They were used by the event's production lighting and video designers Philip Winward and Nick Jevons of Electric Fly Productions to illuminate the stage and dancefloor in the VIP tent, and to illuminate the Live Terrace area.
It was the first time that they have had the chance to use this latest i-Pix product, which was launched 'live' at Glastonbury just a few weeks earlier, but Jevons liked the BB 2x2s so much that he even rigged two in the main stage front-of-house mixer area - from where he was operating the lighting for the two-day event. This made it look pretty and exude a warm, inviting ambience to all entering 'lighting world' at the back of the enclosure.
Says Jevons, "i-Pix has always supported us ever since we first designed this event site-wide two years ago, and it's great to get a chance to test out their latest technology and innovations and put it through its paces". He adds that - as with previous i-Pix products, he will continue to incorporate them into his lighting designs.
It was also the first time that Electric Fly's design brief for Global Gathering has been extended to include lighting the large VIP Area as well as all the live arenas and main stage, so they wanted to make a big impact here. Six BB 2x2s were rigged to the trussing surrounding the front of the stage/DJ booth, which proved ideal for blasting the dance floor with solid blocks of colour and a dynamic array of effects.
The fact they are an LED lightsource with low heat emissions was also an asset, as the weather was rather hot and humid for the festival, and the BBs did their bit to ensure that the VIP dancefloor stayed at a comfortable temperature.
The back and sides of the stage in the VIP tent were lit with BB16 units, the first product in the BB range from the Manchester based manufacturers, and an additional four BB16s were also used to wash the Live Terrace from the back of the stage.
(Jim Evans)
