USA - The DALI Alliance is set to present two showcase seminars at LightFair 2022, a trade show and conference for architectural and commercial lighting taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre on 21-23 June.
The seminars will focus on two hot topics within the lighting control arena - smart lighting with D4i-enabled luminaires, and the benefits of the Zhaga-D4i ecosystem - delivered by eminent experts in the field. The DALI Alliance will also be present on Booth 2371 at the exhibition, from where it will set out how this open, global consortium of lighting companies is helping to grow the market for lighting-control solutions based on DALI-2 and D4i.
On 22 June at 11:00-12:00, the DALI Alliance will deliver a seminar on smart lighting with D4i-enabled luminaires, exploring energy reporting, asset management, predictive maintenance and more.
Experienced

World - Women In Lighting (WIL) has recently released two new Ayrton-sponsored interviews with female lighting designers: Nashville-based Sooner Routhier, an award-winning designer, producer and director, who has worked with an impressive list of headline artists including KISS, The Weeknd, Motley Crüe, Muse, Rhianna and, currently, Coldplay; and LA-based Emmanuelle ‘Gigi’ Pėdron, a French-born lighting designer who has worked with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, My Chemical Romance, Garbage and Prince.
WIL is a global project co-founded by Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton of Light Collective to promote the work of women lighting designers across the entertainment industry. There are more than 160 interviews with respected female lighting practitioners on the WIL website at www.womeninlighting.com, and sharing these is a key way of raising awareness of

Portugal - Lisbon’s Praça de Touros do Campo Pequeno is a multi-event venue that was fully renovated in 2006. It has been transformed from a bullring into a live music venue, underground shopping centre, cinema, restaurants, and parking lot combined. It now hosts a plethora of events and offers a stage for international live acts and famous bands.
At a large-scale gala dinner, sound and light specialists from Janitasound provided its services to ensure the evening proceeded smoothly and was full of ambiance. Supplied by exclusive Portuguese distributor Lagotronics, the Infinity iFX-640 six 40W RGBW effect moving heads were a key part of the night’s illumination.
A total of 12 iFX-640s were used, and together with eight Infinity S601 Profiles, 12 Infinity S401 Spots, 16 Infinity iW-1240 RGB washes, 18 Infinity iB-5R beams, two Showtec Theater Profile 600MKIII, eigh

UK - Martin Dudley has been running Cate Carter’s lighting designs for James Morrison on his ChamSys console since 2012. In the ensuing decade, he’s not only grown ever-more appreciative of Morrison’s vocals, but also of his colleague’s singular ability to refresh and expand the evocative looks that support the singer’s shows in light.
“Working with Cate is a lesson in the creative power of design,” opens Dudley. “Her approach is never formularised; instead she’s always finding different ways to add new elegant dimensions to James’ shows. It’s a genuine pleasure to take her vision off the computer screen and into reality.”
For the recent tour, which saw James Morrison play a number of venues around the UK, Carter’s originality took the form of eschewing big lighting effects in favour of a timelessly classic visual concept. Helping Dudley trans

Qatar - With around six months left until the FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar, the countdown to the tournament is well underway – and lighting fixtures from Elation Professional are helping to build up the anticipation.
Unveiled last November in Doha, the Official Countdown Clock ticks down through every hour, minute and second to the opening game at Al Bayt Stadium on 21 November. Working for client fischerAppelt Qatar, ES:ME Entertainment Services handled lighting, rigging and audio for the reveal event, including hanging of a translucent screen. ES:ME also provided technical support, whilst lighting design was handled by visual design and technology company bright! studios of Germany.
ES:ME has worked on many of fischerAppelt’s big events over the last 10 years and for the Countdown Clock reveal supplied a show lighting package of 22 Elation Proteus Maximus,

USA - Tesla vehicles recently served as the centrepiece of a colourful light and sound ‘rodeo’ show.
It was all part of Cyber Rodeo, a signature event for 15,000 guests celebrating the opening of Tesla’s new 10 million square feet Giga plant outside the Texas capital of Austin. Rob Ross and the team at Rob Ross Design created the visual by lighting 25 unpainted Tesla vehicles in an array of vibrant colours to coordinate with a thematic soundscape developed by the Tesla media team.
The collaboration resulted in a 10-minute music and light show that captivated visitors at the ceremony. “We called this the ‘Body in White’ section,” says Ross. “It was one of my favourite points in the event. Seeing these vehicles accented by different colours and patterns in coordination with the music was a lot of fun, and it conveyed a nice upbeat mood.”
There we

USA - Verge Aero’s military-grade drones were out in force as the annual Thunder Over Evans event complemented a massive firework show with drone displays to salute America’s service members.
Thousands of families and service personnel travelled to the Towne Centre Park in Evans, Georgia to witness the celebrations, as the Verge Aero team coordinated 180 drones to complement the pyrotechnics and fireworks.
The drones were programmed to deliver sky-high messaging, spelling out a massive ‘U-S-A’ and morphing into precision-animated 3D volumetric shapes, which displayed the Stars and Stripes and military crests, as well as patriotic patterns of red, white and blue.
It was the second consecutive year that Verge Aero was commissioned to deliver the drone event for Thunder Over Evans, following a pandemic pause in events in 2020. Last year, Verge

France - Twenty of Robe’s Forte moving lights are a key feature of a new lighting design by Maxime Chotard for Mousquetaire de Richelieu (Richelieu’s Musketeer), one of the flagship shows at Puy du Fou, a historical theme park in Les Epesses in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France.
These have now been joined by 22 x Robe Esprites which were chosen as a complement to Robe’s highest-powered LED moving light.
The show, staged in Le Grand Carrousel Hall, a 6,000sq.m equestrian theatre with seating for 3000, combines sword fights, poetic tirades, equestrian prowess, costumes, moving sets and spectacular special effects that immerse visitors in a swashbuckling mid-17th century tale that unfolds on a massive purpose-built stage. The 74m wide by 45m deep performance space is equipped with - among other things - the world’s largest stage curtain

USA - More than 5,250 graduates celebrated commencement at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville under a lighting system donated from Bandit Lites. The ceremonies took place over three days at Thompson-Boling Arena and consisted of graduates from 45 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico and 23 countries.
Bandit donated a flown truss lighting system that included motors, trussing, lights, and draping. The system featured 140 fixtures including Vari-Lite 3000 Spots, GRNLite LED moving head washes, Chauvet ColorDash Batten Quad-12, Chauvet ColorDash Blocks and Thomas 9-lite DWE moles.
“As a graduate of UT, as well as serving on multiple boards for many years, it is an honour and pleasure to give back and turn this proud day into a great experience,” says Bandit chair Michael T. Strickland. “The best and the brightest walk across that stage and take their place a

Germany - Anolis LED lighting has been installed to illuminate Dark Matter, a new exhibition space in Berlin showcasing the creative work and technical innovation of light artist Christopher Bauder from WHITEVoid.
Dark Matter is contained in seven pitch-black rooms within three purpose-built buildings on the site of a converted factory in the lively Lichtenberg (Light Mountain) area of the city. The experience opened during the pandemic and has fast become a runaway success for light and interactive art lovers.
When it came to highlighting and illuminating the exterior of Dark Matter, Christopher, and his team - including technical lead Marc Liebold and site manager Natalie Heckl - turned to architectural lighting brand Anolis to provide the lumens, colours and aura of magical transformation that brings the buildings, gardens and surrounding indus

UK - At this year’s PLASA Focus Leeds, TechLED presented new products from Abstract Lighting, aimed at installers or rental companies who require affordable LED lighting solutions.
The showcase included Abstract’s IP20-rated, RBGW LED lighting system Candi Blox. Manufactured in the UK, the 200mm x 192mm unit features a five-by-five array of multi-chip LEDs configured as a central array of 25 LEDs, with an edge halo effect surround achieved through 20 additional LEDs. Lens options include 10°,15° and 40°, as well as an opal diffused option. The fixture can also be truss- or surface-mounted. Candi Blox is connected via four-pin XLR and operated via Duplicator 4, Duplicator 6, or even a proprietary smartphone or desktop app. The Blox draw just 5V for a 15W output.
Abstract’s Candi Bar packages up to six Candi Blox together as a standalone fixture taking the six-w

Sweden - Green Wall Designs, a Sweden-based company that creates visuals, sets, and lighting designs for stage performances, TV, and events, were responsible for lighting the national song contest that decided who would be the winning group to participate in the Eurovision. The event was held on 22 April at the Avicii Arena in Stockholm.
“We used a total of 103 Prolights SunBlast 3000FC in the main rig, and an additional eight units during the finals,” said the team at Green Wall designs. “They were a big part of the show, we used them in almost every song and they were crucial to the Melodifestivalen 2022 look. Their brightness combined with the option to use all 48 cells pixel mapped individually enabled us to use them in different ways depending on the song's mood and feeling.
“All from brutal bursts controlled by the lighting console to detailed twinkles pl

France - The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas will have four Robe RoboSpot systems installed in its 1,600-seat capacity Main Theatre, and two more in Studio B, which is the Royal Caribbean ice rink.
The four RoboSpot BaseStations in the Main Theatre will be controlling eight Forte moving lights from Robe, each running in conjunction with four motion cameras. Meanwhile, the two BaseStations in the ice rink will be used with four Esprite LED Profiles.
This installation builds on the success of RoboSpots installed as a remote follow spotting solution in the Two70 venue aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, which commenced service in 2021.
The Wonder Main Theatre show will be an all-singing, all-dancing Broadway-style production, complete with aerialists, drones, and complex automated scenery, with lighti

UK - Bristol-based event supplier Enlightened has recently invested in a stock of Ayrton Perseo Profile IP65-rated fixtures to service its busy schedule.
Enlightened specialises in full production services, supported dry hire, design, and delivery of permanent installations, as well as sales, skilled repairs and maintenance to a diverse range of clients and venues.
“Corporate and private parties and events, large outdoor events in winter, festivals in the summer, installation, sales - basically, we do everything for everyone!” says head of hire and production, Dave Thorpe. “Bristol is a good hub for small to medium companies to which, along with many small companies and theatres all over the country, we cross hire equipment. We therefore make a point of only investing in the very latest in top quality entertainment technology.”
Enlightened’s diverse fie

UK - When Dean Graves and the team at Bigabox Productions added the new Chauvet Professional Color STRIKE M to their inventory earlier this year, they had some definite ideas on how they were going to use the motorised strobe/wash to enhance their clients’ shows.
“We took on this fixture, because we were super impressed with its output, functionality, and IP rating,” said Graves, adding that the later feature was especially important given the number of outdoor festivals that rely on Bigabox supplied stages. “Aside from the fixture’s ROI potential, we were quite impressed with the kinds of looks designers could create with it. In our minds we could see it being sensational at big outdoor shows.”
Graves’ vision came to fruition in April when lighting designer Michael Seeverens of TwofiftyK used 12 of the high output fixtures to create dazzling visuals for

UK - For the recent Genesis tour The Last Domino?, Roland Greil, co-lighting designer with show designer Patrick Woodroffe of Woodroffe Bassett Designs, chose five MDG theONE dual haze and fog generators, citing the need for an excellent canvas of haze on which to paint their lighting design for this iconic band’s potentially last tour (see LSi May 2022 for an in-depth report on the production).
Thoughout its history, Genesis has built a reputation for pushing boundaries with its show designs. The visual impact is a crucial, signature part of the band’s shows and a feature that Greil and Woodroffe were keen to maintain. Their show and lighting design inc

UK - Boutique hotel The Londoner located in the heart of London’s Leicester Square, with six of its 16 storeys extending over 30m underground. The Londoner combines aspects of a luxury boutique hotel with a range of bespoke meetings and events spaces.
Its award-winning AV installation was designed, supplied and installed by Visual Systems (part of the Myriad Audio Visual Group and CP Partnership), with Arup acting as consultants for the client.
To equip the hotel’s ballroom - the largest pillarless ballroom in London's West End - Visual Systems turned to the Martin by Harman lighting catalogue for a lighting system, featuring Martin ERA Series, MAC Aura Series and ELP Series. All Martin products were supplied by Martin’s UK distributor Sound Technology.
“We’ve operated in the hospitality sector for over 35 years, but this is by far and away the most

UK - Andrew Cushin, Beabadoobee, James Bay, Digga D and the Reytons are among the first acts confirmed for Electric Group’s NX Newcastle, which opens in September.
Formerly an O2 Academy venue, NX Newcastle’s substantial refurbishment will equip it to bring the best out of live music, DJ sets and club nights, emulating Electric Group’s multi-purpose model at Electric Brixton and SWX Bristol.
Enhancing the customer and the performer experience is a crucial element in Electric Group CEO Dominic Madden’s plans for NX Newcastle, where he’s working with creative architectural practice Design At Source to improve sightlines and deliver a sense of intimacy on stage and front of house.
Dominic Madden comments: “While our vision for NX Newcastle fully respects the history of the venue, it’s about putting the artist and fan experience front and centre, clos

Czech Republic - Robe was a sponsor of the Nové Město na Moravě stage of the 2022 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, where one of the toughest parts of the XCO (cross country) course was designated Rock ‘n’ Robe, and Robe’s new Show Truck concept - providing a fully mobile studio space / meeting hub / demo area / roof deck - was also a major success, attracting considerable excitement.
“It was great to be back with a full audience this year,” comments Robe’s international marketing manager, Pavel Nemec. “It gave us an opportunity to show our support for a fantastic sporting event, to have our branding visible everywhere and appreciate the performances of some of the best cycling athletes in the world, simultaneously demonstrating how our Show Truck can be provide a vibrant and practical event space, a public gallery and a VIP deck.”
B

USA - The DALI Alliance is strengthening its focus on the DALI-2 product certification programme, including D4i, after ending registration of DALI version-1 control gear.
DALI-2 certification builds confidence in the interoperability of DALI-based devices from different manufacturers. As a standardised platform, DALI-2 mitigates concerns around proprietary technologies and vendor lock-in, and enables futureproof luminaire and system designs for sustainable lighting.
Driven by the DALI Alliance and building on the requirements of the international IEC 62386 standard, DALI-2 certification requires rigorous product testing. The test results are independently verified by the DALI Alliance. In contrast, DALI version-1 testing was less detailed and relied on self-declaration, without requiring third-party verification of test results.
DALI-2 certification is now avai

France - Located only 30 minutes from Paris on a “farm at the end of the meadows,” as its website proclaims, Cabaret Du Bout Des Près transports visitors to another world, beyond the reach of the hustle and bustle of the city, where they can enjoy rustic French cuisine and fine wines in a relaxed setting, while taking in music and dance productions that represent the best of France’s can-can tradition.
The original stone walls and exposed beams of the converted 17th century stable where the cabaret revues are performed take guests back to an earlier, simpler era, while also providing an evocative backdrop to the contemporary and ebullient shows, making the experience at Cabaret Du Bout Des Près all the more memorable.
Enhancing the visual impact of this setting and providing the production teams behind the shows with broader and more powerful creative options i

UK - Alfresco Disco in Bristol is a group that organises roving rave music and art events. One recent event was staged inside a 3,000sq.m warehouse owned by event specialist Pytch.
The Pytch crew used 50 Chauvet Professional fixtures to light Alfresco Disco, which, true to the underground origins of the early rave clubs, only announced that it would be taking place at the site on the day of the event itself. Nevertheless over 2,500 ravers showed up.
When they did, they were instantly immersed in an ‘80s metro, subterranean vibe. The people from Pytch transformed the empty warehouse into a full-scale party venue in a mere two days. Central to infusing the creative energy of those incendiary early raves into the space was their creative use of eight Rogue Outcast 1 BeamWash fixtures, which were hung from trussing structures. Thanks to each fixture’s seven 45W RGBW L

USA - Drawn to Life, the first collaboration between Cirque du Soleil, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering, has opened in Disney Springs, Florida where Robert Juliat Dalis 860s take centre stage with an impressive 80 x 45ft cyclorama.
In Drawn to Life, the stage is transformed into a giant animation table where drawings come to life. The art of classic Disney animation is reinterpreted through Cirque du Soleil’s innovative design and costuming, mesmerising acrobatic performances and dazzling choreography and combined with all-new Disney animation and an original score. Drawn to Life is the new permanent show at Disney Springs, where the previous production from Cirque du Soleil ran for 18 years.
Montreal-based lighting designer Martin Labrecque is using 58 Dalis 860 300W LED asymmetric cyc/wall wash luminaires for the show

UK - ETC has worked with BAFTA and the redevelopment of its home and headquarters in London. The revamped BAFTA 195 Piccadilly is now officially open again and will be the central hub for BAFTA’s UK-wide, and global, learning and talent development programme.
Technologically advanced equipment has been used in the redevelopment including ETC products which have been installed in the new theatres within the space. This includes several lighting fixtures – fos/4 Fresnels, Source Four LED Series 2 profiles and Irideon wash lights. Eos family consoles with network infrastructure including Response Mk2 DMX Gateways are also used to control the lighting, with a stage engineering package involving ETC’s Prodigy P2 hoists and QuickTouch Preset controls.
By improving facilities and doubling the building’s capacity, the redevelopment has enabled BAFTA to dramatically inc

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