I-Vision Lights Up Herne Bay

I-Vision recently supplied Fentura Production Services with lighting and lasers for an architectural illumination project for the town of Herne Bay in Kent. The high-impact event coincided with the launch of the two-week Herne Bay Festival. The lighting elements of the project were at its core, and included the linking of two sections of the derelict pier, lighting the shoreside Pier Pavilion building, and also a Saxon Fort - Reculver Towers - a short distance outside the town. The scheme was the brainchild of Herne Bay Seafront & Town co-ordinator Darren Simpson. Tim Matthews specified a 40W YAG laser to electronically stitch the two sections of the pier back together for this week-long lighting installation, which spanned the second week of the Festival. The normally darkened sea end of the pier was lit and highlighted by the scanning laser beams. Colourful architectural lighting for the remaining beach section of the pier was achieved utilising HQI fixtures and a big battery of Pars on either side. Coemar Panoramas were used to beam up the front of the Pier Pavilion, the idea being to draw attention to the structure and show how its look could be improved when bathed in a glowing ‘living’ luminescence. All lighting for the seafront part of the project was controlled from a Compulite Spark and crew chief for Fentura was Chris Hatton. For one night only, Matthews and team also lit the Reculver Towers fort, using sodium fixtures and Pars. One of the intentions with the various lighting events was to draw attention to Simpson’s on-going ‘Linking with Light’ scheme, under which he plans to light the town’s landmark buildings and the assorted different areas of Herne Bay via Illuminated walkways.

The lighting project and the festival both proved major successes and generated positive comments from locals and the press about the potential of resurrecting the pier to is former glory, which will require the raising of approximately £12 million. Simpson commented: "Lighting is a key to illustrating the town’s personality and resources. We have plenty of great buildings which effectively disappear in the dark. The idea is to give them a new lease of life during these hours."

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