Sweden - Hov1 (pronounced Hovet) is a Swedish hip hop group formed in 2015 with 26 top ten hits in the Swedish Singles Chart, 12 of which reached the top spot. The band is currently undertaking a tour of Sweden visiting the major cities of Gothenburg, Malmo and Stockholm.
French-born but Sweden-based lighting designer, Jonathan Rikner, of NCOAB Productions chose Ayrton Rivale Profiles – the first ultra-equipped luminaire in Ayrton’s Ultimate Series – as a major part of his lighting rig, all of which was supplied by CT Sweden.
Rikner described the size of the venues for this tour and how he uses the Rivale Profiles in his design: “The venues throughout the tour were full with an average capacity of 9,500 people, and we looked forward to the highlight show in Stockholm on 31 August which played to 18,000 people.
“With throw distances of everything from 2m to 45m, we varied the lighting rig to suit the venue sizes: in the Gothenburg and Malmo shows we had four Rivale Profiles per side which we used as side lights, and five Rivale Profiles rigged overhead and used as back spots and for gobo breakups.
“In Stockholm however we increased those numbers to 22 Rivale Profiles: 10 for sidelight and twelve as backlights and for aerial gobo effects. Artistically, I used them mainly to light up the artists and throw aerial effects for the crowd.”
Rikner explained his choice of Rivale Profile and why these particular Ayrton fixtures were perfect for this event. “Rivale’s compact size factor with that strong output makes it a great key light, even in situations with a bit too much ambient light.
“I’d heard a lot of good things about Rivale from Eurovision this year, and wow, I’m impressed! The colours, both in real life and in camera, the gobos and the output from such a small luminaire really impressed me. Rivale’s IP rating is also a strong argument, but it’s the small size and weight along with its all-round capabilities that’s the key to its success.
“I’ve tried other Ayrton classics before, such as the Diablo and others in that class, and I’ve always wanted to try the Cobra but never yet had a chance. But after the fantastic results I’ve had on this tour, I will request Ayrton on so many more shows from now on.”
Ayrton is distributed exclusively in Sweden by TopStage, whose Linnea Ljungmark commented: “The fact that a designer like Jonathan, who has an eye for design as well as a great understanding of and interest in advanced technology, is so happy to work with our fixtures says a lot about how far Ayrton has managed to take innovation and application in the lighting workhorse segment. He is after all also a trained pilot, so I imagine he chooses his gear carefully.”
