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Singapore - Formerly Singapore's largest cinema, the Kallang Theatre is now one of the country's premier performance venues. After closing since 2007 the theatre re-opened in August 2011 by staging Singapura: Lion City, a music and acrobatic extravaganza chronicling the history of Singapore.

The show saw more than 60 professional acrobats and artistes portray Singapore's rise from a small island country to one of Asia's cultural and economic powerhouses; all on a stage dressed in black stage masking from J&C Joel.

The stage masking curtains manufactured and supplied by J&C Joel were made from versatile black 300cm wide Molton (MOL002), a non-durably flame retardant brushed cotton fabric that is ideal for stage masking.

The stage blacks provided to the Kallang Theatre in

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UK - 2012 has bought a fresh new look and feel to the cinemas at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the home of the British avant-garde. Between Christmas and New Year, theatre consultancy Charcoalblue ensured that the cinemas were completely transformed and ready to host the ninth London Short Film Festival.

The project brief for Charcoalblue was to design, schedule and manage a comprehensive refurbishment of the main ICA cinemas. The challenge was to ensure it could happen in the short break between Christmas and New Year.

Following the design and specification by Charcoalblue of all of the necessary elements, 285 seats were stripped out of the cinemas and removed from site on 26 December; step-lights, carpets and wall coverings were removed on the 27th; on the 28th and 29th the floor structure was modified to increase the provision of fully accessible audience spaces

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France - South of France based broadcast, video and AV rental services specialist Forcast, headed by Stephane Pilloud has acquired Action Monaco from the Avesco Group - in a planned expansion that will see both companies join forces and continue operating in their existing formats.

The strategic merger sees Forcast become the largest AV rental / broadcast and video facilities service operation in France outside of Paris, and the biggest such independently owned company in the country.

Forcast's work embraces all sectors of their industry including sporting fixtures, special events, festivals of all types - music, arts, culture, etc., together with corporate shows and presentations. It is also involved in AV and broadcast systems design, specification and implementation, with recent high profile venue projects including the new Olympic Nice Stadium and the Grimaldi Forum confer

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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

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Vatican City - Clear-Com reports that Vatican Television Centre, known in Italy as Centro Televisivo Vaticano (CTV), the official broadcaster of Vatican City, has selected Eclipse-Median digital matrix and Tempest 2400 digital wireless intercoms to help cover the official activities of Pope Benedict XVI as well as the ongoing religious events and services held at the Vatican.

The extensive communication capabilities offered by the four connected Eclipse-Median, six I-Series intercom panels, two Tempest BaseStations and four Tempest BeltStations "assure that CTV broadcasts have fast access to reliable, high-quality communications".

Since 1983, CTV, headquartered in Via del Pellegrino in Vatican City, has broadcast the Pope's pastoral ministry and other activities of the Holy See. Each year, they cover about 200 events from inside the Vatican as well as during the Pope

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The Netherlands - HA Rental purchased a number of Philips Selecon Pacific and PL3 LED luminaires from Philips entertainment brand VAR (Value Added Reseller) for the Netherlands, Rolight, in order to create a dramatic lightscape for the first edition of the Ice Sculpture Festival in Zwolle.

This year the theme was decidedly nautical. Festival directors Ten4 Events and Joor Events invited more than 40 ice sculptors from around the world to wield chainsaws, chisels and cutters and fill a 2000sq.m thermal tent with a stunning display of ice and snow carvings. Sculptures included naval heroes, sea animals, ocean monsters, and ghostly ships alongside spacemen, superheroes and fairytale characters.

Lighting designer for the Festival was Jasper Schimmel, whose brief was to bring sparkling dimension, shape and dynamic colour to the crystal clear, glass like figures and frosty snow scul

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UK - Broadcasting services provider Bow Tie Television recently needed to upgrade the audio monitoring system in one of its Outside Broadcast vans, to deliver the high quality of sound that the company's clients expected. A K-Array system was the answer.

Because of the limited space available, it had proved impossible to position all the speakers of the OB truck's original production monitoring system in exactly the right places. The only way to achieve the correct placement was to block the view of some of the monitors, which clearly wasn't an option.

K-Array is distributed in the UK by Sennheiser UK and when Bow Tie TV's head of outside broadcast sound Ross Banks attended the latter's roadshow on 9 June at Knebworth House, he was impressed with Dave Wooster's demonstration of the tiny K-Array KZ10 full-range loudspeaker and KU36 sub.

"Because the KZ10 is so small, we

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UK - For the second year in a row, Black Light is acting as a leading sponsor for the Federation of Scottish Theatre's (FST) Technical Winter School. This takes place at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre between the 21 and 23 February 2012. The company is supporting the high-profile event both financially and practically and has teamed up with a number of its key suppliers to deliver three days of technical training.

"We are delighted to be able to support this exciting event," says Black Light's customer relations, manager, Claire Södergren who is going to attend the event with colleagues Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of company development, and Craig Collin, the company's technical manager. "This is a really exciting opportunity for us to meet old friends and to help people in the industry get to grips with some of the most exciting new technology around."

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UK - Audio manufacturer Audient is celebrating the launch of its new ASP4816 recording console by throwing a drinks party on Tuesday 31January at SAE Institute in London, where the Hampshire-based company's latest compact, analogue mixing desk will be showcased with the help of rock/folk collective, Flight Brigade.

Kicking off at 3pm at SAE Institute's Bankstock Studios, the party will give guests the opportunity to see and hear the band Flight Brigade being recorded using the ASP4816, as well as microphones kindly provided by Sontronics.

"It's the ideal way to introduce the features of the ASP4816: letting people get hands on and experience it themselves," says Audient's UK sales manager, Gareth Williams. "We're delighted that our friends at SAE Institute London are hosting too, the new £4m studio facility in Hackney will make a great backdrop for the eve

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UK - David Moran and Ulric Kenny of Ion Equity have acquired Ocean Media Group from Anglo Irish Bank. Ocean Media is a broadly based exhibition, publishing and new media organisation with core businesses in the weddings/bridal and social housing sectors within the UK, Holland and Germany. Its portfolio includes The White Book and Access All Areas magazine.

The buyout was financed privately and leaves Ocean Media debt free. As such it is able to, and intends to, launch and acquire new business. Kenny will be chair of Ocean Media while Moran will be CEO. Moran and Ion Equity owned Ocean Media previously from July 2006 to October 2007.

Moran said: "They say you should never go back, but Ocean is a great company with strong products and fantastic people and I am looking forward to growing Ocean again." Kenny said: "We enjoyed working with David and the

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UK - Harman Soundcraft's small-format digital console, the Si Compact, has received a major upgrade with the release of its V2 software. The new free upgrade provides more than 23 major new features, updates and enhancements, the company says. These include eight additional DSP channels expanding the Si Compact 16 and Si Compact 24 to 32 and 40 inputs to mix, respectively.

Of particular note is the new user-configurable fader layers allowing input channels to be reassigned anywhere on either input layer and any bus master reassigned to either master layer. Now an engineer can put the inputs and returns where he or she most needs them - for example, having the main vocal or presenter always in position 1 on both input fader layers, or mixing aux and matrix masters on a single bus layer to reduce the number of layer changes.

Another useful new function in V2 is DOGS (Direct Outp

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UK - Le Mark has announced the availability of TripLine - a new safety product specifically designed for use on the front of performance stages. The system provides a discreet visual and physical barrier to the front line of the stage for both performers and stage crew.

The Tripline system provides a clear visual indication of the stage edge even in complete show blackout situations by means of a line of LEDs positioned 30cm apart. This visual front line also has a failsafe backup in the application of a photo-luminous strip which will glow in the dark for up to eight hours without the need for an electrical power supply.

Made from aluminium box section (25mm x 50mm) and available 1m, 2m and 3m lengths, the unit can be mounted along the front line of a stage to provide a physical barrier in order to stop flightcases, stage trucks and Tallescopes from rolling over and into the

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Russia - Reaffirming its ambition to deepen customer and distributor engagement in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Harman Professional has appointed Sergey Trotskiy as director of business development for the region.

Trotskiy is responsible for "enabling the best possible mutually beneficial working relationships between Harman Professional Division and its distributors and customers in the Russia and CIS region", the company says. Trotskiy comments: "I am here to help realize management's vision to unlock the potential of Harman's Professional Division brands in the Russia and CIS markets," Trotskiy said today. "These brands bring tremendous value in terms of performance, integration and quality build that will, in turn, impact the business performance of our distribution partners and ultimately the efficiency and effectiveness

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Turkmenistan - On New Year's Eve, a large laser projection appeared on the facade of the 175m high Anayasa tower in Turkmenistan. As part of the projection a laser counted down the last seconds of the year and the gathered crowd cheered as 2012 arrived and magnificent fireworks erupted.

At the same time, a giant permanent laser installation was launched. Scheduled for continuous operation in January 2012, the installation connects the highest towers of the Turkmenistan capital city Ashgabat with "dazzlingly-bright" laser beams in the national colour of green. Display lasers (used for building projections) are used as part of the project, seen for the first time on New Year's Eve.

Officials of the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) believe that it is the largest permanent display laser installation in the world.

According to reports, the president of Tur

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UK - Pro Audio Stash (PAS) has launched its new R8010 19-inch Slide-and-Rotate racking system to provide ultimate flexibility for 19 inch racking set ups that are installed in tight and / or difficult to access spaces.

This innovative system has been developed in response to extensive feedback, and has a wide range of applications as a versatile solution for the installed rack units that can be easily rotated 90 degrees in either direction once pulled forward from the home position for full accessibility, maintenance, etc, says the company.

It's suitable for any location where space is at a premium such as AV installations on cruise ships where the rack needs to be locked into position with the base plate being screwed to a solid surface, or for clubs / theatres / studios where space is often limited.

For high-end commercial and residential installations, the Slide-and-Rotat

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The Philippines - Clear-Com has added greater efficiency to productions at Resorts World Manila's (RWM) Newport Performing Arts Theatre by providing advanced intercoms. The high-end theatre has installed a Clear-Com FreeSpeak wireless system and Encore partyline intercoms to facilitate communications between its production staff.

As the first integrated tourist hub in the Philippines, RWM combines lodging, restaurants, gaming facilities, entertainment spots, a luxury mall, and the Newport Performing Arts Theatre, a majestic 1,500-seat venue for concerts, plays, musicals and exclusive productions. The Clear-Com FreeSpeak and Encore systems increase organisation for the facility's elaborate theatre productions.

The six communication paths offered by FreeSpeak, coupled with the four additional channels from Encore, segment the theatre's departments into distinctive communication

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USA - Three new sessions have been added to the attractions already on offer during the inaugural PLASA Focus: Austin 2012, taking place at The Renaissance Austin, on 22-23 February 2012.

Alongside 50 exhibitors and a two-day programme of free professional development sessions, visitors can now book a place on a very special discussion presented by world-renowned lighting designer, Peter Morse. From Madonna and Michael Jackson to Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Usher, Prince, Christina Aguilera and Janet Jackson, Peter Morse has worked with some of the biggest stars on some of the biggest tours in history. Peter will talk us through his inimitable personal style, and share some of his experiences in this very special session; Lighting the Big Stage with Peter Morse.

Another major scoop is Advanced Mapping Techniques with Hippotizer Media Servers, presented by TMB

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The Netherlands - At ISE 2012, ComQi will launch five new place-based mobile applications interacting with digital signage displays in a retail venue. Powered by ComQi's Interaction Manager, these mobile apps include: Voting, Information and Couponing, Group Buying, Quizzes and Games.

Ajay Chowdhury, ComQi's CEO, says, "ComQi's Interaction Manager enables marketers to engage with customers at the point of influence. These new applications enable brands and retailers to engage in a conversation with their customers on the go, establishing and reinforcing a relationship complemented by social networks. ComQi's innovative platform enables retailers to improve their brand image, customer satisfaction and customer retention."

Consumers can connect to the Interaction Manager platform with their smart phones through a variety of means on the screen - using a textual URL, a

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UK - Canford is to launch a new intermediate size of their SDV low fire hazard installations cable range at BVE. New sequentially powered up and down mains distribution units will also be on display as will the new Canford manufactured mains power distribution units and fibre optic termination panels featuring most industry standard fibre optic couplers.

Voice Technologies miniature microphones and headsets will be exhibited including the latest waterproof versions. Products from the Nevion fibre optic signal processing, conversion and routing ranges can be seen alongside Canford's D'n'A audio cables. A selection of the latest portable audio recorders from Tascam including the new DR-40 will also be on Canford's stand.

The new Canford SDV cable type will initially be available in two types. SDV-I-LFH is the standard type with low smoke, low fire hazard properties and the SDV-I

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USA - Being launched at the 2012 NAMM show in Anaheim, California, DiGiCo's UB MADI allows any computer to instantly connect to MADI via the most standard connector of all, USB 2.0.

UB MADI uses the latest Stealth Digital Processing FPGA technology straight out of DiGiCo's SD range of consoles, yet "fits into your top pocket and delivers 48 simultaneous inputs and outputs, totalling an unprecedented 96 channels of audio I/O over USB 2.0".

Once the low latency driver is installed, UB MADI is a simple plug-and-play device, automatically detecting the MADI input format and clock selection. UB MADI then communicates with your preferred PC or Mac as a standard ASIO or Core Audio interface, says the company.

"Delivering the convenience of USB combined with Stealth Digital Processing to professional audio engineers working with MADI has been a massively rewarding exp

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UK - The lighting division of UK live event and communications agency, DRP Group, has made its first investment in Chroma-Q products with the purchase of 24 Color Force 48 LED battens.

DRP is a single source supplier to a multiplicity of corporate presentations, live events, festivals, awards shows, parties and charity works. Their HQ is in the Midlands; they also have offices in London and Manchester and work all over the UK and internationally.

Richard (Rikki) Parmenter, DRP's head of lighting explains that they specifically wanted an LED batten fixture that would light walls, cyc, banners and architectural features with a smooth, linear wash.

Since buying the Color Force fixtures, they have been in demand for a diversity of projects. The Color Force 48 version also happens to be the same width as DRP's standard modular set panels, which are 4 x 10ft. When used for lightin

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USA - High End Systems is hosting an Orlando, Florida area open house on 26-27 January 2012. This event will allow customers to see and experience the latest technology from High End Systems.

Sales and technical professionals from High End Systems will be on-hand along with intellaspot, Technospot, trackspot Bolt, DL.3 and Road Hog Full Boar consoles.

Over the course of two days, experts will demonstrate the capabilities of the latest products while also allowing plenty of time for hands-on experience and education. The relaxed atmosphere of the open house ensures attendees plenty of time to learn about High End Systems' products, says the company.

(Jim Evans)

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