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UAE - The United Arab Emirates marked 50 years as a nation with 50 days of celebrations, culminating in a spectacular live show from Dubai’s Hatta Water Dam in the Hajar Mountains featuring a floating stage and drone-launched fireworks, produced by live event specialists, LarMac Projects.
The show charted the country’s history in the lead-up to its inception in 1971 and across the subsequent 50 years.
For the country’s Golden Jubilee, the creative team - led by artistic director and designer Es Devlin and LarMac executive creative producer Jo MacKay - knew that the boundaries of possibility needed to be pushed to their limit.
The initial show was live streamed on 2 December and followed by 10 additional performances that took place between 3-12 December, fea

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USA - Earlier this year, the filming of Marvel Studios’ newly-released Spider Man: No Way Home found lighting programmer Scott Barnes once again firing up his Hog 4 lighting control setup, as well as bringing some new Hog 4 HPU Hybrid Processor units for the production.
Well-known for his use of Hog 4 control on Marvel’s films and other movies, Barnes said he approached the shoot for No Way Home quite similarly as he has in the past, but with ‘the biggest addition and MVP of the show being the HPU processor’.
Barnes explains, “I was fortunate enough to beta test the HPU during the pandemic lockdown, and even more fortunate to get the very first two off the assembly line to bring onboard Spider-Man. My systems tech, Derek Page, provided our standard Rack Hogs, I provided two HPUs, and then he ended up adding another HPU towards the beginni

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USA - The millions of viewers around the world who tuned into ABC’s broadcast of New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, enjoyed all the familiar sights of this Times Square event. But for the team responsible for lighting the talent on the stand-up platforms during the show, ringing in 2022 represented a big departure from tradition.
“This was the first time in the show’s 50-year history that host positions weren’t lit with HMI fixtures,” said Mike Grabowski, lead designer for The Lighting Design Group, which was responsible for lighting the platforms at Military Island, and the Bertelsman building, as well as the Powerball setup for the broadcast.
In place of these fixtures, Grabowski and his team lit host Ryan Seacrest and other talent with 12 Chauvet Professional onAir IP Panel2 soft light fixtures, which, like the rest of the rig, were supplied
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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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UK - Independent rigging specialists Rigging Team has appointed Adrian Skelton to the role of project manager at the company’s Stevenage headquarters.
With an extensive career spanning over 25 years working within the live events industry, Skelton brings with him considerable expertise. Beginning his career in the world of touring theatre before gravitating toward the area of specialist rigging projects, he has more than 3,000 events under his belt, including numerous high profile engagements such as the G20 Summit and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Working previously as head of rigging at ExCel London, Skelton has built a comprehensive understanding of all areas of the project management remit.
Rigging Team director Adam Searle says: “Ade has amassed a wealth of specialist knowledge, working at the highest level. His management capabilities, hands-on style and thoro

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USA - Main Light has expanded its truss inventory with GT Plus truss from Tyler Truss. Both Main Light East and West now have the standard 10’, 8’, and 5’ lengths in stock in addition to bases, corners, Tyler’s indexable spigots, and necessary accessories. GT Plus truss features redesigned leg sleeves and locking leg collars that allow for smoother operation.
The GT Plus truss inventory purchase continues Main Light’s commitment to building inventory that offers benefits for their clients. “By having the moving lights safely and securely travel in the truss, this eliminates the need for road cases, which means less space is needed on the truck,” states Randy Mullican, general manager for Main Light. “GT truss saves on space, weight, and reduces fuel consumption, which our clients really appreciate. It also speeds up the load-in and -out times as well, again

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Venezuela - The latest hit single from Justin Quiles La Botella has inspired a challenge among his legion of devoted fans that calls on them to dance to the rhythmic sways of this song with a bottle on their heads without having said bottle fall.
While his fans may accomplish this feat with varying degrees of success, maintaining a sense of equilibrium seems to come quite naturally to this Puerto Rican born star, not only in his smooth moves on stage, but also in the way he balances different musical influences in his reggaeton sound.
Both were on full display this December when Quiles made his first Venezuelan appearance in six years, giving a concert, with production managed by Oz Shows, at the Universidad Santa María in Caracas.
Moving effortlessly with him throughout his 16-song set was a vividly colourful light show designed by Jeremy Danis of Oz S

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USA - Dancesport is a growing discipline at all levels. From local dance competitions to a myriad of popular dance shows on television to its inclusion in the 2024 Summer Olympics, the world has embraced dance as sport.
Dance America Productions, an independent production company based in Tampa, FL, specialises in dance events of all types and has worked many of the genre’s competitions for years. Owned by Nina Kimbrough, a dancer herself, the company carries lighting, sound, pipe and drape, and LED video wall, plus the all-important portable dance floors that range from 2,400-6,000sq.ft.
Kimbrough uses a system of Elation LED luminaires (SixPar 300 and Cuepix Blinder WW4) with a clever airwall mounting system to provide high-quality lighting at dancesport competitions around the country. “The dance floor is the stage so it needs to be lit properly,” Kimbrough s

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USA - Busking your way through an Atreyu tour requires many skills and attributes. High on that list is flexibility as the band weaves a mix of different musical influences into their metal-driven sound.
Cody James has demonstrated such nimbleness in his time running lightshows for the quintet, supporting them note for note as they rip their way through their multifarious musical blend. His adaptiveness was on full display in Atreyu’s 29-city Fall Baptize tour, which ended on 16 December.
Not only did James keep pace with his client’s music, he also adapted his show to a wide range of stage configurations, as the tour wove its way through a diverse mix of venues, from the Palladium in Worcester, MA and the Majestic in Detroit, to the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis and House of Blues in San Diego. Helping him accomplish this without a hiccup was his ChamSys MagicQ MQ

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Spain - The second edition of the Umbra Light Festival in Victoria-Gasteiz took place between 12-14 November. The festival was born with the intention of introducing both visitors and citizens to the world of urban lighting art, in such a way that the public could experience and interact with the latest artistic and technological expressions of this field. The festival encompassed artistic expressions of digital visual art, interventions in urban space and new technologies.
The festival took place in the historic centre of the city (La Almendra), where a total of 19 artists were able to present their works and filled the city of Vitoria with light, colour and music.
Digital illustrator Coaner Codina transformed the central Plaza de la Virgen Blanca into a colourful underwater space. An imaginary and dreamlike world brimming with light and colour that covered the ground

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Austria - The Vienna State Opera House in Austria - also home to the Vienna State Ballet - has invested in new Robe Forte HCF LED moving lights and Forte HCF FollowSpots.
Vienna State Opera purchased 10 Forte HCF luminaires and four Forte HCF FollowSpots which work in conjunction with a customised RoboSpot control system, explained deputy head of lighting Robert Eisenstein.
The Opera House has a busy repertory schedule, and these Robe luminaires - delivered via Robe’s Austrian distributor Signal - replace the old manual-focus generic FOH tungsten fixtures with brighter, more adaptable, and more sustainable lights, and have upgraded the traditional follow spots in this impressive 1,709 seat and 567 standing capacity Renaissance Revival styled venue which opened in 1869, when it was the first building to be erected on the Vienna ring road!
With a throw distance

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UK - London welcomed in 2022 with a spectacular city-wide display, sending a message of thanks and hope to the nation and the world. Jack Morton, the global brand experience agency, helped to develop the original concept and worked in partnership with the Mayor of London’s office and a dedicated team of experts to create an extraordinary experience for the second year running.
The 13-minute show designed for home-viewing was broadcast live on BBC One and watched by a global viewing audience of millions.
Jack Morton’s creative show team worked in collaboration with On the Sly for the music production, Titanium Fireworks for the pyrotechnics design, and Skymagic for the swarm drone sequences.
Patrick O’Mahony, creative director of Skymagic, comments: “We were delighted to collaborate again with Jack Morton to design and deliver the drone light show for Lo

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Further Action - Labour is calling on the government to urgently take further action to support the arts sector - including widening eligibility for the Culture Recovery Fund - warning many “treasured theatres” face collapse without support. The call on the government follows an announcement from chancellor Rishi Sunak that £30m has been added to the CRF.
However, Labour said more needs to be done to ensure the “support is effective” and reaches “those most in need”. The party’s demands include: widening the scope of the Culture Recovery Fund Emergency Resource Grant so that previous recipients, commercial productions, and individuals can apply; speeding up payment through the Culture Recovery Fund so that the self-employed, and freelancers in the culture sector can have their contracts honoured, and an urgent review of the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, whic

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UK - Solotech has announced the appointment of Bryce Jewell as managing director for the UK. He will drive the overall business strategy for Solotech and its two divisions, Live Productions and Sales and Systems Integration.
Jewell has over 20 years of experience within the technology sector spanning the UK, US, Norway, and Australia. He has led the turnaround of the UK and US enterprise businesses as MD at Global Cloud Xchange, which operates the world’s largest privately-owned subsea cable system. Prior to Global Cloud Xchange, Jewell served as director, sales Europe at Pacnet.
“This appointment is the symbol of a new major milestone for Solotech’s expansion in the UK and Europe, and a true testimonial of our intention to continue investing in our people, our technology, our operational structure and our brand,” comments Martin Tremblay, president and CEO of

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USA - When it comes to the lights in his rig, Dominic Lopenzo doesn’t hesitate to say that he is completely partial to beam fixtures, or more specifically the beam function in Chauvet Professional’s Rogue RH1 Hybrid.
“Beams have become my favourite, because they add so much energy to a room,” he said. “I find myself going to them often.”
Partiality to beams might not be unusual in a concert/touring designer, but Lopenzo is speaking as technical director of Grace City Church, a 750-seat house of worship with a distinctly modern touch located in Lakeland, Florida..
“Many people have described our services as being like a concert, and to our worship team and me that’s a huge compliment,” said Lopenzo, who comes from a concert background and still works at the House of Blues in Orlando in addition to doing his lighting duties at the church. “We

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Ukraine - For Olya Polyakova’s The Queen of the Night show, staged at Kiev’s Palace of Sports in October 2021, a large array of Claypaky lighting fixtures gave a high-energy look to the concert and accented the royal design motif employed by the popular performer.
Yuriy Andrushchenko, drector of Feyeria, supplied lighting designer Vlad Cherepin with 62 Claypaky Sharpys, 54 Sharpy Plus, 32 Mini-B LED moving lights, 32 Tambora Battens and eight Scenius Unico spots for the concert.
“The central element of the set was a star-shaped crown suspended from trusses on moving motors, where we put the Sharpy fixtures,” says Dmytro Andrushchenko, stage designer of Feyeria. “Sharpys were very well suited to this application because they are small and easy to install and have a great effect in a large hall.”
Vlad Cherepin chose Sharpys, he says, “because

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UK - Sonosphere has welcomed the new year by remembering a busy 2021. Most significantly, the company was involved in the 5G Festival (5GF) project, central to the continuing advancements in using 5G technology in a new way for the entertainment industry. In addition, the Sonosphere management team completed a buyout of the company, with Duncan Bell joining as commercial director; this was swiftly followed by the team supplying immersive audio for the public launch of Ed Sheeran’s new album.
2022 is set to be as busy, with multiple projects in the pipeline including a major interactive multimedia exhibition that will open in Germany in the New Year, spatialising the work of a Saudi Arabian producer and composer, and an immersive audio installation into a major London venue.
“The November 5GF trials were a seminal moment for the entire consortium of companies invol

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UK - The Brudenell Social Club can legitimately claim cult status within the Leeds music scene, having hosted a broad mix of international acts including the Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, Tom Jones and The Smiths in addition to a steady stream of local talent.
It started life as a working mans’ club in 1913 and still holds those beginnings close to its heart - in addition to its two large concert rooms it also offers a lounge and games room and hosts local photography, film and origami groups on regular occasions. It now boasts two DiGiCo Quantum 225s as part of its audio arsenal.
With an endless procession of engineers passing through its doors each year, its faithful console of 10 years had seen its share of wear and tear and owner Nathan Clark knew it was time to secure a replacement. He turned to SSE Audio, whose Ryan Thomas takes up the story:
“The Bru

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Russia - Art and culture are central to Russia’s heritage, and the country’s cultural institutions play an integral role in its citizens’ lives. Two such institutions are the multifunctional Palace of Culture ‘Kapotnya’ in Moscow and the Polyarnye Zori Palace of Culture in the far north city of Polyarnye Zori. Both were opened in the 1970s, and both organise leisure activities, introduce residents to creativity and art, and work to preserve national and cultural traditions that support the development of social initiatives of their respective local populations.
L-Acoustics certified provider distributor for Russia, Sonoruss, recently installed L-Acoustics A Series in both cultural centres.
“All Palace of Culture venues are by nature multifunctional, therefore the systems that we propose need to accommodate anything from theatre shows, festivals and music co

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USA - Charity Behind the Scenes has announced a series of Mental Health First Aid virtual training classes throughout January and February.
The Mental Health First Aid course takes the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations with someone you are worried about by teaching you how to recognize the signs and symptoms, how to listen and give reassurance, and how to refer that person to appropriate professional support and services. The course is delivered in two parts - a self-paced online course followed by a six-hour virtual live instructor-led session.
Participants will learn about the risk factors and warning signs of mental health and substance use problems including information on depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis and substance use; the five-step ALGEE action plan to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or is in crisis, and the avai

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UK - A lot of music history has reverberated off the walls of The Brook in Southampton, a former Victorian pub turned live performance venue. Bill Wyman has jammed on its tidy stage, so too have Billy Bragg and other UK stars. Now a bit of the future is shining of its storied walls too, as GLS lighting has given the club an LED lighting upgrade with some 30 Chauvet Professional fixtures.
The change began during the COVID lockdown when The Brook’s director Nick Lewis saw an opportunity to define a new vision that would take the venue, which began hosting live music in 1994, to new levels whilst also committing to reducing its environmental impact.
Having worked with The Brook for over 20 years, local install specialists GLS were brought on board to transform the club’s outdated lighting system with a modern, flexible LED installation with the idea of enhancing its

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Norway - For the second straight year Nobel Week Lights Stockholm was presented as part of the city’s Nobel Prize celebrations from 4-12 December 2021. Dialog, the installation by lighting designer Fredrik Jönsson, utilised 30 Xtylos Aquas, the IP66-rated fixtures powered by Claypaky’s proprietary RGB laser source. Xtylos Aqua offers the same effects and features of the original Xtylos in a small and robust form factor designed for use outdoors.
Nobel Week Lights Stockholm was organised by The Nobel Prize Museum and featured some 20 artistic installations inspired by the Nobel Prize and its winners’ achievements.
Jönsson’s Dialog was located on Strömparterren, a small island in the centre of Stockholm near the royal palace and parliament, and visible across the city. It was inspired by the Nobel Prize in Physics that Charles K. Kao won in 2009
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