One reason for Cosmos' spontaneous splash into the area's bar/nightlife scene is its highly animated atmosphere, capped off by colour-changing LED lighting effects from Acclaim Lighting. A local food reviewer was compelled to write: "Even the lighting is neat - the lights fade from green, to blue, to red. When you go to visit, be sure to ask about the décor."
Jack Kelly of Eye Dialogue Lighting & Sound (Charlotte, NC) used 235 Acclaim X-Stick-12RGB strip LED fixtures to create Cosmos' colour-changing effects. The X-Sticks were installed in the restaurant's ceiling panels, as well as in a large, overhead spear-like scenic element called the 'comet', which hangs from the ceiling.
Nearly 60ft long and made of white plexiglass, the comet is the visual centrepiece of Cosmos. Abstractly designed with a taller front section that tapers down to a tail, it is a declaration of the establishment's cosmic theme. "(The owners) wanted the comet to glow," said Kelly. "The other thing they wanted to accent were rows of ceiling panels that go off to the side of the comet."
According to Kelly, using the X-Stick, a compact-profile DMX-controllable strip containing 12 SMD LEDs, helped him achieve an even spread of lighting throughout the comet and ceiling panels.
Another feature of Cosmos' décor are pictures on the wall that change colours. Kelly created this colour-changing effect by framing the pictures with an LED product from Acclaim's sister company Elation Professional - Flex LED RGB WP Tape. "We just wrapped the Flex Tape around on the inside of each picture," detailed Kelly. "They kept changing the dimension and shape of the pictures, so we weren't sure what we would need. Flex Tape is so flexible and easy to install that it allowed us to be ready for anything."
(Jim Evans)
