Lighting

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UK - Slideatron - the 20-metre LED Christmas tree slide - entertained thousands of visitors from November 2017 until January 2018 in Wembley Park, London. Designed and produced by event and place-making agency Produce UK, the attraction allowed visitors to reach another level of festivities by accelerating through the tube in 18 seconds.
Guiding the public to the huge structure was a set of eight Airstar Crystal lighting balloons. The 160cm wide LED spheres were deployed around the structure in order to light up the area and enhance the spirit of Christmas.
Lana Guascone, project director for Slideatron and producer at Produce UK explained: “Our ambition was to create something impactful, creative and futuristic – but also fun. Every element of the project, including the lighting, needed to fit the evolving nature of Wembley Park as a place of innovation and excite

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USA - Visitors who entered the Roland exhibit at NAMM during a performance by one of the company’s many star endorsers experienced a sense of attending a concert. When they returned a short time later, they felt an equally immersive, but quite different, sensation of walking through a high-tech showroom. Contributing to the creation of this flexible exhibit space was a versatile lighting design by Justin Preston that featured a collection of over 90 Chauvet Professional fixtures, including 32 Maverick MK2 Wash units.
Having this number of high-output moving fixtures in the lighting design for a trade show exhibit represented outside-the-box thinking, but for Preston it made perfect sense, given his objective of creating a multi-dimensional environment. “Our concept in lighting the Roland space was to merge a club and a trade show look,” he said. “While we wanted to

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Czech Republic - 2018 signalled the end of the record-breaking 19-date ice arena tour across Slovakia and Czech Republic by Kabat. The multi-platinum selling Czech rock band stunned audiences with an in-the-round show design, complete with 360° stage, wrap-around video screens and a high-impact light show powered by the cutting-edge technology of Italian lighting manufacturer Claypaky.
Lighting and show designer Radek Havliček of production company Pink Panther Agency s.r.o, was responsible for the tour's lighting and production design. Marking nearly two decades of creative partnership between Pink Panther and Kabat, Havliček's latest design stunned audiences with its immersive flair and sophisticated use of space.
"The tour's stage spreads across most of a regulation-size ice hockey rink," explains Havliček. "It was the biggest stage that had ever been used on

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USA - Philips Lighting stage lighting fixtures were chosen to meet the strict lighting demands on the set of 2017's popular feature film, Pitch Perfect 3.
With eight performances filmed across four locations, in both day and night shoots, the design team, including production lighting designer Trevor Burk and lighting directors Zach Matusow and Mat Stovall chose to use the Philips VL4000 Spot, VL3500 Wash and VL550 Wash, due to their quality of light output, colour range and versatility.
Burk says: "The VL4000 Spot performed well as a key light in the aquarium scene and in the finale. It was really important to have high-level colour control and the super even field of the VL4000 Spot. In addition, we used the VL3500 Wash as a big, straightforward cannon of light in the aquarium scene, while for the festival performances at the airforce base, it was obvious we

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USA - In an effort to “better provide ready-to-use LED video solutions for your entertainment, architectural and commercial designs”, PixelFLEX reports that it has joined the Vectorworks, Inc. software content community. The design symbols, images and specifications for the PixelFLEX FLEXTour, FLEXLite Plus and FLEXCurtain HD video solutions, including accessories, will be available for download in all Vectorworks CAD and BIM design programmes beginning in March.
“As we have continued to expand our LED video solutions into a multitude of different markets, it has become imperative that we provide designers with the tools necessary to quickly complete their designs,” said Jon Chavez, technical director at PixelFLEX. “We have been very fortunate to have many talented professionals incorporate our solutions into their design portfolios, and our partnership wit

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Germany - SKALAR is a compelling piece of immersive kinetic light art created by artist / designer Christopher Bauder and musician / composer Kangding Ray.
Ninety Robe Pointes, 65 x double sided mirrors suspended on 195 special motors each with a perimeter ring of 180 addressable pixels feature in one massive cathedral like industrial landmark building.
Kraftwerk in Berlin is the still magnificent shell of a derelict power station that once electrified central East Berlin when the city was divided by cold war politics.
SKALAR “juxtaposes technology and imagination in a cerebral dichotomy to engage the mind and soul in generating the very human reactions of profound emotions”.
While Christopher’s conceptual starting point was renowned American psychologist Robert Plutchik’s ‘wheel of emotions’, his physical one was Kraftwerk itself

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USA - Having previously been involved with putting together the lighting design for James Arthur’s club/theatre tour in early 2017, LD Michael Straun has moved up to lighting the larger arenas for the artist — again using GLP fixtures extensively in his toolkit. He was invited by Meggan McKenzie, creative director of production company, The Live Dept, after previously working with the company on shows with Tinie Tempah and Katy B.
He and McKenzie worked closely to evolve the concept. “She would send me ideas which I would adapt and add lighting elements. We wanted to move away from custom builds so we used different fixtures in different ways to create the stage set,” said Straun. “James was also involved throughout the entire creative process. The key was to make the show look big and impressive - and the wall of JDC1’s did this.”
This is GLP’s new lo

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South Africa - Both beginner and advanced users are catered for at DWR Distribution’s Vectorworks training sessions presented by Francois van der Merwe. The dates range from 12 to 16 March and delegates are able to choose if they would like to patriate in one or more training sessions hosted over this time.
The basic training will be held on 12 March and delegates can expect to discover the fundamentals of Vectorworks with topics covered such as Layouts, Balettes, Basic Tools, Classes and Layers. The cost for this one-day training session is R850.
Intermediate Training will be held on 13 & 14 March. Here Francois will discuss preferences, Basic Spotlight, Basic Renderworks and Intermediate Tools. The cost for this two-day course is R1 700.00.
Advanced Users are invited to participate in training held from 15 & 16 March. The exciting module will cover w

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Europe - The combination of sound and sight is very evident in Marilyn Manson’s current Heaven Upside Down tour of Europe and North America, both in its music, which opens with a cover of The Doors’ Vietnam-era song The End, and in its richly evocative lightshow that designer Nico Riot controls with his new ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console.
“There is a strong theatrical element to a Marilyn Manson show,” said Riot, the co-owner of Nantes, France-based Chirac Design. “We create a moody, immersive look on stage with saturated colours, lots of strobes and blinders, a large abstract cross of lights, and V-shaped configurations on either side of that cross to draw attention to Manson.”
Riot’s 15-universe show also features a variety of up-lighted backdrops. Not surprisingly, given the artist’s iconoclastic nature, Marilyn Manson’s shows

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UK - A dazzling array of lighting exhibits and artworks brought London to life in January when Lumiere London took to the capital to bring the biggest ever festival of light to the city's streets. Running from the 18-21 January, it showcased London's spectacular and iconic architecture and streets with more than 50 works created by international and local artists. Once again, event organiser Artichoke has worked alongside Unusual – both the services and rigging division – to make the event possible.
Unusual’s Jim Dugan explained: "Lumiere is always an amazing project for us – Unusual has worked with Artichoke on this for some years now –Unusual Services handles the technical production element of Lumiere (this encompasses all technical aspects of an event from power to building permissions and road closures). Unusual Rigging provide the rigging expertise. W

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USA - Ilusio, Magic on Ice, a riveting spectacular created by and starring Steve Wheeler, has played to millions of people in more than 4,000 performances across the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
To help light the show when it appeared last fall at The Berglund Centre in Roanoke, Virginia, lighting designer Emiliano Morgia chose Claypaky Sharpys and Sharpy Washes supplied by Lee Hartman & Sons in Roanoke.
24 Sharpys were mounted on four custom trusses built by Wheeler Productions over the show’s ice rink. Ten Sharpy Washes were placed on the floor as back lights.
“Sharpys are unique beams lights. There is nothing in the market that can compete with them – my choice was obvious,” says Morgia. “Claypaky is without doubt my favourite brand in the industry, not only for the high quality of the hardware and the quality of the light beams.

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South Africa - Two concerts organised by AMP Events at the newly-opened, 10,000-capacity Sun Arena in South African capital Pretoria were chosen to record a live DVD for American rock band LIVE.
LIVE was one of the first bands to tour free South Africa in the mid-1990s after the end of apartheid, and have a loyal and enthusiastic fan base in the country.
The DVD shoot was designed and lit by LIVE’s LD, Synapse Design partner Graham Hicks using nearly 100 Robe fixtures which are part of the house rig. These are looked after by a team from SA production company, MGG, who provide the venue’s in-house technical services.
The two sold-out arena shows were part of the band’s Reunion World Tour, which saw the original line-up back together in 2017 after a lengthy hiatus, and has included a mix of headline dates and high profile festivals like Lollapalooza

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USA - There’s a sense of magic one feels upon entering the century old Ogden Theatre. It’s not just because Harry Houdini appeared there soon after the stately building on Denver’s Colfax Avenue opened its doors in 1917. The transformative aura comes more from some of the special acts that the theatre has hosted over the years, like the two shows that Prince performed in Ma, 2013 (his last in Colorado). Closing his concert by leading the audience through the chorus of “Purple Rain,” the rock great asked, “Does that feel good?” Then answered, “It’s like medicine.”
The healing power of music, along with ample amounts of magic, were in the air at the legendary theatre in late December, when world music collective Nahko and Medicine for the People performed a blend of music that seamlessly wove in elements of jazz, gospel, rock, reggae and other genres. Fitti

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South Africa - DWR Distribution, the local distributors of Philips Vari-Lite in reports that Gearhouse South Africa has invested in 48 Philips Vari-Lite VLZ Profile fixtures.
Awarded the technical supply contract for a television show season, which kicked off on M-Net 101 on 4 February, Gearhouse wanted a fixture that would be suitable for the long show run and which would suit both the client and lighting designer Joshua Cutts.
The Gearhouse team decided that maintenance costs and the replacement of lamps were an important factor, plus the shoot required very quiet fixtures.
Gearhouse South Africa’s investments over the years include Philips Showline products (SL Nitro 510) and now Vari-Lite, while Gearhouse Splitbeam, which provides professional equipment hire to the theatre industry, has owned Vari-Lite for some time already.
(Jim Evans)

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South Africa - UK based Phase 3 Connectors has officially appointed DWR Distribution as its South African agent.
Said Robert Izzett, head of sales at DWR, “While we’ve been selling Phase 3 items for a number of years, we were recently appointed the authorized distributors in SA. Phase 3 Connectors need little introduction. The products are outstanding, designed, manufactured and assembled in the UK. These products are the unsung heroes at events.”
Phase 3’s Power Connectors product range includes standard and special application, harsh environment connectors for power, signal, optical and data transmission. In addition, Phase 3 offers complete interconnect system solutions, including cabling and distribution equipment.
(Jim Evans)

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Namibia - Jazz and soul singer and songwriter Joss Stone visited Namibia for the first time - and for one night only - as part of her on-going Total world tour, making an appearance in the intimate environs of the Warehouse Theatre in vibrant capital Windhoek.
This much anticipated, high-profile and instantly sold-out gig – which saw Stone play a duo set accompanied by acoustic guitarist Leon Michael King – needed to be lit beautifully and appropriately, a task for which the theatre called on the talents and creativity of LD Ramon le Roux of A&R Technologies.
Ramon chose to augment the house rig with Robe moving lights, supplied by Windhoek based rental company dB Audio, and he specified 12 x Robe Spiiders for the main wash fixtures and seven 600E Spots for the hard-edged luminaires, all rigged on the house trusses.
Ramon’s industry career starte

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USA - The Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, Christian music’s largest annual tour, is travelling the East Coast with a lighting package provided by Bandit Lites. The evening of worship and fellowship features performances and messages from Christian music’s top artists and speakers including Skillet, Kari Jobe, NewSong, Jordan Feliz, John Crist, Nick Hall, KB and Building 429.
Due to the number of acts taking the stage, production manager Jerry Holcomb designed a lighting system that offered plenty of options for various looks, while balancing budget and flexibility. “Because Winter Jam allows each artist full access to the rig, we need to have enough depth and variety to allow for different programming styles,” said Holcomb. “Also, because Winter Jam is seated end stage 360, leaving open sight lines in always a concern.”
Bandit Lites provided more

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South Africa - DWR Distribution’s initiative SOS Charity Fund helped secure bedside lamps and other lamp fixtures for The Hope School in Westcliff, Johannesburg.
The school provides education for around 200 students - from the age of three to those in grade 12 – with physical disabilities and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Recently a company approached the Hope School to assist them with the refurbishment of the hostel bathrooms. They then took it a step further and generously decided to upgrade the girls’ dormitory with new furniture, bedding and curtains. All that was needed was mattresses and lamps.
The receptionist at the school, Val Rogers, who assists with fundraising, was set to task and sent out e-mails to various companies. She wrote: “Our school tries as best we can and we do have a programme, which enables families with a need. On Fridays, the id

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UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies Ltd. (AC-ET) has supplied Dynamic Audio Device (D.A.D) loudspeakers to the Victoria Theatre, Halifax to provide high fidelity professional stage monitoring for performers during the venue's diverse programme of shows and other live events.
Built in 1901, the 1,512-seater venue caters for everyone; from no-holds-barred rock 'n' roll, chart-topping pop, ballet and opera, to comedy, family shows, musicals and the annual pantomime.
The speakers were supplied as part of a full upgrade to the theatre's audio system, with the sale handled by Steve Eaton, senior sales executive in AC-ET's dedicated audio division.
Following a site visit to discuss the client's technical needs and budget, Steve recommended the D.A.D speakers as a very cost-effective solution for delivering stage monitoring to complement the high performance of their

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USA - Famous lives are often the focus of exhibits at The National Museum of African American History and Culture and its neighbour, The National Museum of American History. But rarely do these two prestigious institutions, which are part of the Smithsonian complex, roll out the red carpet for heroes quite like those who were honoured this January at DC in DC. Held over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, the two-day event celebrated super heroes with the world premieres of the Black Lightning television programme and the animated Batman film Gotham by Gaslight.
At the after party for the pop culture extravaganza, lighting designer Elizabeth A. Coco set an appropriately festive and glamorous tone with a sparkling atmosphere. Adding to the ambience was the colourful uplighting she did at both museums with a collection of Chauvet Professional WELL Fit

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UK - Using SGM’s P-5s, director of Teknique Systems Ltd., Tony Kennedy, created a magnificent colour changing lighting system on the exterior of the most popular museum in Glasgow, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
“We chose to add 18 SGM P-5 fixtures because we wanted to use a quality LED fixture that was reliable, energy saving, and compact,” said Kennedy, who worked on the installation together with City Building Glasgow.
With over 40 years of industry experience, Kennedy designed a new cost-effective lighting system with a wireless pre-programmed control system, enabling the staff to easily colour change the building for special events.
“Our vision was to upgrade the existing lighting to a new modern LED system that would allow our client to keep the lighting colour temperature the same as the old fixtures, but have the advantage to be able to

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USA - With beta testing complete, X-Laser USA’s Mercury now includes firmware updates and fixture profiles supporting major lighting control platforms such as Avolites, ChamSys, grandMA, Martin (M-Series and LightJockey), Jands Vista, Elation, and more. X-Laser’s Mercury laser control interface is also now available in X-Laser’s five, 10, 20, 30 and 50-watt Skywriter fixtures.
“We’ve absorbed feedback from several professional lighting and laser designers, regarding Mercury and how we can make it the most useful to the most people in the live design world,” Adam Raugh, president of X-Laser USA, said. “With that feedback, we have created several training videos, new console profiles and plenty of visual material to show designers new and exciting ways to integrate laser more deeply into their shows."
Professional lighting designer Daniel Maxwell of True

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USA - Showtime Sound LLC, Kevin Hart’s regular production company, recently met the challenge of a special in-the-round setup for his New Year’s Eve appearance at Orlando’s 10,000-seat CFE Arena. This challenge was tackled with help from Chauvet Professional Rogue and Nexus fixtures.
“There are different situations to deal with when you have a 360° open stage,” said Zack Bunner, head lighting tech at Showtime Sound. “We were able to use the fixtures in our rig to create a sense of space onstage, surrounding Kevin with light without interfering with the connection you get from the open layout. Working closely together with Kevin’s lighting director Ken Delvo, Showtime project manager Brett Angstadt did an excellent job designing the rig so we could achieve the balance we were looking for.”
The team from Showtime used 12 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures and 16 Ne

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USA - Bandit Lites kicked off its 50th year with its Annual General Meeting, a gathering of all Bandits from around the country to commemorate the previous year’s successes, laud those with significant anniversaries and outstanding service and to devise the groundwork for the upcoming year’s projects.
Among the performers and speakers for the day’s event were Republic Records recording artist and 2016 The Voice winner, Chris Blue, American radio host, Hallerin Hilton Hill, and Bandit founder and chair, Michael T. Strickland, who shared his continued vision of Bandit’s focus on excellence. Chris performed several songs, including his new hit single, Blue Blood Blues.
Allison Burchett (director of philanthropy and project manager), Sharon Gross (Media relations coordinator) and Brad Hylton (warehouse manager) all celebrated five years of service wit
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