The Netherlands - The new MIMIK cultural centre situated next to the IJssel river in Deventer has been outfitted with a number of Infinity’s professional theatre lighting fixtures. TS-260C7 Profile Engines equipped with TLT-1230 Zoom lenses and Irises, TF-260C7 Fresnels with barndoors and TCYC-7 Cycloramas were used by Rolight to provide the desired illumination. In the MIMIK, a theatre, four movie theatres, and a grand café are merged into a cultural experience. Open all day and easily accessible, its programme aims to surprise visitors time and time again. MIMIK follows up on the success of film house De Keizer (the emperor) and Theater Bouwkunde (Building Science theatre). Combining both with hospitable catering creates a vivid meeting place that ticks all the boxes for current and future generations. The theatre is fitted with a retractable grandstand and can be
UK - Dan Ridd, Steven Haynes and a team from Clearsound Productions in Shipston on Stour marked the culmination of a week of #LightItInRed ‘heart’ actions around the country with a livestream broadcast featuring mixmaster DJ Benji surrounded by a heart-shaped lighting rig designed by Steven and featuring Robe moving lights. With overall direction by Dan Ridd and camera and humour direction by Andy Cox, the multi-camera broadcast included two drone feeds plus assorted visual highlights from the last year of #LightItInRed campaigns. These have focused on keeping the entertainment, production, and performance industry visible and relevant during the pandemic and consequent shut down, and this content was eloquently wrangled by #LightItInRed’s Sarah Berryman. Working alongside Steven on lighting were two fellow Rose Bruford College students, Sam Jones, who programm
UK - The National Theatre’s production of Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ Death of England was performed at the Dorfman Theatre in spring 2020 before the venue closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-man show was an intense study of grief and identity in Britain, performed in-the-round on a cross-shaped stage by Rafe Spall in an explosively energetic performance. Dyer’s direction, and Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and ULTZ’s stark set demanded equally dramatic lighting from the outset, which was provided by dance and theatre lighting designer, and NT regular, Jackie Shemesh. Shemesh chose four Ayrton Diablo 300W LED profile fixtures as central features of his design, which he mainly deployed as followspots to track Spall’s every move. The Diablo fixtures were rigged above the four inner corners of the cross stage, side-mounted and droppe
Italy - The Lucca region has given birth to many of the greatest voices in opera, but every spring and summer, Tuscany’s historic piazzas resonate with the impassioned sound of another kind of music, as they play host to world famous blues festivals. In 2015, Lucca joined the list of Tuscan cities celebrating the musical genre by starting a blues festival of its own. Given the city’s evocative charm and rich musical tradition, the Lucca Blues Festival was an overnight success, attracting internationally acclaimed artists and legions of fans. This year, because of the pandemic, the live event was cancelled, but the Lucca Blues festival continued its robust celebration of all things blues with a series of livestreams from Amandla Productions Studios, a versatile broadcast facility set up inside the city’s 1,500sq.m event centre by locally-based Amandla Productions
USA - Altman Lighting has announced the promotion of lighting designer, and former vice president of product innovation Pete Borchetta to lead the company as general manager. "We are thrilled to announce that Pete Borchetta has been promoted to the role of general manager,” says Russell Altman, president of Altman Lighting. “His expertise, communication skills and leadership ability have been a tremendous asset to Altman and the lighting industry as a whole.” Borchetta led the effort to move Altman headquarters from Yonkers, NY to Denver during the pandemic summer of 2020. Russell Altman cites his collaborative management style as having been integral in attracting and retaining strong teams committed towards the common goal of ‘bringing imagination to light’. “Since our move, we are reorganising around the concept of a ‘collaborative collective’.
Israel - The Weizmann Institute of Science is a renowned public research university in Rehovot which offers graduate and postgraduate degrees in the natural and exact sciences and hosts an annual event honouring the work of Israeli scientists and their contributions to an assortment of projects. This year for the first time, the format went fully digital in delivery and was still staged at the Weizmann Institute campus’s Sela Auditorium, without a live audience but with as much ‘live’ presentational content as was possible which included lectures, seminars, presentations, Q&A sessions and the bestowing of honorary doctorates and other awards. Lighting designer Eran Klein of Cochavi&Klein was asked to create lighting for the event and chose an all-Robe moving light rig to provide the flexibility needed to deliver this high-profile broadcast which was co-
USA - The Illuminate Cities Project recently incorporated Martin VC-Grid LED video tiles supplied by Hayden Production Services into an ‘information-as-art installation’ called Illuminate: COVID-19. Co-founded by architect Domingo Abrusci and urban planner Alexandra Payne, the Illuminate Cities Project is dedicated to improving cities through data exploration, art, design and engagement. Its pilot project, Illuminate: COVID-19, is an art installation that combines data mapping and lighting design to visually display COVID-19 infection and death rates alongside racial and economic demographic data, highlighting how the pandemic has affected specific communities in New York City. Brought to life in collaboration with fabrication and design specialist Robyn Squires of RYSQ LLC and lighting designer Elisa Forlini, a RIBA-certified architect, the installat
UK - Leisuretec, distributor of professional and commercial audio, lighting and video equipment, has unveiled a new corporate brand identity that consists of a new logo, website and style. The new logo is at the core of the transformation, the company opting for one with a modern look and feel to replace the old emblem. The logo device represents the ‘L’ from Leisuretec, with the levels and waves within it reflecting the company’s passion for audio, lighting and video technology. Meanwhile, the four bars stand for the company’s core values of experience, choice, value and service. “We are very excited to launch our new logo and corporate brand identity, which consists of a refreshed style, website and refined summary of our company vision, mission and value proposition,” comments Charlie Henden, marketing manager at Leisuretec. “Our previous log
USA - Chauvet Professional has introduced the Maverick Force S Profile and Maverick Force S Spot. Complementing the Maverick Force 2 Profile and Force 1 Spot, the new ultra-compact fixtures are intended for smaller-scale projects that call for CMY colour consistency, advanced optics and other high-performance features. “We have expanded our Force series so we can continue to address the needs of an evolving market as our industry emerges from the pandemic,” comments Albert Chauvet, CEO of Chauvet. “With their limited footprint, the new Force S fixtures are ideally suited for smaller projects with limited crew sizes. Yet, at the same time, they deliver outstanding, very professional-level performance in terms of output, colour rendering, focus, and effects.” Given their compact design, Maverick Force S fixtures will improve efficiencies by taking up less space i
USA - The University of Houston recently updated the projection mapping content for its basketball team, the Houston Cougars, creating a dramatic, on-court pre-game show at the Fretitta Centre. The bright, 3D graphics were created by Quince Imaging, and enabled by a range of Christie solutions installed by Quince, including 3DLP projectors, Mystique, a Pandoras Box Server, and Terra, an AV-over-IP system. The University sought to refresh the on-court projection mapping content to align with both in-person and broadcast viewing, says Eric Gazzillo, director of innovation, Quince Imaging. “What’s important now, during COVID, is being broadcast-centric, so we’re using the displays and technology to fill the arena with content, designs and projection mapping. We use the technology in a way to make the arena feel full, if they’re doing partial or limited seating, and to a
UK - Since it opened in 1899, the Town Bridge in Northwich has been a source of pride to local residents and tourist attraction. During the past year of the pandemic, it’s also served as rallying point, inspiring hope and reflecting determination by being illuminated in various colour schemes during holidays and on special occasions. The visual and emotional impact of these colourful displays has been evident when CSP Audio Visual has illuminated Town Bridge with a collection of Chauvet Professional COLORado Panel Q40 rectangular wash fixtures and Ovation E-260WW IP ellipsoidal units. “Northwich Town council contacted us to light Town Bridge for VE day celebrations,” says Alun Williams, director of CSP AV. “The bridge was to be lit in the red, white and blue colours of the Union Jack. After the success of that project, the council invited us back.” Pos
UK - To complement the technology on display at Samsung KX, Snelling Business Systems and Cosmic Electronics recently outfitted the venue with a complete Harman networked AV, lighting and control system. Situated in the recently developed Coal Drops Yard shopping district in King’s Cross, London, Samsung KX is a destination for the public to ‘experience Samsung’s range of innovative connected technologies working seamlessly together’. The 20,000sq.ft space features a 32ft Screenmax LED display wall, connected “smart kitchen,” immersive augmented reality experiences and an ever-changing list of temporary installations. To further enhance the futuristic experience, Samsung KX required a facility-wide immersive AV, lighting and control system with enough flexibility to serve any current or future needs. Audio-visual integrator Snelling Business Systems and li
Canada - A multi-venue arts centre in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Arts Commons (formerly EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts) has invested in a complement of Ayrton lighting fixtures and Robert Juliat followspots from Sapphire Sound. Arts Commons is located in Calgary’s Cultural District and is one of the three largest arts centres in Canada. Its five theatres and concert hall are home to six resident companies and host a wide array of guest performers annually. While Arts Commons is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the centre has been busy upgrading and expanding its lighting inventory in anticipation of reopening. According to Kris Ladd, head of lighting at Arts Commons, 16 Ayrton Huracan-X and four Ayrton Diablo-S fixtures were purchased for the Jack Singer Concert Hall, the permanent home of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and the largest venue
Russia - Lighting designer Vladimir Lyubimov continues to use Astera Titan Tubes as a key lighting feature for concerts by Russian rock musician, singer and poet, Svetlana Surganova. The most recent of these took place at Crocus City Hall in the Krasnogorsky District of Moscow, staged in the autumn - at the time this was during a brief period when concerts and large gatherings were allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Surganova & Orchestra presented their In Contrast programme to a full live audience at the venue after the show was moved at short notice from the famous 1930 Club, also in Moscow, to the larger 7,300 capacity venue. Having planned to use their most recent touring lighting and stage design from the start of 2020, Lyubimov and the crew were left facing the challenge of making their production work in the new space. Delighted to be
Germany - Rental company CGS Dry Hire has invested in a large number of Robe’s recently-launched Forte LED moving lights, delivered via Robe Germany. These are now available for dry hire at CGS. These are the first Fortes to be received in Germany and have been purchased for general lighting rental stock - with CGS’ Christian Geyer looking ahead to when the industry restarts, and for a couple of specific jobs that require a high-powered, multifunctional LED fixture. Geyer, who founded CGS in 1999 whilst still a technology-obsessed teenager and a keen DJ, commented: “Investing in premium brands and solid technology has always been a CGS trademark. It has helped enable us to build the company’s reputation for excellence, and we see Forte as a smart option for rental stock that will help expand our market position both now and for years to come.” He and h
USA - Obsidian Control Systems reports a successful year of shipping its comprehensive Netron data distribution line of RDM splitters and EtherDMX nodes and has announced a new version 2.6 firmware release. Prompted by the increasing fixture counts and continuous growth in the number of Universes used on a show, Netron supports applications from live production and venue installations to architectural environments and has enjoyed strong market adaptation globally since its release. “The introduction of the Netron line has been a real success story despite the difficult circumstances of 2020,” states Obsidian Control Systems product manager Matthias Hinrichs. “The feature set, plug-and-play design and competitive pricing have really hit the sweet spot and the feedback from our users has been phenomenal. It is a perfect complement to our Onyx console range and a we
UK - The ABTT is joining forces with the Association of Lighting Designers to present a seminar, Lighting-in-the-Round on 26 March (Friday) from 2.00pm. The seminar will feature a number of lighting designers who have worked extensively in-the-round. They will talk about the challenges faced when creating lighting in this staging configuration, some unique opportunities created by theatre-in-the-round and about some of the productions they have worked on during their careers to date. This webinar is the second of six and will be hosted by Dave Wybrow (director, The Cockpit). Wybrow will be joined by lighting designers Johanna Town, Elliot Griggs, Daniella Beattie and Tigger Johnson. This webinar is followed by a Q&A session where you will be able to pose your own questions to the panellists. Tickets for the event are available at
UK - 3LR Lighting has confirmed that it is now the sole UK manufacturer’s representative for Griven. The Italian manufacturer, founded in 1990, produces a range of exterior architectural lighting. 3LR will work closely with Allison Rose, Griven’s UK business development manager, to increase brand awareness and drive new specifications across the region. Particularly renowned for its coloured light solutions, Griven’s range complements 3LRs existing brand portfolio, dovetailing with its interior lighting and control products from ETC and Rosco. Matthew Lloyd, managing director of 3LR comments, “We were attracted to Griven by its reputation for fixture quality, exceptional optics, and the highest level of colour consistency and uniformity over time. The products are designed and manufactured in the company’s factory in Italy, and exhibit the innovation, flair
UK - Avolites has announced the UK release of its new online learning hub for holistic training on its Titan and Ai software platforms. The online courses are designed to teach or re-enforce the theory behind using Titan and Ai. The platform offers seven courses to work on from home, with more in-depth, hands on training courses available at one of Avolites in-person Academy sites. The courses are designed so that users can start applying their knowledge directly to a real life example they may be tasked with in a real world environment, as well as build on their current level of proficiency. Plans are in place to release the leaning hub across other geographies later in the year, when translation of the courses is completed. In this initial phase, the hub is only accessible to UK residents. The courses allow users to pick their own path to further their knowledg
USA - Obsidian Control Systems’ practice of providing valuable educational resources to lighting designers and programmers continues with the release of a series of 13 training videos covering the NX4 lighting console and Onyx lighting control platform. A training video series covering the compact NX2 lighting controller will be available soon. The NX4 training series, hosted by David Henry of Learn Stage Lighting, condenses over two hours of content into short, segmented videos to watch at your own pace. Console trainings usually come with a hefty fee, making these complimentary videos consieable value. The NX4 training series is available at https://obsidiancontrol.com/training_videos. Topics covered include: Introduction to NX4, Patching Fixtures, Setting Up Groups, Working in the 2D Plan, Controlling Lights, Creating Presets, Recording Cues, Using Pixel Mapped V
USA - Christie has announced the launch of the new Christie Mirage SST-6P, a dual-head 18,000 lumen, 4K, 6-primary 3D RGB pure laser projection system that the company claims delivers twice the onscreen brightness of traditional colour-comb 30,000-lumen lamp-based 3D projection systems for bright, colourful, and detailed 3D images for venues including theme parks, attractions and giant screen dome theatres. The 6-Primary (6P) 3D dual-projector system uses two sets of RGB laser primaries with slightly off-set wavelengths: one for the right eye, and one for the left. Reusable passive 3D glasses filter different wavelengths and direct the light to the correct eye, with no shuttering, for a natural and comfortable 3D visual experience. The result is a projection system that is 90% efficient at projecting light onto the screen, and white-screen compatible for blending the multi-p
USA - Back in July, Mike Cristella, owner of Live Wire Productions, and Bob Sallade, who owns Sound Track Production Services, based in Hammonton, NJ, pooled their resources and expertise in lighting and sound to create Wired Studios, a 30‘ x 20‘ space that would allow customers of both companies to reach people during the lockdown with livestreams. “It became apparent to Bob and me and that the pandemic wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so we got together to create this space in our warehouse,” said Cristella. “The space isn’t the largest in the world, but we outfitted it with excellent sound and lighting gear as well as cameras so our customers could produce livestreams and video recordings that would reflect well on them.” In terms of lighting, Wired Studios packs an intense punch with a high-output and versatile rig anchored by Chauvet Professiona
Germany - For the presentation of the new e-tron GT, Ingolstadt-based car manufacturer Audi staged a special demonstration at the Munich Zenith. The world premiere of the ‘electric spearhead of the four rings’, as it was termed, took place in February with two digital events; a cinematic intro, using spectacular lighting technology, was produced in advance at the Munich Zenith, and developed by LD Raphaël Demonthy. Demonthy, who has focussed entirely on lighting design and programming over the past 10 years, regularly realises his own design projects, but is also happy to make his talent available to other designers as an associate designer or operator. As part of the world premiere of the new Audi e-tron GT, a reveal trailer had to be produced. For this purpose, a driving circuit was installed in the Zenith Munich, which was constructed exclusively from light ele
The Netherlands - Highlite International BV has introduced the Display Series of indoor fixtures for professional architectural applications. Switchable between 3000 K and 6000 K, the dimmable LED sources offer a high CRI. This makes them suitable for lighting galleries, art, and other colour sensitive subjects and locations. Artecta’s latest range of indoor lighting fixtures, the Artecta Display Series is intended for highlighting objects and locations where high appeal is paramount, such as museums and galleries, lighting art and paintings. The compact fixtures offer a high CRI (>92), which helps the original colour tones to come through. They are switchable between 3000 K and 6000 K colour temperatures and can be dimmed manually to adjust the output intensity to the desired ambiance. The Display Series offers solutions for a gamut of applications with a range o
