienced programmer, I’ve learnt my trade on the Hog range, having worked extensively on the Hog 2 for theatre shows, along with events such as the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, so will be able to bring that knowledge seamlessly across to the Hog 4 platform. It’s a really exciting time for Hog under the new ownership of ETC and it
UK - Eaton’s Zero 88 lighting control brand is ramping up its free training opportunities in 2019 - open for all those utilising lighting consoles running ZerOS architecture - as part of a wider comprehensive product support programme. This is as a direct result of an increase in the number of active ZerOS users in the UK, which has doubled in the last 12 months. The trend reflects the success of the FLX series of powerful, flexible and affordable lighting consoles – the FLX and FLX S24 and S48 - which have enjoyed popularity especially for small-to-medium applications running rigs with some moving lights and a quantity of LED fixtures together with conventionals. Zero 88 has always been known for its commitment for training. In 2018, well over 500 individuals benefitted from this which including regular dedicated sessions at Eaton’s bases in Cwmbran, Wales
UK - Xerocon London 2018 brought together accountants, bookkeepers, ecosystem partners and industry leaders. Hawthorn was chosen by agency Taylor Bennett Partners to deliver the full technical production for the two-day event held at ExCel London on 14- 15 November. Over 3,300 delegates gathered to find out the latest news and updates from Xero, a cloud-based accounting software company. Led by group creative director Pete Harding, Hawthorn was tasked to bring Taylor Bennett’s impressive vision to life, delivering full technical production for the main conference plenary, exhibition space, break-out sessions and evening party. Featuring three technical installations including a mammoth custom-made LED sculpture and an indoor zip wire, Xerocon London 2018 proved it wasn’t a typical accounting conference. The Xerocon main stage cut an impressive figure. Measuring 57m
