UK - Iluminarc will be on booth 45 during LiGHT23 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, this week. Centred around the theme ‘Building Beautiful’ the company’s exhibit will showcase a collection of architectural lighting products intended to ‘enhance the depth and quality of any design’. Occupying a prominent position in the Iluminarc booth will be the Logic line of interior architectural lights. This series features three streamlined form factors: Logic Graze, Logic Cove, and Logic Downlights. All fixtures in the Logic line are all driven by the Logic Drive 2X, a compact control unit that provides combined data and power over widely available Ethernet cables, using Power over Ethernet technology. Other features include comprehensive scheduling and calendar functions, as well as a wide range of control options. Joining the Logic units at t
South Africa - Playing a dual role as a lighting designer and programmer for shows such as Idols, The Voice, RMB Starlight Classics and countless others, South African Andre Siebrits recently acquired an Ultimate Ears UE Comm, specifically the Ultimate Ears 11 Pro model, from DWR Distribution. The decision has been pivotal for him, particularly considering his concern for the long-term health of his ears. Andre first became curious about Ultimate Ears Comm in 2017, starting the conversation with many people including Jaco Beukes from DWR. UE Comm is the result of a collaboration between UE and In-House Sound with features like noise-isolating in-ear monitors with a purpose-built microphone, guaranteeing crystal-clear communication in any production environment. “Ultimate Ears are reputed for their outstanding sound quality, at least that's what I
USA - The first ever Power Trip music festival was considered epic before it even took place. Six of the world’s best known heavy metal and hard rock bands gathered to play on one stage, and 4Wall, Paradox and Elation had the honour of lighting the event. Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Tool (subbing for Ozzy Osbourne) all played at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, 6-8 October, where up to 80,000 fans gathered each day. Power Trip marked the first concert in seven years from AC/DC. Some 80 Proteus Maximus, 18 Proteus Excalibur, 84 DTW Blinder 700 IP and 80 DTW Blinder 350 IP luminaires from Elation, were all used by the lighting design team at Paradox Production and Design and 4Wall Entertainment, led by 4Wall account executive and production manager Dallas Gaspar. 4Wall also supplied additional lighting packages for the I
Hungary - Robe moving lights were used in three major locations for the massive 2023 St. Stephen's Day celebrations in Budapest, a public holiday celebrating the foundation of the Hungarian state more than 1000 years ago, which this year attracted over 1.5m spectators to the banks of the Danube watch the main large format projection and drone show. Multiple events were staged throughout the country’s vibrant and beautiful capital city on the day, with technical production - lighting sound, visuals, staging - for the 2023 event co-ordinated and delivered by the Visual Europe Group (VEG), working with 12 sub-companies. The three main areas in which Robe fixtures were used were the riverside Road Movie Live concert stage with an all-action line up of top Hungarian artists running over three days of the holiday weekend; The Parliament Building, where Robe Fortes support
USA/Europe - Ireland-based lighting and production designer Steven Douglas selected Claypaky Volero Wave fixtures and the Panify solution for Hozier’s Unreal Unearth tour, whose North American leg wrapped this month. The bluesy rocker’s 27-date schedule kicked off in September in support of his new EP Eat Your Young and upcoming album Unreal Unearth. The tour moves to Europe and the UK for the rest of the year with more dates to follow in 2024. Douglas took on his current role with Hozier for the artist’s previous album cycle. He was given a lot of creative latitude with the new show although Hozier was “heavily involved in how it looks since he’s quite artistic himself”, says Douglas. The album’s theme is based around Dante’s nine circles of Hell, he notes, which the show references. “We knew we wanted a moment in the show where
Romania - The FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2023, hosted at the Constanța Masters in the City Park Mall, was illuminated by a lighting setup composed of Prolights products. For its inauguration in Romania, the FIBA 3x3 World Tour attracted 16 top-level teams from around the world who competed for the championship title. In addition to the basketball matches, the event offered a variety of engaging activities, including a dunk contest hosted by the Dunk Elite team, a 2-point shooting competition, and a series of entertainment performances such as sports dances, street dance performances, majorette shows, and circus acts. The diversity of the event required a lighting system capable of meeting various show needs. The FIBA 3x3 organisation relied on Audiovision, which provided a lighting setup consisting of 58 Prolights solutions: EclPanel TWC and EclFresnel 2KVW for variable CCT
UK - MCS Rental Software, provider of rental management solutions, has announced the launch of a new, innovative feature that will ‘revolutionise the way customers pick equipment to hire’. The new feature introduces checklists to the picking process, as part of the pre-delivery inspections (PDIs), allowing users to perform comprehensive equipment assessments. This feature includes the ability to add specific notes for the picker(s), prioritise certain tasks for faster processing, and the creation of custom checklists. The checklists are versatile, supporting tick boxes, drop-down lists, as well as photos. Nick Thomson, sales director at MCS Rental Software, explains, "We're excited to introduce our ground-breaking pre-delivery inspection feature. It's all about elevating efficiency and empowering our users to enhance their operational processes. With specific not
France - Bière à Lille, a week-long festival in Lille celebrates beer and brewing with dozens of special events and samplings from over 80 different breweries. Among the highlights off the festival this year was Nuit du BAL, an electro pop show headlined by Martin Solveig, along with Upsilone, Miel de Montagne and Victor Flash. These artists performed on Friday night 22 September before a packed house at the Zénith de Lille, adding electricity to the atmosphere for their shows was a dynamic fast-moving lighting design by Valentin Lemarquier. Drawing on the intense output of 60 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by the Alive Group, Lemarquier created bold looks that reflected the music and personality of each artist. Among the fixtures in his rig were 14 STRIKE Array 2 blinders that provided dramatic exclamation points of light throughout the evening. “Wi
Europe - Elation has introduced the KL CYC, an expressive LED cyc light and footlight fixture. Tailored for smooth and evenly illuminated cycloramas, sets, or wall washing applications, the KL CYC boasts an efficient asymmetrical reflector design to achieve blends of diffused light, enhancing the overall aesthetics of the stage and covering significant heights with ease. With its stylized, low-profile housing, the KL CYC is also a suitable choice for footlight positions on the downstage edge, providing versatility for stage, film, television, theme park and event lighting use. The KL CYC introduces the innovative EdgeLight safety feature, allowing users to designate a safety light in red or blue whenever desired. The new feature, which operates even if DMX signal is lost, provides guidance for performers, alerting them to the edge of the stage and adding an extra lay
USA - Nashville-based PTP Live has invested in 60 Ayrton Argo 6 FX lights for its live production work for music, festival and corporate clients and to bolster its rental inventory of lighting and video equipment. The new Argo 6 FX lights expand PTP Live’s roster of Ayrton fixtures, which already includes Ayrton Khamsin S and MagicPanel 602 units. “We’re doing a lot of shopping this year, adding a lot of new inventory,” says president Andrew Sparks. “We were looking for a fixture that was super bright, versatile and for outdoor use, and had great eye candy effects as well as general wash capabilities. We saw several different brands of fixtures, and the Argo 6 FX lights filled the bill.” The Argo 6 FX is a versatile, fully-equipped luminaire designed for a multitude of applications. It offers all the features of a wash light and can generate many co
USA - Main Light has announced the hiring of Brian Relph as rental account manager for their Tri-State location in Teterboro, NJ. A well-known figure in the New Jersey market with over 20 years of experience, Brian was instrumental in opening 4Wall Entertainment's New Jersey location in 2003. "It's a great opportunity to work with Main Light, where I can focus on servicing top-tier production companies without the concern of competing with our clients," Brian remarked, highlighting Main Light's position as a dedicated dry hire provider. This sentiment is further echoed by Kathy Cluxton, COO of Main Light: "Brian's expertise and understanding of the customers and local market make him a perfect fit for our collaborative approach." Since opening in February 2023, Main Light's Tri-State office has been steadily augmenting its roster with seasoned professionals familiar wi
USA - With fellow General Device Type Format (GDTF) and My Virtual Rig (MVR) founders MA Lighting and Robe Lighting, global design and BIM software provider Vectorworks has announced that DIN SPEC 15801 officially recognises MVR as an open standard for the entertainment industry worldwide. "The accomplishment of DIN SPEC 15801 marks a significant milestone in the continuous evolution of GDTF and MVR, as well as the overall advancement of the entertainment industry," said Vectorworks CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar. "Since its inception, MVR has made remarkable progress in meeting the needs of manufacturers and designers through a standardized approach to data and 3D model exchange. This latest recognition further proves our unwavering commitment to unifying the entertainment industry and equipping professionals with the necessary tools for success." Developed to facilitate inte
Europe - Obsidian Control Systems recently conducted back-to-back training sessions at its European headquarters in Kerkrade, aimed at training its European distributors on the specifics of the intuitive Onyx lighting control platform. The sessions were specifically designed to springboard an Obsidian awareness campaign starting with a programme to Train the Trainers. Koy Neminathan, Elation director of business development, who helped lead the sessions, commented, “Nothing is perfect until you have mastered it, and that is why we are investing our resources into educating our network of distributors and resellers. In turn, they will be available to train those who want to learn more about the ONYX software. These sessions have been received positively by those who attended our first course and this is just the start.” Obsidian partners across the world are being o
The Netherlands - Prolights' Jet Wash7 illuminated the Urban Garden room of the Vibes complex in Eindhoven. From a sports centre to a location for corporate and private events, Vibes is a concept location based on technology, innovation, knowledge and design and unfolds in various multifunctional rooms designed to host any type of event. The Vibes team turned to Hoevenaars for the lighting of the Urban Garden room, a modern space based on the aesthetics of the urban jungle, with a surface area of 360m2 the room can accommodate up to 700 people, meeting the needs of events other than corporate ones, including live music. For the lighting setup, the room was fully equipped with a selection of 16 Prolights Jet Wash7s, supplied by Full AVL, Prolights distributor in the Netherlands. “We chose the Prolights Jet Wash7 for their versatility and adaptability" explained
Denmark - The Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen has invested in 80 Robe Forte luminaires in a package featuring 32 x Forte Profiles, 34 x Forte Fresnels, four Forte FollowSpots and 10 x iForte (IP rated) moving lights, as part of a technical upgrade. Chief LX Sune Schou has worked at the Copenhagen Opera House for five years. The venue is one of the most modern such facilities in the world and is located on the island of Holmen in central Copenhagen. Sune is one of three chief LXs based there and is involved with all aspects of lighting production across all the Opera House’s performance spaces. Designed by Henning Larsen and opened amid an international fanfare in 2005, an average of 12 world-class productions are staged annually, a mix of new and revival works all running in repertoire. The quest for new moving lights started two years ago. There were moving
Germany - With the addition of experienced industry professional Giulia Calani, GLP is strengthening its resources on two fronts. Giulia has been recruited in the dual role of sales & partner relationship manager for the manufacturer of professional lighting solutions. Bringing 17 years of industry experience and an extensive network through her previous time at Lightpower, where she managed international projects, she will operate from her home in Paderborn. Here she will deploy her skills as a networker and look after the needs of GLP’s customers, designers and distributors. However, in her role as a sales representative, she will primarily serve customers in Germany’s north-west region. After many years of working for one employer, Giulia says it was time for a change. After attending her first trade fair on behalf of GLP at LEaT con in Hamburg, she said:
Europe - Ayrton has announced the official launch of its new IP65-rated Rivale Profile, the next in its Classical IP65 3 Series, and the first ultra-equipped luminaire in Ayrton’s Ultimate series. It has been developed for mixed use indoors and outdoors, and in all conditions. Weight determines performance, and Rivale Profile weighs only 28kg, yet is capable of outstanding performance. And with continuous rotation of the pan and tilt movement, Rivale Profile allows you more creativity and freedom in your lighting design. Rivale Profile is fitted with a new high-efficiency 450W sealed mono-block LED module, calibrated at 6500K, that offers a luminous flux of 30,000 lumens with optimal positioning on a black body to obtain perfect light neutrality. The proprietary optical system has 13 lenses, delivering a 13-to-1 zoom ratio and zoom range of 4 to 52°. Equippe
The Netherlands - On 9 September 2023 the Smeerboel Festival took place at the Grasweide Papendorp in Utrecht. Around 18,000 house and dance fans and other festival goers enjoyed the tunes of numerous DJs and acts. On different stages, equipment supplier Stagelight provided Infinity and Showtec fixtures to bring the performances to their peak. The Smeerboel Festival entertained the crowds on a hot Saturday in early September with famous acts and DJs on six stages. For the Joy' and 'Basis stages, Stagelight supplied a whopping 178 Infinity iB-2R moving heads, 13 Furion S401 Spot moving heads and 59 Showtec Helix S5000 Q4 wash lights, which were also used as strobes. Tom van den Burg from T.Y.S Productions was responsible for operating the Joy stage. Seventy iB-2R moving heads acted as a ceiling of light, accentuating the distinctive look of the transparent tent covering
Europe - GPA and Lightware Visual Engineering have announced that Lightware has joined the GPA Global Partner Programme. Partnering with GPA will “expand Lightware’s global efficiency and scale allowing Lightware an unrivalled presence to deploy, deliver and support customers in over 50 countries”. The partnership will allow GPA teams to “leverage Lightware's engineering and solutions expertise to address evolving customer requirements and co-create solutions for the modern workplace”. GPA director of global partnerships Mike Stead comments: “Bring Your Own Codec meetings are more popular than ever, and enterprise customers demand seamless, friction-free meeting experiences to earn their staff’s return to work. “GPA’s technical leaders have consistently praised Lightware’s solutions for their reliability, features and performance, making USB-C
South Africa - The 2023 Brixton Light Festival in Johannesburg delivered its third – and largest to date – event filled with the magic, mystery and imagination evoked by light. It started during the covid lockdowns as a community-led and driven art-based lighting experience to unite the already tight-knit, lively and diverse neighbourhood of Brixton. The goal is to celebrate the spirit and importance of community, and the power of art and empathy. Sound designer and Brixton resident Fried Wilsenach from Working Dog helped implement several lighting installations this year, including one illuminating the impressive Sentech Tower, a landmark that dominates the Brixton skyline and that of the surrounding Auckland Park suburb. The Tower is part of SABC’s (South African Broadcasting Corporation) broadcasting HQ which is also located there. Fried in turn asked lightin
Canada - Matthieu Larivée and the team at Lüz Studio have been relentlessly pushing the envelope of late, driving technology in new directions to transform stages in ways that would have been unimaginable not long ago. So, it should come as no surprise that following their widely acclaimed work on last year’s Jason Aldean tour, when they turned the entire upstage wall into a stunning 3D video screen, these creatives dramatically changed their plans for 2023. Unlike its predecessor, this year’s just concluded Highway Desperado Tour had a production design that was dominated by a single vertical, centre stage video screen. Measuring 24’ high by 18’ wide by 6’ deep and angled at 20-degrees, the 8mm blow-through wall displayed captivating IMAG images and dynamic patterns accentuated by pixel mapped light from Chauvet Professional Maverick Storm2 BeamWash fixtures, wh
Italy - Prolights products illuminated the Marrageddon festival, a celebration of Italian hip-hop, conceived and hosted by hip-hop artist Marracash. With two dates between Milan and Naples, the festival hosted a line-up that included Fabri Fibra, Salmo, Guè Pequeno, Lazza and Madame, attracting more than 130,000 tspectators. To support such a large entourage of guests it was necessary to design a lighting setup that was up to par with the live performances of the festival; the lighting design was entrusted to Giorgio De Cassan, alongside Lorenzo De Pascalis, who oversaw the entire artistic direction of the festival. For the lighting setup, the team relied on rental company Mister X Service, selecting a wide range of equipment, including 130 Prolights projectors: 40 Sunblast 3000FC, 50 Astra Wash19Pix, and 40 VersaPar.
USA - ADJ is preparing to showcase its newly evolved range of professional lighting products designed for concert tours, festivals and special events at the 2023 LDI tradeshow in Las Vegas. Alongside new products that will launch exclusively at the show, ADJ’s booth (#1443) will feature a lightshow designed by experienced concert LD, Steve Kosiba. This will showcase select fixtures from the brand’s existing range of fixtures. A partner at Squeek Lights, the concert lighting specialist based in New Jersey, Steve Kosiba has extensive experience in the lighting industry. He joined Squeek Lights after six years at Starlite Productions, where he was head of the automated lighting department, and, before that, spent years working as a house LD at many venues in and around Philadelphia. “My first experience with the ‘new’ ADJ gear was, as with many people in
Germany - Robe Deutschland, a wholly owned subsidiary of Robe Lighting s.r.o., has taken over exclusive responsibility for the sales and service of all Avolites products on the German market as of 1 November 2023. Dieter Gross, CEO of Robe Germany, commented, "Following the acquisition of Avolites by Robe it was a logical step to hand over sales in the region to Robe’s German subsidiary. We respect Trendco's excellent work over the decades and thank them for their harmonious cooperation during the handover period." Tillmann Schulz has been appointed sales and business development manager for Avolites at Robe Deutschland. He notes, "Robe has been using Avolites control products internally for a long time and I am delighted to be representing these new, user-friendly solutions in the German market." In collaboration with Robe Germany’s product specialist
