The three-roomed tented venue - with a capacity up to 3000 - is being run by catering and hospitality specialists Dish. It's hosting a series of parties and events throughout the run up to the festive season, aimed at attracting locally based Canary Wharf companies keen on capitalising on the convenience of having corporate festivities on their doorstep.
Renegade is supplying the creative lighting design by Gray, plus co-ordinating supply of all the technical infrastructure and hardware including lighting, sound, video, staging, set and power. Sculptivate are looking after all the set, scenic and dressing elements, with a design by Andy Cobb.
When it came to sourcing the lighting gear, Renegade came to Entec - Renegade's Jonny Gaskell having recently completed the Magic Numbers UK tour with them as lighting contractor. Gray has used the lighting to bring a up-beat party atmosphere to the venue, to make it feel cosy, whilst taking care to keep it subtle and elegant.
Guests enter Entice by a winding hallway decorated with icy scenic stalactites made from white scrim, which is lit with 30 PARs, four Martin MAC 250s near the entrance and some egg strobes, evoking a glacial feel.
They pass into the large reception area, which has a central bar - illuminated with internally mounted fluorescents, and some vintage chandeliers which are lit with MAC 600s rigged onto a central truss, along with other lighting fixtures. These include 12 MAC 600s, 12 Source Four profiles and 30 PARs. Internally lit tables are dotted around the space and the walls are also up-lit with assorted PARs. The dining room is a larger space still. It's decked out with tables and has a stage, a video screen upstage (supplied by XL Video) and a large white dancefloor in front.
One of the most striking lighting features in here are 60 vari-sized spun fibreglass Random Lights by Moooi, which are dotted around the ceiling above the tables, introducing a real festive feel to the room. They are lit primarily by 14 PC Beams - seven a side - sat on low level podiums down either side of the room, which blast across the Random Light 'line' producing a light-beam roof effect.
There's also a 35 metre long central truss running down the room, containing 40 PARs for a general table and room wash and a load of P36 pinspots to highlight the table centres - which have to be re-focussed daily as the table configurations vary from night to night. Two additional 17-metre trusses flank either side of the main one, loaded up with Martin 12 MAC 250 Plus's and MAC 300s for the dancefloor.
The bar in the dining room is also internally lit with fluorescents. Off the dining room is a smaller games room where revellers can go to chill out and engage in a selection of party games. In here Gray designed a small centre truss containing six MAC 600s, six Source Fours and 14 PARs. They are programmed into a series of slow sequences that undulate around the room.
Control in all three areas is via an Avolites Pearl console, and Entec also supplied dimming and power distribution. Dave Black was their main Entec crew person throughout the set up, and Chris Fyfe is running all three desks for the duration of the venue being open.
Entec's Noreen O'Riordan says: "Its an absolute pleasure working with Nick and Jonny at Renegade. They both produce very detailed and accurate WYSIWYG drawings which helps immensely in preparing the equipment efficiently in the warehouse and saves time on site for everyone."
(Chris Henry)
