UK - UK - A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) has announced a partnership with Leeds City College, which commenced with the distributor supplying a full range of production technologies for the institution’s new £60m Quarry Hill Campus. Leeds City College is one of the country’s largest further education providers, with over 20,000 students attending its courses. The new campus, which includes the college’s School of Creative Arts, puts students right at the heart of Leeds’ cultural quarter - surrounded by institutions such as Leeds Playhouse, Leeds College of Music and Northern Ballet, and the BBC. To create learning environments where students can achieve their full potential, there is a significant programme of investment in the college’s campuses. This includes offering industry-standard facilities which allow students to fully develop the skills an
Switzerland - Prolights has announced the appointment of Plusmusic AG as its distributor for Switzerland with immediate effect. Plusmusic takes over in the Swiss market which historically has been served directly from the Prolights Italian HQ, inheriting a network of users, who will benefit from the distributor’s local sales and demo stock, and qualified technical support team. Paolo Albani, international sales manager for Prolights says, “Plusmusic is a natural match to carry on the Prolights brand in the Swiss market. They share the same passion of our team when it comes to lighting technologies, and having full access to the market in its various segments and as well providing a high class customer service, we are very sure they will be a great asset for our swiss partners.” Gianluca Trevisan, sales manager of Plusmusic, adds, “We are excited to join t
USA - Visitors arriving at GLP’s stand at LDI will be greeted by four diverse offerings as GLP extends its 25th year celebrations accompanied by associated brands Fusion by GLP, Cosmic Truss and Scenex Lighting. Also present will be the Highlander high output discharge washlight; impression S350 Wash, which brings a new level of control and functionality to the mid-range LED washlight market; and impression FR10 Bar, with a new optical system, and larger size aperture. Fusion by GLP’s Fusion Stick 10 and Fusion Stick 20 feature a connector system, which allows the Stick to create seamless light lines in either a horizontal or vertical set up; the Fusion Par 7 is equipped with seven high powered 30 Watt RGBW LEDs, and with an IP65 rating, it is capable of outdoor applications; Fusion Supernova features a powerful, homogeneous pixel free RGBW light output, making it
Indonesia - To enhance the architecture of the Sopo Del Office Towers and Lifestyle Centre in Jakarta, Chayolite recently installed Martin by Harman lighting fixtures. The Sopo Del Office Towers and Lifestyle Centre is mixed-use development featuring office spaces, premium retail stores and a lavish hotel. The complex consists of a massive 41-floor tower, a smaller 28-floor tower and a shared lifestyle centre. Sopo Del’s architecture and design showcases an interpretation of North Sumatra’s ulos heritage and value, representing bravery and strength. In order to accentuate the buildings’ ulos-inspired design with immersive lighting, Sopo Del hired leading lighting and acoustic consultants PT. Litac to deploy a cutting-edge lighting display. To accomplish this task, Litac designed a lighting solution consisting of Martin Exterior Dot-HP fixtures. “We wante
USA - With its fresh water springs, meandering wooded paths, and sparkling lake, Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida, is normally a tranquil, relaxing place. But on the last weekend in October, this 800-acre slice of paradise assumes a different, more frightful persona as the site of the Suwanee Huluween Festival. Combining a bag full of musical treats from a diverse array of acts that includes a mix of big-name stars like Bassnectar and rising artists, with some tricky scenic elements that scare the senses, the three-day festival has become a Halloween ritual for a growing number of fans. Enhancing their experience throughout the grounds as well as at two of its stages this year were over 200 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied and installed by The Design Oasis. Abbas Ritscher and his team at The Design Oasis, which included John Hollingshead and Joe Donnelly
Denmark - Lighting and audio rental company Allround Lyd & Lys, based in Struer, invested in two Robe RoboSpot systems, comprising two BaseStations and two BMFL Follow Spots with the integral cameras when they sought a straightforward follow spotting solution for the dry hire side of their business. The company works in the live music, festivals and concert touring sectors and also services theatre productions. Dry hires are an important segment of their business, and they saw the demand rising for a plug-and-play remote follow spotting system. The purchase was made specifically with local theatres in mind. They are often tight on prep time so their production schedules would always benefit from follow spots that were quick to calibrate and set up, explained Allround Lyd & Lys’s head of lighting, Martin Breinholt. “The RoboSpot system is very straig
South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced the appointment of Nicole Barnes to the marketing team. Barnes was previously employed as the editor at etech magazine. “We are very pleased to welcome Nicole on board,” said Duncan Riley of DWR. “Being a vibrant people’s person, we know that she will fit right in. Our brands have grown over the years, and with her help, we look forward to being able to offer an additional service to our clients and suppliers in terms of press releases and marketing ideas.” (Jim Evans)
USA - History runs deep at Washington’s City Tavern Club. Built in 1786, the venerable Federalist structure (one of the last such taverns in the US capital) counted George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson as regulars. Today, the venue hosts a variety of upscale events, and although it provides an evocative setting, power limitations in the 233-year old building can present challenges for anyone looking to light these affairs. At a recent, corporate showcase at the historic building, Tarik Smith of Atmosphere, Inc. met these challenges and transformed its interior with elegant uplighting created by wireless, battery-powered WELL Fit fixtures from Chauvet Professional. “As with any historic venue the biggest issue is power, so I had to pay a lot of attention to the design,” says Smith. “The limited power draw at the club meant we had to go wireless, b
USA - Robe’s new Esprite moving lights made their US live TV debut on the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year event, staged at the Schermerhorn Symphony Centre in Nashville, Tennessee. “I absolutely Love these lights,” declared the event’s lighting designer Tom Kenny who worked alongside a talented production team which included set designer Anne Brahic. The Esprites plus other extra lights on the show - which also included Robe BMFL WashBeams and Spiider LED wash beams - were delivered by Morris Light & Sound. They were used together with fixtures from the venue’s house rig. Ten of the 20 Esprites were positioned on one of the rear LX production trusses installed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Centre for this event, and used for rear lighting the band, and for texturing, colouring and gobo work on the stage. Another 10 luminaires on one of the down
UK - Magazine London, a purpose-built event space, opened adjacent to the O2 Arena in Greenwich Peninsula this August. Its simple architectural form offers clean and functional spaces that provide ‘a means for large-scale creative expression’ with 3,205sq.m of versatile interior space for up to 3,000 people, and the capability of a further 7,000 people across the venue’s outdoor showground. Technical consultant, Simon Jones of SJ-TPM, recommended MDG haze generators for this new venue. He supplied two MDG ATMe haze generators, complete with purpose-built touring cases for easy storage and deployment. Jones was brought onboard by Venue Lab to review, recommend and deliver the technical infrastructure, establish and fine tune the requirements and purchase the equipment for this multi-purpose venue. Jones worked on the various phases in collaboration with Vib
Trinidad & Tobago - PR Lighting fixtures were out in force at the recent nine-day Divali Nagar Festival on the Caribbean island of Trinidad & Tobago. Promoted by the National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC), and now in its 33rd year, Divali Nagar is an annual exposition of Hindu culture (generally) and Indo-Trinidadian culture (specifically). It is closely associated with the Diwali Hindu Festival of Light celebration in Trinidad and Tobago. For the past 15 of those years, All Events Lighting Systems (AELS), part of the SM Group, has been providing technical services to the event at the Divali Nagar site, located in the borough of Chaguanas. The SM Group itself comprises All Events Lighting Systems, All Events System Ltd and S. Maharaj Equipment Services Limited. SM Group itself stands for ‘Shival Maharaj Group of Companies’ and the organisation c
Japan - The New National Theatre, Tokyo (NNTT) has invested in a stock of Robert Juliat Oz 600W LED followspots for its three performance spaces. The new LED models replace conventional source followspots as part of an upgrade of the lighting inventory for this internationally important arts venue. New National Theatre, Tokyo is Japan’s only one dedicated to the contemporary performing arts of opera, ballet, dance and drama. The NNTT complex comprises the Opera Palace, Playhouse and The Pit, and hosts over 300 performances a year to around 200,000 theatre goers. Four of Robert Juliat’s Oz 7°-14° LED Top Control followspots were supplied by RJ distributor, Sogo Butai, initially for use in the small Pit Theatre, but also with the intention of relocating them to the larger spaces of the Playhouse and Opera Palace as needed. “Because of its silent operation,
South Africa - Technical supply company, HireZone Audio Visual, used 14 new Vari-Lite VL2600 Profile luminaires for the key lighting at the 28th World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa, which took place 4 - 6 September at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The fixtures helped lighting designer and operator Gary Sam create a bright, balanced and consistent look for the live broadcast of the international panel in the Convention Centre’s Plenary Room. With the theme Shaping Inclusive Growth and Shared Futures in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the WEF saw leaders from across the globe gather to discuss the future of Africa. Hirezone was appointed by an international team to supply all technical for the entire event. This was the first time for Hirezone using their new VL2600 Profiles, which they had purchased from South African Vari-Lite distr
USA - Chauvet Professional’s new COLORado Solo Batten 4 will be a highlight on the company’s stand at the LDI tradeshow. The four-cell batten features seamless end-to-end RGBAW colour mixing with no separation or dimmed lens corners and sets the stage for seamless scenic looks at tours, festivals, churches, theatres, and other applications, says the company. The fixture’s crisp looks and smooth light make it suitable for creating engaging backgrounds on stage. It can also be used to outline entire stages and scenic elements in addition to accenting truss structures. Thanks to its compact size, the 372mm (14.65”) long fixture can be arranged in vertical or horizontal configurations, even in tight quarters. Adding to its versatility is its IP65 rating, which makes it ideally suited for temporary outdoor applications. Designers can create a variety of sceni
USA - New Jersey-based Starlite has purchased a complement of Ayrton Khamsin-S, Ayrton's latest compact profile fixture. Starlite has one of the largest inventories of AV, lighting and control equipment on the East Coast and services the broadcast, concert touring, corporate, performing arts and educational markets. The fixture is the first Ayrton product that Starlite has purchased. “ACT Lighting (Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for in North America) demo’d the whole Ayrton line for us, and we evaluated the Khamsins in our shop for our rental inventory and use on our own productions,” comments president and CEO, Dean Danowitz. “There was a fair amount of debate internally regarding which profile fixture we should invest in next,” notes Jason Danowitz, vice president of event technology. “Ultimately, we chose the Khamsin-S because it checked so many boxes
UAE - Technical and staging solutions provider Protec has become the first company to order Claypaky’s new laser-source moving head Xtylos. Protec inked a deal to receive 350 units of the fixture and became the first AV equipment supplier in the Middle East to take delivery of Xtylos in September. The company has also added 48 of Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures to its inventory. “We are very excited that Protec was the first in our world sales network to place the order at Prolight + Sound 2019 in Frankfurt where we launched Xtylos,” says Egor Popovski for Claypaky in the Middle East. “Protec is also the first in the Middle East to receive the shipment of these fixtures and has become the largest stockist of Xtylos in the Middle East region.” Aaron Russ, head of Protec’s lighting department, adds: “Protec is always investing in the latest technologies, and
Denmark - The futuristic-looking Musikkens Hus in Aalborg is a cultural jewel in the crown of the fourth-largest city in Denmark, located in a prime position in the redeveloped quarter overlooking the Limfjord. It’s also recently invested in 14 Robe T1 Profile multipurpose LED moving lights, joining 12 Robe Pointes that were purchased three years ago. Inside the building created on the site of an old power station and opened in March 2014, is a 1,300-seat concert hall, a 600-capacity recital hall, plus several studios and practice rooms utilised by the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music. Additional tenants include Orchestra Norden, and two of Aalborg University’s fine arts divisions, the Institute of Music and the Danish Jazz Centre. In addition to the 300-odd concerts and live performances staged annually, it hosts around 200 ‘commercial
The Netherlands - One of best-known event venues in The Netherlands has been recently transformed into an intimate restaurant with high-tech decor. Madame Jeanette is the successor of dinner show Pandora, which ended early this year. It is an intense evening full of visual spectacle, where visitors dine in the middle of a vibrant story that is told in a visual, musical and culinary way. In recent months, Studio 21 has been completely rebuilt especially for this show, with the kitchen in the centre of the room and a high-tech decor in which the stage, the video and audio are in a 360° setting around the guests. Dutch lighting, audio, and rigging company Chain was responsible for the technical production. Because of the complete round set up, the decision was made to use six circles in the decor. In the middle of the room a 6mtr FD34 circle was used for t
Saudi Arabia - Laservision participated in this years’ celebration marking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s 89th National Day. A range of activities and events took place from 19-23 September, including a massive international collaboration of events bringing in some of the biggest names in entertainment productions. Alongside international music acts from the GCC region and Cirque du Soleil, Laservision was engaged to provide their projection-mapping expertise and technologies to the celebrations in Riyadh. Laservision’s 7000sq.m projection show beamed onto the distinctive Samba Financial Group Headquarters in the heart of Financial Plaza. The 40-storey tower is the centrepiece of Riyadh’s new King Abdullah financial district and features an innovative three-dimensional diamond façade designed by Foster and Partners. Since opening their MENA offices in 201
USA - Home to the Metropolitan Opera, the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Centre) in New York City has recently installed 70 Elation Professional Artiste Monet LED profile moving head luminaires with Donald Holder the first to use the new rig of award-winning lights on Porgy and Bess. Lighting supply was by 4Wall Entertainment. The Met’s resident lighting designer, John Froelich, was instrumental in choosing the Artiste Monet and cited three main reasons for its choice. “The output of the LED source was very bright. The native colour of the LED engine was the most appealing to me. Most LED profiles that were tested had a slight green bias that was really hard to manage quickly from a creative standpoint. In a large, fast-paced repertory environment like ours it was such a great thing to find a source that was so artistically appealing. “The SpectraColor
Italy - Lighting designer Francesco De Cave illuminated Italy’s Arena di Verona using his High End Systems Hog 4 console for the third consecutive RTL 102.5 Power Hits Estate concert. The event celebrated the top 50 songs played on Italian radio stations during the summer of 2019. The four-hour concert featured live performances from more than 20 artists including OneRepublic, Eros Ramazzotti, Mika and Lewis Capaldi. The set design for the open air venue featured an uncovered stage designed to favour visibility for the audience of 15,000 people. De Cave was tasked with designing a visual spectacular for the venue which is best known for hosting large-scale opera performances. "Fabio Marcantelli, artistic director for RTL 102.5, and owner Lorenzo Suraci expressly asked me to do something different than what you normally see in the arena by offering the public a powerf
USA - After opening in Europe last June, the Stray Cats’ North American leg commenced in Atlantic City, NJ, wrapping up in San Diego, CA. The centrepiece of the set, spanning 24ft, was an impressive and fun Stray Cats marquee sign, designed, built, and installed by Gallagher Staging of La Mirada, CA. Comprised of 202 IMS RGBW LED lamps, as well as other LED ribbon and panel lighting, the colourful and buoyant set-piece was the visual signature of the tour. “Marquees go hand in hand with the genre,” says Gallagher’s special projects manager, Joe Golden. “Like rockabilly, marquee lighting is retro yet timeless. We had an existing sign and reworked it to become essentially a blend of makeover and new. On the Brian Stetzer Orchestra tour, we had used incandescent lamps mixed with IMS LEDs, but the warm white in the RGBW IMS lamps looked so much better that, for this to
Brazil - Prolights has confirmed HPL Light Company as its distributor for Brazil. Alberto Da Silva, sales manager of HPL comments: “Prolights is the perfect addition to our offering here in Brazil. The importance placed on the customer and their journey is part of why we do what we do here. The difference comes with the fixtures they create, stemming from the design and development processes - they feature sets and types of fixtures are to answer a specific need or gap in the market and not just another me-too fixture. With the increasingly growing popularity of Prolights fixtures in North America we have seen this influence the uptake here in South America.” Prolights international sales manager, Paolo Albani adds: “Having HPL on-board as a partner is Brazil is great. They bring with them a wealth of local and market knowledge, experience and connections. We re
USA - The epic Garth Brooks Stadium Tour is wrapping up 2019 with its tenth city following sold out performances in St. Louis, Glendale, Gainesville, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Denver, Eugene, Boise and Regina. Bandit Lites once again met Garth’s vision with a lighting system designed by David ‘Gig’ Butzler. Bandit Lites supplied more than 400 fixtures and more than 330ft of truss to outfit the tour, including Robe MegaPointes, GLP X4 Bar 10, VL 3500 washes, Martin Atomic 3000 LED Strobes, GLP KNV Cube, Robe BMFL, Robe Robin 1200 LED Washes, Solaris Flares and Showline Nitro 510C. Three grandMA2 Full consoles provide control. The in-the-round design allows for audiences to have a view of the stage no matter the seats in the stadium. Tyler Truss outlines the perimeter for the main key lights on the band members while automated pods built specially for Garth by Tyl
