Belgium - Lighting and visual innovators Painting with Light were approached to design a special feature for the current Black To The Future art exhibition, which is being organised by art collective Het Labo and staged at the C-MINE cultural centre in Genk, Belgium. The environment is a redeveloped coal mine once the pulse of local industry, now tastefully restored and again serving the community meaningfully as a cultural centre and creative hub for media and tech-related companies and the LUCA School of Arts. The Het Labo logo is a lighthouse - so, it was a no-brainer for Luc Peumans and his Painting with Light team, who decided to imagine a ‘real’ lighthouse utilizing a high-powered beam luminaire and one of the two former mine head elevator shafts that still dominate the C-MINE site. A Vari*Lite VL6000 Beam was chosen to deliver the power and pr
Mexico - The sprawling grounds of a former Mexican steel foundry have become one of the hottest spots on the music festival scene. Started only five years ago, the Pa’l Norte Festival is already the number one tourist event in the state of Nuevo León in terms of its economic impact. This year’s edition of the two-day event drew 160,000 fans from throughout the world and featured a heady mix of stars that included The Killers, Placebo, MIA, The Offspring, Kaskade, Maná, Jason Derulo and Enanitos Verdes among others. Providing a suitably powerful background to their performances was a main stage festival rig anchored by 72 Maverick MK2 Washes from Chauvet Professional. Serpro Producciones, which supplied the RGBW LED moving wash fixtures, flew them on truss that descended in height from downstage to upstage. At the centre of this configuration were two diamond shap
The Netherlands - The saying that ‘success breeds success’ is proved at B-Amsterdam, where the inventive re-use of a former five-storey office block has proved so popular that the project now covers three separate buildings. The addition of restaurant Bureau has seen a new Yamaha Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) solution added to the previously-installed CIS system. Opened in 2015, B-Amsterdam turned the city’s old 40,000m2 IBM-building into an imaginative multi-purpose office, work and events space for small enterprises and sole traders. New top floor restaurant Bureau is a creative addition used for lunch, dinner, private parties, fundraising and presentations, with many of its ingredients grown in an adjacent roof garden that also functions as an outdoor dining and socialising area. The building’s original conversion included the installation of a Dan
Europe - After being absent from the stage for some years, Phil Collins returned with his recent Not Dead Yet Live tour which played London, Dublin, Cologne and Paris. (LSi has a full report from the Cologne concert in the August/September issue) Patrick Woodroffe together with Roland Greil as the associate designer were responsible for the lighting design of this tour that Greil accompanied as programmer and lighting director using two grandMA2 full-size, one grandMA2 light and five MA NPU (Network Processing Unit). Greil, from Woodroffe Bassett Design, commented: “The grandMA2 system has been a trusty companion for many shows in the past and therefore we chose it once again. As expected it performed flawlessly and assisted us in creating a versatile, elegant and powerful design that provided the best possible canvas for such an outstanding artist and
UK - Like the free-flowing blend of eclectic music that floated through the summer air at Worthy Farm, ChamSys consoles were impossible to miss at the 2017 edition of the Glastonbury Festival. From the Other Stage, where superstars performed, to the Silver Hayes WOW Stage, where LDs cooked up hot looks for EDM artists, ChamSys products were everywhere at the festival. “We had some good things going on at Glastonbury this year,” said James Harrison, support manager at ChamSys, who along with software engineer James Crickmere and personality/support specialist Dan Coombs, represented the company at the five-day event. “There were a wide variety of our products at the festival, used in a wide range of different applications – and I’m pleased to report that everyone we spoke to was extremely happy with their performance.” A MagicQ MQ500 Stadium served as the ho
USA - As a full-service, live event design and production provider, Goalen Group has produced projects all over the world for a broad spectrum of Fortune 500 clients. At a recent supplier awards ceremony held by one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, the design firm was asked to create an exciting production design inside the newly renovated The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. Being given the opportunity to produce in a state-of-the-art music venue, Goalen Group wanted to push their design to a higher place, so they created a truly unique overhead LED video design with FLEXLite Plus 3.9mm LED video from PixelFLEX. “We specialize in the creative production of corporate events and have been a long-time supplier for this client at their annual senior leadership meetings and supplier awards ceremony,” began Matthew Goalen, vice President and technical dir
UK - This year saw the Greenpeace field take a leap into the future. With the theme of ‘forests’, the creative team ran wild designing structures visible from across the site. The most noticeable element of the field consisted of a huge 18m tree constructed by Factory Settings. When combined with ON LX’s bespoke lighting solutions, punters could interact with the 40 Universes of WS2811 Pixels within the tree. This interaction, triggered by a plethora of Raspberry Pi setups, was crafted by Bailes+Light’s Barri Mason. For this setup, GPIO inputs were utilised to allow OSC to trigger the system creating an effective way to communicate Greenpeace’s ideas through punters participating in the activity. This lead to people becoming more engaged with the campaign and influenced to consider future behaviour. In this case, linking hands around the ‘Giant Rave T
UK - From its humble beginnings in 1970, the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts has championed performance diversity in all its shapes and forms. The Circus Big Top and the Wow! stages are two examples which perhaps best encapsulate this tradition of diversity at Glastonbury. While both stages featured very different forms of entertainment, both had a consistently excellent visual palette thanks once again to Fineline Lighting and rigs that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures. Rob Sangwell, MD, specified a large selection of Maverick MK2 Wash, Maverick MK1 Spot, Maverick MK1 Hybrid, Rogue R2 Beam, and Rogue R2 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional across both stages. At the 1,500 capacity Circus Big Top stage, LD James Loudon specified 10 440W Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures to create stunning spot effects in support of the varied programme of circus
Italy - A crazy gig of epic proportions saw a quarter of a million Vasco Rossi fans pack into Modena Park for the one and only 2017 live appearance by Italian superstar and local hero in an epic homecoming concert. Lighting designer Giovanni Pinna, known for the imagination and flair of his work, wanted to make a serious impact for this show and utilized 550 Robes as the backbone of his rig – making about around two-thirds of the total fixture count – with 200 x Spiiders, 50 x BMFL Blades and Spots, 200 x LEDWash 1200s and 600s and 100 x LEDBeam 100s. It's safe to say that most people in Italy have a ‘soft spot’ for Vasco, who was also celebrating 40 years of a tumultuous career which has had its thrills and spills, so it’s good to see the maverick rock ‘n’ roll showman right back on form - performing at his very best. The show was also broadcast li
Moldova - King of Kings events are some of the most popular kickboxing events in the world and Elation dealer Eventica Grup SRL of Moldova has been a staging and technical contractor of KOK tournaments for years. For past events, Eventica has turned to Elation Platinum SBX hybrid fixtures for their multi-functionality, power and dynamism. For the King of Kings World Grand Prix 46 tournament held 1 April in Moldova, Eventica added Elation’s new Fuze Wash Z350 to the line-up along with other Elation gear. Lighting design was by Max Cojocari. KOK events are intense affairs with pre-bout introductions a vital step in building up the exciting atmosphere. The fighter entrance stage, key in the build up to a match, is a large space where anywhere from 18 fighters to a single fighter will make their appearance. “We needed to fill the space with dynamic lighting, whether it was f
Europe - Kling-Net is a new plug-and-play protocol for easy operation of LED devices introduced by ArKaos. The Kling-Net Tile app converts your smartphone or tablet into a LED tile and is available for for free. Kling-Net protocol, in combination with ArKaos software (LED Master, GrandVJ XT and MediaMaster), provides a plug and play connection to LED devices of all sorts. The compatibility matrix is on the Arkaos website (www.arkaospro.com) (Jim Evans)
World - CAST has introduced wysiwyg Lighting Design Software Release 39 which packs improved security to protect user investment as well as a rich new feature set for every wysiwyg mode: CAD, Data, Plots, Reports and Previsualization and more. Created with the lighting designer in mind as well as a futuristic workplace, wysiwyg’s powerful and integrated improvements result from the direct feedback from wysiwyg users and the wysiwyg beta testing program. Users will be able to be more creative and dynamic in their lighting design workflow from the design and presentation to clients as well as on site, saving valuable time and resources. Users now can export 360º Spherical images of their design and with the help of a VR googles, such as Google cardboard or Gear VR, users can step inside their virtual design and experience it in first hand. CAST has accomplished
Israel/Germany - The German-Israeli co-production St Matthew’s Passion 2727 is a dance oratorio choreographed by Tamir Ginz for the Kamea Dance Company, inspired by the St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) by Johann Sebastian Bach, produced by Bayer Arts & Culture and a co-operation between two opera houses in Leverkusen and Wuppertal in Germany and Beer-Sheva Performing Arts centre in Israel. Lighting designer Yaron Abulafia was asked to add his magic and imagination to the intense performance. He is working for the first time with Ginz, one of the most important chorographers in Israel, who heard about Yaron’s fresh, innovative approach to lighting which brings a unique layer of kinetic sculpting to the artform. Yaron, already familiar with the music - a complex and ambitious musical construction that typically involves two choirs and at least one orch
Germany - When Let’s Dance, the German version of Dancing with the Stars / Strictly Come Dancing, celebrated its 10th anniversary series recently, lighting designer David Kreilemann decided to place special emphasis on the versatile and powerful XR 440 BWS moving head from PR Lighting. He could see this fixture, which integrates spot, wash and beam with a quality optical system, performing all manner of duties. He therefore requisitioned 22 of the heads from rental company MLS. "The powerful hybrid lamp impresses with its efficient sharp projection in both the spot and the beam modes,” says Kreilemann. “Even with slow rotations of the gobos and prisms, there are no visible jerks in the movement whatsoever. In fact, the two prisms, which can morph and contra-rotate with respect to each other, are absolutely brilliant on the XR 440 BWS.”
UK - The Urban Hero Awards is an annual event bringing together people of all ages for their inspiring work and leadership within their local communities. For this year’s event, which took place at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, Jonny Billitt was tasked with providing stunning visual support for the evening. This included an awards ceremony dinner with accompanying live music performances. To fulfill both of these roles, Billitt specified a number of Chauvet Professional fixtures, including eight Maverick MK2 Washes, eight Maverick MK1 Hybrids, 12Next NXT-1 fixtures, 108 PVP S5 LED panels, eighteen Rogue R1 Beams, 24 Rogue R2 Washes and 21 Rogue R2 Spots. Performing key lighting roles in Billitt’s overall illumination concept were the Maverick Wash and Hybrid fixtures, and Rogue R1 Beams, which fulfilled a variety of roles including front and ambient stage ligh
UK - Visually there has always been a sense of fantasy and science fiction to Jeff Lynne’s ELO while musically his massively successful song catalogue inhabits a clear fusion of pop, rock and classical. It’s proved a happy combination on record and, as a live act, led to an epoch defining tour with a flying saucer in 1978. Bringing that sense of scale and sci-fi to stadium stature for 2017 has been the task of production manager Chris Vaughan and a creative team lead by Tim Routledge. Like Lynne himself, they have plundered several genres, not least by recreating the flying saucer for the twenty-first century to ‘fly’ above the stage and by using video on an epic scale. “The stage is wrapped in a back wall of seven very tall and closely packed portrait LED screens derived from the Muse Haarp tour,” Is how Video Design’s Alex Leinster describes it. “Add
UK - Utopium supplied a range of lighting, rigging, staging and screens to create an electric atmosphere in Bristol’s Lloyds Amphitheatre for two consecutive weekends, July 2017. Utopium was entrusted to create the perfect setting for thousands of music-lovers when Bristol Sounds (21-24 June) and Grillstock (1-2 July), headed to Bristol’s Harbourside. Both weekends welcomed some impressive music performances from the likes of Bonobo, Craig David and The Manic Street Preachers at Bristol Sounds and Pharcyde, The Darkness and Hot 8 Brass Band at Grillstock. With different stages in different positions and a variety of genres on offer over the course of the two events, Utopium had to be creative and astute when creating their base concert lighting systems for each event. For Bristol Sounds, Utopium utilised a range of new equipment which included Martin Sceptron VDO
Russia - Robert Juliat’s award-winning Dalis 860 LED cyclorama lighting fixtures are currently playing a key role in Snégourotchka (The Snow Maiden) by Rimski-Korsakov at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. The opera premiered on 15 June on the 1740-seat Heritage Stage on a set designed by Vladimir Arefiev, with lighting by Damir Ismagilov. In the largest installation of Dalis to date, Ismagilov chose to use 92 Dalis 860 asymmetrical LED units to illuminate three enormous lightboxes – the largest features of the set in this spectacular production – which form the backdrop to the Russian folk tale that tells of the Snow Maiden’s ill-fated love for the human, Mizgir. The lightboxes, each of which measure 22m wide x 15m high, are suspended 3m above the stage, and positioned upstage and on each side to form a box, covering the whole stage in width
South Africa - With the aim to make operators familiar with the functions of the dot2 lighting control console, the interface, main features of the software and operating philosophy, Jannie de Jager from DWR Distribution will be presenting dot2 User Training in Cape Town from 31 July to 1 August and in Durban from 3-4 August. The two-day course will cover groups, presets, storing cues, chases, effects and back up. Delegates are requested to supply their own dot2 console and laptop for the MA 3D Visualizer. Bookings can be made on line. Visit: http://dwrdistribution.co.za/register/dot2training-august/ (Jim Evans)
Belgium - With a string of hit singles, numerous sell out tours and countless appearances as a television host, Niels Destadsbader is one of Belgium’s most popular all round entertainers. On his Niels Confesses All (Niels klapt uit de biecht) tour, the versatile star combines his musical and acting talents to create an intimate and highly personal connection to fans as exemplified by a church-like confession booth on stage. The main task for the K-Events lighting design was to create a church-like atmosphere with a minimal set-up. Chauvet Professional Rogue R1 Washes, which were supplied by SLV Rent, were ideally suited for this purpose, thanks to a number of creative and practical factors which helped create the appropriate mood on stage. A group of six Rogue R1 Washes were positioned above the central confessional booth on stage, with a further six fixtures positio
Qatar - The Mall of Qatar is a shopping centre that opened in December 2016 in Doha, Qatar. The mall, which is the equivalent size of 50 football pitches with over 500 stores, is the nation’s largest mall. It also features mall-wide live entertainment with a professional live theatre and 360 degree acts and shows performed on a multi-lift rotating stage. For the stage’s lighting control, one grandMA2 light, one grandMA2 replay unit, one MA onPC command wing, one MA VPU plus MK2 (Video Processing Unit), four MA Network Switches, two MA NPUs (Network Processing Units), 12 x MA 2Port Nodes and two MA 4Port Nodes are used. The technical design was completed by LichtUnit GmbH with Stephan Floeren as lighting designer, assistant LD Udo Rath and operator Desimir Skoracz. Floeren explained the product choice: "As reliability and easy show control was crucial, MA Lighting w
UK - Located at the St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, Iris Theatre creates bespoke productions specific to that space. The company’s aim is to develop the next generation of professional theatre practitioners and produce a vibrant repertoire of varied work. This year marks the company’s 10-year anniversary which will be celebrated with a summer season of immersive productions. One of these is Macbeth and White Light was called upon to provide the lighting equipment. Iris Theatre was originally formed in 2007 and has grown considerably over the years, having won Best Production for Young People at last year’s OFFIE Awards. General manager Sofi Berenger comments: “As an organisation, we seek to produce a fresh and vibrant repertoire of varied work which results in accessible and affordable theatre which caters for all ages. We are also extremely lucky t
UK - The annual London Club and Bar Awards has been celebrating the city’s thriving hospitality industry since 1994. This year’s event, which was held at The Intercontinental Park Lane, served up more sizzling glitz than ever, thanks to a stunning lighting design by Halo, which featured eight Maverick MK2 Spots, eight Maverick MK2 Washes, four STRIKE 4s and 12 Rogue R1 FX-Bs from Chauvet Professional. At the heart of the design was the main stage that was used for the awards ceremony. Yann Guenancia, Halo project manager, drew on the intense output, rapid movements and colours of the Maverick lights to create a compelling sense of on-stage excitement. Positioned from ceiling truss above the stage, Guenancia made use of the 440W superior brightness of the Maverick Spot fixtures to ensure excellent illumination of the award presentations. “The Maverick Spots provid
UK - The recent edition of Polish Idol featured a distinctive filmic styling emanating from the visual influence of LD Artur Szyman, one of the country’s leading lighting and scenic designers, who was assisted by 96 x Robe Spikies and 80 x LEDWash 800s among other lights on his plot. Artur has been an LD for 17 years and was a renowned film and TV DoP for 10 years before that. He’s known for taking creative risks and delivering new and invigorating designs, and for this show - returning to Polish national TV prime time after a 13-year break - his mission was to ensure that the lighting and scenography worked consistently from all camera perspectives. This approach informed every aspect of the lighting, video and scenic design, bringing a cool cinematographic ambience to the studio. A reasonably open brief by producers Freemantle Poland meant it didn
