With a stadium audience of over 40,000, plus tens of millions of viewers tuning in worldwide, the Winter Olympics has been a much-anticipated event. Marenghi used a lighting rig originally specified by lighting designer Al Gurdon for the Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies, to create a spectacular new design for the Paralympics Ceremonies.
"I was tasked with enhancing the artistic elements of the ceremonies of the Winter Paralympic Games with a lighting design that would thrill both the live audience in the massive Fisht Stadium and at the same time satisfy the TV companies broadcasting to an audience worldwide," explains Marenghi. "The main challenge for us was that there were a lot of flying performers and scenic elements that we needed to make visible whilst not impacting on the projections running across the entire field of play."
The Sochi Paralympic opening ceremony was billed as a vibrant and captivating event focusing on the power of spirit, and featuring everything from live performances to Oscar winner Aleksandr Petrov's beautiful animation of the Firebird - a creature found in Russian fairytales. The show's lighting was big, bold and bright in order to complement the enormity of the event and reflect the overcoming of barriers.
"The lighting system has been inherited from Al Gurdon who lit the Winter Olympic Ceremonies so effectively," explains Marenghi. "Most of the equipment was supplied and installed by PRG and the system already included a large array of Sharpys and Sharpy Washes. We added some Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500 and A.leda B-Eye K10 for specific tasks in the Paralympics."
The B-Eye K10 is one of the latest additions to Clay Paky's LED-based moving light range 'A.leda'. The award winning effects light offers both wash and beam effects with individual LED control for each of the lights' parameters.
"The B-Eye zoom range is a great asset," says Marenghi. "The K10 brings a unique dimension to effects lighting - it's very easy to see why it is an award winning innovation and so typical of Clay Paky."
The B-Eye K10 has 19 individual LED light sources and features an unmatched optical system with a remarkable zoom range of 4-60 degrees.
"We used the K10 to create some great eye-candy effects during the closing ceremony," continues Marenghi. "The K10's mapping ability for these stunning effects and its incredible brightness makes it an excellent little workhorse fixture."
"It goes without saying that we are delighted to see our latest products used on such an epic, worldwide televised event," adds Pio Nahum, chief commercial officer for Clay Paky. "The B-Eye has had plenty of very positive feedback since we launched it last year and joins the Sharpy and Sharpy Wash in the popularity stakes of fixtures for designers. Today Clay Paky products are ubiquitous in show lighting rigs, large and small, however we are not complacent. Our mission is to keep an ear to the heart of the industry and to continue to develop the pro lighting products that bring the best value, creativity and versatility to the people that need and use them."
(Jim Evans)
