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Doughty - Banner - ABTT (27 May - 5 June)

Rigging / Staging

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UK - The British Museum in London is dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection, numbering some 8m works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.

So when lighting designer Philip Lyons of Lyons Photography & Lighting Design Installation was appointed to install a pack generator system into two of the museum's new photographic studios, he brought Doughty Engineering on board. Having worked with the company on various other photographic studio installations, Philip knew he could count on Doughty to supply a range of equipment that would ensure the studio was kitted out to the highest specification, making it the perfect environment for photographing and cataloguing the museum's wonderful and ever increasing catalogue

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UK - On October 14 Tate Modern's Turbine Hall opened its doors to the largest work ever created by renowned American sculptor Richard Tuttle. Entitled I don't know - the Weave of Textile Language, Tuttle's piece combines vast swathes of fabrics to create a massive winged sculpture. Weighing in at 25 tonnes and measuring 50m long, production manager Jim Leaver faced the challenge of how to suspend the artwork - not just safely over the heads of thousands of visitors, but also to create the illusion that the piece was floating effortlessly in the air.

Leaver, who was appointed by Tate Modern to oversee the construction of the exhibit, brought Unusual Rigging on board to help develop a solution and to fulfil Tuttle's idea that those visiting the exhibition should "...feel like they're in heaven".

Leon Ingram, production rigger at Unusual, said, "This was cer

Doughty - Banner - ABTT (27 May - 5 June)

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UK - Leading European flightcase manufacturer 5 Star Cases continues its support of local West Norfolk Swimming Club (WNSC), with the design and supply of some special new flightcases to house its timing equipment, which is usually stored at Kings Lynn swimming pool.

5 Star's Keith Sykes co-ordinated the project, saying, "We were approached by WNSC's chair Sam Baxter as they needed to be able to stow and transport their timing kit safely and easily. It's one of their biggest capital assets, so we were very happy to offer a custom solution."

Two of the cases each take four timing pads, and both feature a split-top design making the cases as accessible as possible, facilitating extremely quick and easy removal and deployment of the pads from the large cases.

They are constructed from 5 Star's Tour grade specification materials with 9 mm ply utilised to minimise the w

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UK - When Stage Entertainments UK Ltd, the producers behind Made in Dagenham, moved swiftly into the Adelphi Theatre following the closure of The Bodyguard, they called upon Unusual Rigging to help them change seamlessly from one show to the other with the least amount of disruption.

Production manager Matt Towell explained, "Made in Dagenham features a very clever set and a very different look to what you would normally expect from a West End musical. Given the very dissimilar nature of the scenic elements of the two shows, there was only a certain amount of equipment that could be re-used, so it was far from simply taking light, sound and set off the old system and re-hanging it. I needed to work with a team I both knew and trusted and I knew I'd have that in Unusual's Jeremy Featherstone and his team."

Jeremy commented, "Our knowledge of

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Europe - Kylie Minogue is the latest artist to tour across Europe with the benefit of Mojo Barriers' specially-designed touring barrier the G2, as 160m of the system is keeping crowds safe at the singer's Kiss Me Once European dates.

When Kylie kicked off her latest tour in the UK, crowd barrier specialists Mojo Barriers ensured fans with front row views were kept safe, installing 80m for the front of stage at the Liverpool Echo Arena. An additional 80m of stock was then added, bringing the total to 160m, which will be used across the European leg of her tour, culminating on 17 November at Zurich's Hallenstadion.

The barriers, a mixture of straight and specials such as corners and gates, allows the production team - headed up by Kevin Hopgood - to create a configuration that includes golden circle, t-shaped thrust for a catwalk and extended front of house. As requested by Hopg

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UK - With new exhibitors and new speakers being announced every week, there will be plenty for visitors to see at the Glasgow SECC for the inaugural PLASA Focus Glasgow event, which takes place on 2-3 December 2014.

New exhibitors announced this week include Adlib Audio and HDPro Audio, Orbital Sound and FBT Audio UK, who will join the all-star list of exhibitors already at the show - including Robe, Ambersphere, White Light, Avolites, Chauvet, AED, Sennheiser, Bosch, NL Productions, JHS ProAudio, Warehouse Sound, LMC Audio, Polar Audio, Black Light, Trusslite, Total Solutions Group, UK Rigging, TMB and many more.

PLASA's Professional Development Programme will deliver two days of presentations, technical demonstrations and panel discussions, all designed to help visitors build their industry knowledge and improve their skill set. This year's programme focusses on the hot topi

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UK - Behind the Scenes UK, the newly launched charity that aims to provide financial support to entertainment technology professionals when they are ill or injured, is calling on companies and individuals to send their annual Christmas cards via Card Aid this year.

Card Aid has been helping charities increase their funds from the sale of their Christmas cards for over 30 years and John Simpson, Chair of Behind the Scenes UK, believes proceeds from the sale of Christmas Cards via the Card Aid Website will really make a difference to Behind the Scenes which only launched in the UK in October.

"Sending Christmas cards is a long held tradition and Card Aid allows us to keep the spirit of Christmas alive - as cards can be purchased online, either in the form of a pack of cards or as e-cards which can be sent on a pay per click basis. Whilst we are happy to accept donations in

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UK - Entwining the set & lighting design for one of the biggest bands on the planet with the concept of origami might seem to some a conceit too far, but not for those imaginative individuals charged with creating something special for Coldplay's recent jaunt around the globe.

Set designer, Misty Buckley elaborates on the premise: "The concept of the origami stars was very much an idea from the band. Steeped in Japanese tradition, origami is synonymous with transformation - taking something seemingly ordinary and transforming it in to something sculptural and beautiful. The star seemed an obvious choice because of A Sky Full of Stars."

With the idea of stars as a feature of the design, the next step was to create a working reality. Buckley continues, "Initially the production considered a kind of thin plastic sheeting to make them more resilient to the ri

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USA - UK motion control specialist Kinesys is continuing to expand its Kinesys USA Inc. operation by welcoming David Bond to the team in the role of Head of Sales for North America.

Kinesys USA has received huge interest and many enquiries since being unveiled at the beginning of August, and bringing David to Kinesys is key to the company's planned medium term expansion strategy.

David will be leading the Kinesys USA sales department and travelling extensively to meet with and talk to customers throughout North America. He will be working closely with David Martin based at the Kinesys USA Inc. headquarters in Atlanta who will be focusing on the operations and training aspects of the company. Together they will continue to develop the company's US brand and expand its market coverage. Both David Bond and David Martin will also work closely with the relevant departments at Kines

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UK - The London Eye has never looked better! The company behind one of the capital's top tourist attractions recently called upon the expertise of Unusual Rigging to help with a thorough clean of the London Eye's 90 steel cables in order to prevent failure and increase the expected lifespan of the cables.

Under cover of darkness, Unusual's Robin Elias and a team of riggers, headed by crew chief Phil Dickinson, worked every night over a period of 10 weeks, whilst ensuring the London Eye kept turning and attracting hordes of visitors during the day.

Mark Robinson, technical operations manager at the London Eye said, "We knew right away that Unusual was the right company for this complex job. In 2012, Unusual worked here with STREB, for an event which saw acrobats perform on the steel cables. I found them to be a very professional company and had no doubt that they had the r

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UK - UK-based event safety consultancy Stagesafe reports the Health and Safety Executive's announcement that CDM Regulations will be enforced on the events and entertainment industry from April 2015.

The news was confirmed at last week's meeting of the Joint Advisory Committee on Entertainment (JACE) at the HSE in Westminster. The following report was produced by Michael Anderson and Lee Holloway, members of SAGE (Safety Advisors Group in Entertainment):

"This was an unexpected turn of events as it had appeared earlier this year that a "BEA" (Business Engagement Assessment) industry impact assessment process engaging with the event industry trade associations may have led to a decision not to enforce. But HSE stated that they had since received legal advice that not enforcing would breach European law and expose the government to international prosecution.

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UK - The latest in the successful series of PLASA Focus events will take place at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow on 2-3 December 2014.

Aimed at bringing together audio and lighting experts working in the live events sector at a regional level, the show is a chance to meet representatives from industry leading companies to seek out the latest products and services - as well as a premier networking opportunity.

Event Director, James Ashwood, comments: "There's a strong selection of lighting and audio companies at the Glasgow show including Robe, Avolites, Ambersphere, White Light, Black Light, Chauvet and Sennheiser, along with key dealers such as TMB, LMC, Warehouse Sound, Apex acoustics, HDPro, FBT and Polar Audio and rigging, trussing and special effects companies. Add to that the free to attend two-day seminar program and the rigging conference -

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UK - SES has announced the opening of its satellite office within Pinewood Studios. With the continued growth of sales to the film industry, SES has taken space within the studios to better serve the production companies within.

Holding a wide range of stock, SES are able to deliver within a very short time of receiving the order, or indeed , customers are able to collect directly. Production companies often require equipment at very short notice, so to have items available immediately will save time and money, and reduce stress.

SES has available from stock, a wide range of power distribution, cables, socapex products, DMX, Gaffer tape, cable ties and Cee form connectors. SES can be found in Block G, room 102.

(Jim Evans)

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USA - Le Maitre is set to make several announcements at LDI this week, with new products right across the board from haze to flames to pyro.

LDI will see the unveiling of a brand new hazer - the EcoHazer, making a world first preview on Le Maitre's booth.

Le Maitre hazers are already known for their incredible output and low power consumption, not to mention the haze fluid which converts to produce the purest, most efficient and long lasting haze on the market. The new EcoHazer takes the environmental aspect even further and Le Maitre believes that it is the most energy efficient water-based hazer on the market today!

The EcoHazer consumes a low 100-150W, a rate that other haze units on the market with a similar output simply can't match, with many requiring up to 1500W - that's ten times the electrical energy! The EcoHazer uses a completely new heating system borne out of L

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UK / USA - PLASA's month-long elections to determine positions on its European and North American Regional Boards, together with its central Governing Body, concluded at midnight on Wednesday 19 November. Companies and individuals from PLASA's worldwide membership voted in the elections, which were conducted via a secure online poll.

There were four positions available on the European Regional Board. Ed Pagett of Panalux was elected for a second term as Chairman, Peter James of Shure Distribution as representative to PLASA's Distributor members and Malcolm Burlow of Highlite was voted as the Dealer/Retailer representative. Robert Kronman joins the Board as the new Individual representative.

Four positions were also up for election on the North American Regional Board with Todd Spencer of PSAV elected as Vice-Chairman, Tracey Cosgrove of Rosco Laboratories as Secretary, Orestes

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UK - Entertainment equipment expert Triple E is sponsoring London's Young Vic theatre this month by donating a complex ERAIL track system solution for the JMK Award winning production of Caryl Churchill's Far Away.

Triple E's MD David Edelstein was initially approached by the Young Vic's technical director Igor, and then Far Away's production manager Ed Borgnis to design, supply and install an irregular-shaped track solution for a scene in the play requiring equipment trickery to achieve an inspired effect.

Far Away is directed by this year's JMK new directors award winner Kate Hewitt, with a design by Georgia Lowe.

"In the play there is a procession of people wearing hats, and the play leads us to understand they are on their way to be executed," explains Ed Borgnis. "Given that we are staging the show in our Clare Studio, with no space f

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UK - Star Events provided a platform off Westminster Pier last week, for street trial cyclist Danny MacAskill to perform a spectacular water-borne loop-the-loop, aided and abetted by Microsoft's new Windows phone personal assistant, Cortana.

Fixed to a 500-tonne barge, the Star Events structure ran a ramp into the 5m loop, lined up with a round projector screen and the London Eye, accentuating Cortana's circular form.

Tasked with turning the event from paper to pontoon in just six weeks, Will Roberts, Production Manager for Microsoft's agency, Mission, sought out Star Events' significant experience with Thames' events and Vert ramps.

Roberts comments, "With that sort of deadline, you're designing, costing, scheduling, building and delivering in parallel and Star gave me a lot of confidence in the tender process. Their pricing was good, they have a big track record of ma

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UAE - Effective October 2014 Eurotruss and Procom ME have signed a master distribution agreement for the Middle East.

Procom ME is established in Dubai with a significant presence in Beirut as well, and specialises in the fields of professional lighting, sound, video and rigging. Leading brands it represents include Clay Paky, Avolites and Meyer Sound. Procom also provides back up by a skilled creative and experienced team, plus comprehensive rigging solutions for all requirements in various fields and locations.

In addition to its turnkey solutions, Procom provides top of the line support backed by an extensive stock of Eurotruss products and a service centre in one of the largest showrooms of its kind in Middle East.

Eurotruss sales representative Charbel Zoghbi will continue as sales & support representative to guarantee the presence of Eurotruss in the market for custome

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UK - Based on a true story as well as the 2010 film of the same name, Made in Dagenham is a new musical comedy at London's Adelphi Theatre about the equal pay strike by the women who made car seats at the London suburb's Ford factory in 1968. The show stars Gemma Arterton as Rita O'Grady.

The action unfolds against a lively soundtrack of 1960s-inspired song and dance numbers and brightly coloured sets. To automate the latter the show's production manager, Matt Towell selected Stage Technologies to supply a 39-axis overhead, stage level and sub-stage automation control system; and sister company Delstar Engineering to provide fabricated steelwork, tracks and engineering.

Stage Technologies' BigTow Classic, BT2-200 and BT2-390 winches as well as motors and hydraulics automate the 39 axes. Seven AU:tour 6 cabinets are stationed in the Adelphi's basement to power the system, and i

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France - The award winning Modular Rigging System from Doughty Engineering has made its debut across the Channel this week as it launched at the JTSE show in Paris on the 25 and 26 November. With the range on display on the stand of Doughty's French distributor AXENTE, visitors to the show were able to see for themselves the benefits offered by Doughty's Drop Arms and H Frames, which have been whipping up a storm since their launch at PLASA in the UK and LDI in America.

"France is a very strong market for Doughty Engineering and we felt it was important to officially launch this range on the home turf of some of our best customers", said Julian Chiverton, sales director, Doughty Engineering. "The Modular Rigging System is set to revolutionise the way stage sets are rigged and is paving the way for highly innovative lighting design. We are now fully stocked and rea

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UK - Unusual Rigging has announced, with deep regret, the death of Mike Philpott. Respected and liked by Unusual's clients and consultants alike, Mike joined Unusual in 2001 as a project manager specialising in QS type works and bid responses for stage engineering projects. In 2010 his experience and technical knowledge won Unusual the contracts for both the Convention Centre and Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin, projects which ran concurrently and which Mike handled with his usual good humour, tenacity and dedication.

He also led the field in bespoke Tension Wire Grids, initially for Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre in 2010, then Harrogate International Centre and most recently the Attenborough Centre.

Alan Jacobi, managing director of Unusual, said: "Mike's sometimes gruff outward appearance belied his true self. He was an inspirational character, always ready to help

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USA - If you have been thinking about testing to become ETCP certified, now is the time to apply, as fees will increase $50 per exam on 1 January, 2015. You have up to one year from your acceptance date to take your examination, so sign up today to save. Applications that are postmarked before January 1, 2015 will receive the discounted rate.

ETCP Certification is a fundamental aide to employers who are looking for qualified technicians for lead positions. It guarantees a reliable level of expertise and skills because the exams are specific to this industry and a fair assessment of your knowledge.

Questions concerning certification and testing may be directed to Meredith Moseley-Bennett, Certification Manager at etcp@plasa.org or 212.244.1505, ext. 705.

(Jim Evans)

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UK - ANCA Structural Anchors has launched a "revolutionary" new structural anchor which brings easily certifiable ground anchorage to the temporary structures industry for the first time. The first model, System 2000, is available now.

From now on, marquee companies, event organisers, building contractors and inspecting authorities can easily measure the structural forces exerted on a temporary building below the ground as well as above the ground, says the company.

The Structural Anchor, created with expertise provided by temporary structure designers Special Structures Lab Ltd, removes the uncertainty suffered by traditional anchorage methods such as stakes and provides an effective, easily portable alternative to ballast, which is expensive to transport.

The Structural Anchor System 2000 is the first manually deployed screw anchor-based system. Specially fabrica

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UK - Heathrow Airport and Fisher Productions worked together to bring some Christmas magic to travellers over the Christmas period at Terminal 2: The Queens Terminal.

Building on Terminal 2's vision, in conjunction with Heathrow, The Fisher team have designed and installed a giant vinyl Christmas tree which stands over 90ft high in the covered courtyard to T2, close to the Slipstream sculpture by renowned British artist Richard Wilson.

Fisher have added a very modern interactive touch to this traditional looking tree, overlaying it with festoons of lights that can be triggered to flash and dance by passengers who tweet Christmas greetings to #T2Christmas. After dark the tree will come alive with a gentle wash of light giving it an enchanting glow.

(Jim Evans)

  1. Strictly TV for S+H Technical
  2. Truss UK acquires AJB Precision Fabrication
  3. The Dominion re-equips with Van Damme
  4. Delstar supplies 31 tonne scenic structure for ANNE
  5. Amp-Pack and Packhorse enjoy positive PLASA show
  6. Flightcase Warehouse achieves ISO9001
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