Harvey contacted an old interior design friend, Simon Radclyffe of Radclyffe Associates, to combine an Indonesian theme with an Airfix kit leitmotif - using the fabric and large ribs to soften the vibrancy of the wonderful terracotta, yellow and dark blues, hand-painted by local artist/sculptress Joanne Walker.
Manic Street Preachers' LD, Ollie Metcalfe, provided clever theatrical dichroic trackspot lighting, controlled by Hans Beier's CAV (who also provided the Martin Audio PA). This is certainly one of the most unusual venues Beier has had to work in, needing to steel reinforce the aeriated concrete of the false walls to get a fixing for the Martin speakers, while concealing his dimmer rack high up and out of the way.
CAV (Contract Audio Visual) were recommended to the project by local hi-fi company, Acoustic Energy. The two eating areas form a single sound zone while the bar is in its own separate zone, the Denon multiplay CD sound source - switched by a Cloud CX242 two-zone mixer - feeding a Martin Audio sound rig. The company opted for four black Martin Audio EM26s in each of the two dining areas (one wall-mounted on special brackets in each corner) operating as two stereo pairs. A further two EM26s provide the sound in the bar.
The Stroud-based company also supplied the architectural lighting control based around a Pulsar Masterpiece Replay and Anytronics dimmers, providing the venue with a 12-way keypad to access different presets to Ollie Metcalfe's inspired spotlighting. The venue is destined for multi-purpose corporate usage. Simon Radclyffe has provided double doors into the glass fronted building to admit premium motors (yes, it's F1 compatible) and even light aircraft so that AV8 can be used as a showcase for product launches.
(Ruth Rossington)
