Turkey - Shure has supplied an array of AV systems, microphones, and automatic mixing hardware for Turkey’s Presidential Complex in Beştepe, in the Turkish capital Ankara. Supplied through Atempo, Shure's distributor in Turkey, the equipment included DCS simultaneous translation and conferencing systems, Microflex Wireless conferencing microphones, and Axient and ULX-D wireless microphone systems. The Presidential Complex, or Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi in Turkish, incorporates the official residence of the republic’s President Erdoğan, assorted offices of state, a mosque, a public library, and a cultural centre. Atempo, also integrators on the construction project, submitted the Shure equipment as part of its tender to install the AV systems in two sizeable multi-purpose congress halls at the complex, containing 2,050 and 300 seats respectively, used for concerts,
UK - Like the free-flowing blend of eclectic music that floated through the summer air at Worthy Farm, ChamSys consoles were impossible to miss at the 2017 edition of the Glastonbury Festival. From the Other Stage, where superstars performed, to the Silver Hayes WOW Stage, where LDs cooked up hot looks for EDM artists, ChamSys products were everywhere at the festival. “We had some good things going on at Glastonbury this year,” said James Harrison, support manager at ChamSys, who along with software engineer James Crickmere and personality/support specialist Dan Coombs, represented the company at the five-day event. “There were a wide variety of our products at the festival, used in a wide range of different applications – and I’m pleased to report that everyone we spoke to was extremely happy with their performance.” A MagicQ MQ500 Stadium served as the ho
USA - As a full-service, live event design and production provider, Goalen Group has produced projects all over the world for a broad spectrum of Fortune 500 clients. At a recent supplier awards ceremony held by one of the world’s largest aerospace manufacturers, the design firm was asked to create an exciting production design inside the newly renovated The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. Being given the opportunity to produce in a state-of-the-art music venue, Goalen Group wanted to push their design to a higher place, so they created a truly unique overhead LED video design with FLEXLite Plus 3.9mm LED video from PixelFLEX. “We specialize in the creative production of corporate events and have been a long-time supplier for this client at their annual senior leadership meetings and supplier awards ceremony,” began Matthew Goalen, vice President and technical dir
UK - This year saw the Greenpeace field take a leap into the future. With the theme of ‘forests’, the creative team ran wild designing structures visible from across the site. The most noticeable element of the field consisted of a huge 18m tree constructed by Factory Settings. When combined with ON LX’s bespoke lighting solutions, punters could interact with the 40 Universes of WS2811 Pixels within the tree. This interaction, triggered by a plethora of Raspberry Pi setups, was crafted by Bailes+Light’s Barri Mason. For this setup, GPIO inputs were utilised to allow OSC to trigger the system creating an effective way to communicate Greenpeace’s ideas through punters participating in the activity. This lead to people becoming more engaged with the campaign and influenced to consider future behaviour. In this case, linking hands around the ‘Giant Rave T
Italy - Nine Litec roof systems ranging from 10 x 8m to 27 x 13m were chosen by Live You Play for their event during the MIR (Music Inside Rimini) exhibition in Fiera Di Rimini, Italy. Seven roofs were provided by AMG International, one roof by Electra Service di Buttarelli R. & C and the largest 27 x 13m MyT Folding Steroid Roof by Massimo Stage. Live You Play is a concept where lighting, sound, video, rigging equipment and other entertainment technology manufacturers showcase their products with virtual and live shows on physical stages and roof systems. Visitors are then able to experience a full “hands-on” experience with the products, physically controlling and interacting with them. The bands performing at this year’s live events were Pop Deluxe, Roxy Bar and J Bees. Litec has been the main support structure manufacturer for Live You Play events since
USA - When an event space owner and esteemed car collector in Pottsville, Pennsylvania decided to model a cavernous 4,000sq.ft room after a vintage drive-in movie theatre, he knew that top notch technology would be necessary to truly create the coveted 1950’s experience. That’s why he called on local technology integrator Tom Walker of the CI Guys to turn his vision into a reality with a custom-built entertainment system anchored by ELAN control. “First and foremost, a reliable control system is the most important factor when designing a unique and complex system such as this,” Walker explained. “It’s imperative that the technology is responsive and accessible during private events. That’s why we installed a central ELAN system to control both the sophisticated theatre and multi-room audio system. “ELAN also controls the entire building’s Lutron light
UK - From its humble beginnings in 1970, the Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts has championed performance diversity in all its shapes and forms. The Circus Big Top and the Wow! stages are two examples which perhaps best encapsulate this tradition of diversity at Glastonbury. While both stages featured very different forms of entertainment, both had a consistently excellent visual palette thanks once again to Fineline Lighting and rigs that featured Chauvet Professional fixtures. Rob Sangwell, MD, specified a large selection of Maverick MK2 Wash, Maverick MK1 Spot, Maverick MK1 Hybrid, Rogue R2 Beam, and Rogue R2 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional across both stages. At the 1,500 capacity Circus Big Top stage, LD James Loudon specified 10 440W Maverick MK2 Spot fixtures to create stunning spot effects in support of the varied programme of circus
UK - Holo-Gauze has been instrumental in helping Realtime Environmental Systems (RES) and creative director Liam Tomaszewski to realise superstar DJ Eric Prydz’s holographically-enhanced performance for his EPIC 5.0 show, debuting at London’s Victoria Park in front of an audience of 15,000 in late May. Projected onto a huge, highly transparent and reflective 20m x 9m Holo-Gauze screen, mind-bending animations – including a giant astronaut – created the “biggest hologram in the world”, according to Prydz. Four Panasonic RZ31K 30,000 lumen laser projectors were merged together, beaming a single image of creative director and VJ Liam Tomaszewski’s optical illusions onto the Holo-Gauze screen, which was positioned in front of Prydz. In addition to the Holo-Gauze screen, a huge V-shaped 2304 x 576 pixel LED display was positioned on the back wall of the stage
Europe - When a band like Kiss takes to the road on a European tour, they demand an aesthetic extravaganza which delivers the ‘wow factor’ on an epic scale. PRG XL Video supported lighting designer Sean ‘Motley’ Hackett and the band with a complex video system, made up of LED screens, projection, HD camera system, media servers, and a crew of engineers and technicians to ensure everything ran smoothly for the 37 days the tour was on the road. Motley’s an established lighting designer who has worked with Kiss since 2007, as well as other acts including INXS, Andrea Bocelli, Savage Garden and has worked for Bytecraft/PRG Australia as crew chief and fill-in LD on many tours. Motley described the process behind designing the lighting and video rig for the current tour: “The main element of any Kiss show is that it has to be big. The brief from the band was that they
Italy - A crazy gig of epic proportions saw a quarter of a million Vasco Rossi fans pack into Modena Park for the one and only 2017 live appearance by Italian superstar and local hero in an epic homecoming concert. Lighting designer Giovanni Pinna, known for the imagination and flair of his work, wanted to make a serious impact for this show and utilized 550 Robes as the backbone of his rig – making about around two-thirds of the total fixture count – with 200 x Spiiders, 50 x BMFL Blades and Spots, 200 x LEDWash 1200s and 600s and 100 x LEDBeam 100s. It's safe to say that most people in Italy have a ‘soft spot’ for Vasco, who was also celebrating 40 years of a tumultuous career which has had its thrills and spills, so it’s good to see the maverick rock ‘n’ roll showman right back on form - performing at his very best. The show was also broadcast li
Moldova - King of Kings events are some of the most popular kickboxing events in the world and Elation dealer Eventica Grup SRL of Moldova has been a staging and technical contractor of KOK tournaments for years. For past events, Eventica has turned to Elation Platinum SBX hybrid fixtures for their multi-functionality, power and dynamism. For the King of Kings World Grand Prix 46 tournament held 1 April in Moldova, Eventica added Elation’s new Fuze Wash Z350 to the line-up along with other Elation gear. Lighting design was by Max Cojocari. KOK events are intense affairs with pre-bout introductions a vital step in building up the exciting atmosphere. The fighter entrance stage, key in the build up to a match, is a large space where anywhere from 18 fighters to a single fighter will make their appearance. “We needed to fill the space with dynamic lighting, whether it was f
USA - Essential Communications of East Hanover, New Jersey has recently completed a major upgrade to the audio systems at Manhattan’s Soho Grand Hotel. Opened in August 1996, the Soho Grand Hotel was Manhattan’s first luxury downtown boutique hotel, delivering a level of service and style that earned it a place on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List as one of the world’s best places to stay. Presenting a variety of musical events and other programmes, including contemporary DJs, the Soho Grand Hotel has maintained its investment in technology over the past 17 years with four major sound system upgrades, all designed and installed by Essential Communications. The latest upgrade includes a Symetrix Radius 12x8 EX DSP to integrate management of the audio systems throughout the entire property, and a new Community loudspeaker system for the Salon, the hotel’
The RHS's Flower Show in Cardiff is the season-opener for the society's large public events and although smaller than its Chelsea and Hampton Court equivalents, it annually attracts in the region of 30,000 visitors. The 2017 edition, the 13th staging of the event, took place in April at Bute Park and Arboretum, in the shadow of Cardiff Castle and once again proved to be a record-breaking spectacular. Themed around myths and legends, several of the show gardens took their inspiration from tales of magic and folklore and the sheer variety on offer at the show marked it as a special weekend in Cardiff's cultural calendar. Fifty specialist growers were present, educational workshops were held and the focus was firmly on visitors enjoying a relaxed atmosphere in which they could fully appreciate the variety on offer. The Floral Marquees and Plant Village were bursting with demonstration
France - Situated in Rennes, Les Champs Libres is not only the main city library (Rennes Métropole) and Museum of Brittany, but it also incorporates a science museum with planetarium, a conference room and exhibition hall. Designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc 11 years ago, this cultural centre recently hosted a highly progressive multipoint sound system installation that would permit six sound designers to ‘sculpt’ artworks that could be moved in space. At the hub of the system is an ingenious ‘engine’ in which advanced Powersoft tools communicate with QSC Q-Sys integrated AV technology control over an AoIP platform. This enables the designers to play out FLAC files - audio samples compressed with the FLAC audio encoding algorithm over AES67 - which these devices support. With eight Amadeus PMX-5 loudspeakers and two ML-12 subwoofers distribute
Israel/Germany - The German-Israeli co-production St Matthew’s Passion 2727 is a dance oratorio choreographed by Tamir Ginz for the Kamea Dance Company, inspired by the St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) by Johann Sebastian Bach, produced by Bayer Arts & Culture and a co-operation between two opera houses in Leverkusen and Wuppertal in Germany and Beer-Sheva Performing Arts centre in Israel. Lighting designer Yaron Abulafia was asked to add his magic and imagination to the intense performance. He is working for the first time with Ginz, one of the most important chorographers in Israel, who heard about Yaron’s fresh, innovative approach to lighting which brings a unique layer of kinetic sculpting to the artform. Yaron, already familiar with the music - a complex and ambitious musical construction that typically involves two choirs and at least one orch
UK - 22 June saw Subfrantic Production Services and the company's new Yamaha RIVAGE PM10 system installed in the legendary Studio 1 at London’s Abbey Road studios for a unique orchestral concert. Just a day after delivery it was thrust into a high-pressure situation - and it passed the test with flying colours. The occasion was the final of Sonos ReScored, a competition which gave emerging directors the chance to have their short film scored by Oscar-winning composer Steven Price. Winner Luke Flanagan’s film Mind The Gap was screened in front of an exclusive, 300-strong audience, with the score played live by a 54-piece orchestra. With both Abbey Road and Project Audio, the event’s production company, renowned for their pursuit of sonic excellence, the sound had to be exceptional. “We needed to showcase the best that the live industry could offer.
UK - Continuing their long-running support for Nordoff Robbins, PRG XL Video, has provided a package of video technology for the O2 Silver Clef Awards, held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The glamorous fundraising event which honours both up-and-coming and established music artists, celebrates Nordoff Robbins’ music therapy work, and via live and silent charity auctions, a raffle, and personal donations, raises hundreds of thousands of pounds to enable more people to benefit from music therapy around the UK. PRG XL Video supplied Barco projectors, and e2 screen management system, along with three large projection screens for onstage, and a variety of plasma screens situated around the Great Room, that displayed lots from the silent and live auctions, and acted as relay screens from the camera system. Crew chief for this event was Nathan Avery. Gearhouse
Germany - When Let’s Dance, the German version of Dancing with the Stars / Strictly Come Dancing, celebrated its 10th anniversary series recently, lighting designer David Kreilemann decided to place special emphasis on the versatile and powerful XR 440 BWS moving head from PR Lighting. He could see this fixture, which integrates spot, wash and beam with a quality optical system, performing all manner of duties. He therefore requisitioned 22 of the heads from rental company MLS. "The powerful hybrid lamp impresses with its efficient sharp projection in both the spot and the beam modes,” says Kreilemann. “Even with slow rotations of the gobos and prisms, there are no visible jerks in the movement whatsoever. In fact, the two prisms, which can morph and contra-rotate with respect to each other, are absolutely brilliant on the XR 440 BWS.”
UK - The Urban Hero Awards is an annual event bringing together people of all ages for their inspiring work and leadership within their local communities. For this year’s event, which took place at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, Jonny Billitt was tasked with providing stunning visual support for the evening. This included an awards ceremony dinner with accompanying live music performances. To fulfill both of these roles, Billitt specified a number of Chauvet Professional fixtures, including eight Maverick MK2 Washes, eight Maverick MK1 Hybrids, 12Next NXT-1 fixtures, 108 PVP S5 LED panels, eighteen Rogue R1 Beams, 24 Rogue R2 Washes and 21 Rogue R2 Spots. Performing key lighting roles in Billitt’s overall illumination concept were the Maverick Wash and Hybrid fixtures, and Rogue R1 Beams, which fulfilled a variety of roles including front and ambient stage ligh
Russia - The City Panorama exhibition and entertainment complex in Kazan opened to the public in early 2017. Breaking new ground in the deployment of high-resolution video in museums and visitor attractions, AV expert Polymedia together with their partner United 3D Labs designed an integrated audiovisual system with the help of AV Stumpfl CIS, using an 800 wide by 300 cm high AV Stumpfl Curve projection screen. Located in the exhibition hall, the panoramic exhibit uses a virtual fly-over whereby guests and citizens can see modern architecture of the city and familiarise themselves with modern Kazan. Video content comprises over 250 panoramic images taken with an ‘Octocopter’ using a high-resolution camera at different viewpoints and angles. The system works using a touch-screen and controller placed in front of the AV Stumpfl screen. This enables visitors to look o
UK - Visually there has always been a sense of fantasy and science fiction to Jeff Lynne’s ELO while musically his massively successful song catalogue inhabits a clear fusion of pop, rock and classical. It’s proved a happy combination on record and, as a live act, led to an epoch defining tour with a flying saucer in 1978. Bringing that sense of scale and sci-fi to stadium stature for 2017 has been the task of production manager Chris Vaughan and a creative team lead by Tim Routledge. Like Lynne himself, they have plundered several genres, not least by recreating the flying saucer for the twenty-first century to ‘fly’ above the stage and by using video on an epic scale. “The stage is wrapped in a back wall of seven very tall and closely packed portrait LED screens derived from the Muse Haarp tour,” Is how Video Design’s Alex Leinster describes it. “Add
UK - Utopium supplied a range of lighting, rigging, staging and screens to create an electric atmosphere in Bristol’s Lloyds Amphitheatre for two consecutive weekends, July 2017. Utopium was entrusted to create the perfect setting for thousands of music-lovers when Bristol Sounds (21-24 June) and Grillstock (1-2 July), headed to Bristol’s Harbourside. Both weekends welcomed some impressive music performances from the likes of Bonobo, Craig David and The Manic Street Preachers at Bristol Sounds and Pharcyde, The Darkness and Hot 8 Brass Band at Grillstock. With different stages in different positions and a variety of genres on offer over the course of the two events, Utopium had to be creative and astute when creating their base concert lighting systems for each event. For Bristol Sounds, Utopium utilised a range of new equipment which included Martin Sceptron VDO
UK - This summer, the London Palladium will play host to Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad as they tread the boards in a major new musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's classic novel, The Wind in the Willows. Adapted for the stage by Julian Fellowes, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the British musical, toured the UK late last year, playing in Plymouth, Salford and Southampton. But, says Patrick Molony, the show's production manager, the complexities of touring the production pale into insignificance when compared to putting on the show at the London Palladium. Knowing the challenges that lay ahead, Patrick brought Unusual Rigging on the team so that they could work through these challenges together. "Producers think the Palladium is a big theatre, because of the number of seats and the shows that have been there in the past," said Patrick," but this is certainly n
Russia - Robert Juliat’s award-winning Dalis 860 LED cyclorama lighting fixtures are currently playing a key role in Snégourotchka (The Snow Maiden) by Rimski-Korsakov at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. The opera premiered on 15 June on the 1740-seat Heritage Stage on a set designed by Vladimir Arefiev, with lighting by Damir Ismagilov. In the largest installation of Dalis to date, Ismagilov chose to use 92 Dalis 860 asymmetrical LED units to illuminate three enormous lightboxes – the largest features of the set in this spectacular production – which form the backdrop to the Russian folk tale that tells of the Snow Maiden’s ill-fated love for the human, Mizgir. The lightboxes, each of which measure 22m wide x 15m high, are suspended 3m above the stage, and positioned upstage and on each side to form a box, covering the whole stage in width
