Astera helps with sculptural solution
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Audience’s project director for the event, Neil Scrivener, working on it for the third year, explained that the Deloitte team wanted the SSC’s plenary sessions to be staged in the round, which presented challenges for both set and scenic designs as nice clean 360-degree sightlines are vital.
Audience’s creative team, led by client and strategy director Stephen McIntosh, proposed a scheme for a contemporary plenary space incorporating two large 20m-wide x 4-metre-deep LED screens with a special ‘light feature’ above the stage.
They then worked with Neil and lighting designer Paul van dan Heijkant - working on the event for the second year - to produce some options for the lighting feature that would incorporate a degree of movement. They specifically wanted a concept that looked slick and streamlined.
After some brainstorming between the full creative team and lighting rental vendor Nordic Rentals - working in conjunction with PSP from the UK - the multi-sphere lighting feature emerged.
It comprised 40 x 40 cm diameter spheres internally lit with NYX Bulbs that could individually be animated using one of Nordic’s DMX controlled Walberg Winch 10 systems.
With the NYX Bulbs’ colour mixing capabilities, this gave the option of dynamic and interesting lighting looks happening above the stage and the presenters that could also be used in different formats and colours to highlight different sections of the event happening onstage.
The idea worked well for the opening video sequence, where the moving NYX Bulb spheres move synchronously with the graphics and titles of the content produced by Matt King.
NYX Bulbs were selected for their size, weight and because they could be easily rigged in the spheres via a bracket and catenary wire attached to the winch … and because of their excellent quality of light, smooth colour mixing and the battery powered operation.
Other products from Astera on the project included AX1s and Hydra Panel products with soft boxes which were rigged in the SSC Studio.
The Hydra Panels were used as front and soft lighting, complete with soft boxes and barn doors. The fixtures were positioned on floor mounted stands to provide direct font light, as rigging them on ceiling trusses would have been too high.
Around 900 guests attended the plenary session in person and the event was streamed globally.
The studio was used for live broadcasting the event and featured cutaways, extra’s introductions and exclusive interviews with speakers and key players relevant to the shared services sector. This year’s special guest was astronaut Tim Peake.
Jes Hylby was Nordic Rentals’ project manager. Emil Haugue crew chiefed a lighting team of 16 on site, and Nordic CEO Torben Pedersen was also involved hands-on with ensuring the entire project ran smoothly.
