Austria - The Bregenz Festival (Bregenzer Festspiele) has been a feature of the European cultural landscape for over 75 years. Hosting a wide range of musical and theatrical events during July and August in the Austrian city of Bregenz, the jewel in the festival crown is the Seebühne in the spectacular setting of the waters of Lake Constance. The largest floating stage in the world, the Seebühne, with its 6658-seat open-air amphitheatre, is the star venue for the festival’s musical and operatic productions, often with sets as stunning as the lacustrine backdrop. This year’s production was Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, staged on a vast 23m x 33m 300-ton set designed to represent a giant leaf of delicately creased Japanese paper. The technical challenges involved in a production of this nature are enormous, with sound being amongst the most critical. This y
USA - Over the course of his career, Scott Holthaus has created some extraordinarily impressive shows with large centre stage video screens. But sooner or later, most things in life run their course, and at this point, the designer was ready for a change. “I have said it a hundred times... I’m bored with the big TV in the back,” remarked Holthaus, when discussing his design for Disturbed’s just concluded 36-date Take Back Your Life North American tour, which began 27 April at Bell Centre in Montreal and ended 2 September at the Ruoff Music Center outside Indianapolis. On this tour, Holthaus achieved his vision, going outside the box (or wall!) to create a design that flowed seamlessly with the musical narrative on stage without the use of a central video wall. In place of the familiar video component were three rows of automated truss that changed positi
India - The inaugural exhibition of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai, India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination, was lauded both for the scale of the exhibit and its engagement value. Kapil Thirwani, director of Munro Acoustics was tasked with fulfilling the audio brief which demanded an array of immersive soundscapes that segued from zone to zone. Calling upon the expertise of distributor, Alphatec, he quickly discovered that only the capabilities of TiMax SoundHub would meet the complexity of the audio solution in its entirety. The exhibition is curated by Vogue’s global editor, Hamish Bowles and presents a multi-zone exploration into the impact of India on global fashion and vice versa. Thirwani was contacted to deliver the audio solution in an eye-wateringly tight timeframe. On advice f
The Netherlands - Drum ‘n’ bass fans were given an event to remember when the three-day Liquicity Festival was staged recently in Geestmerambacht Park in the north of the Netherlands. Begun in 2013 the first multiple day Liquicity took place in 2017 and today the event attracts daily attendances of up to 20,000. Martin Audio partners DSL and Stairway Productions collectively provided several hundred enclosures, plus amplifiers and accessories, site wide. This notably included a massive deployment of WPL Wavefront Precision line arrays by DSL for the premier two performance stages - and seven separate zones in all (including the food court) spread across a site that was suitably draped and decorated for the occasion. The main Galaxy stage saw 20x WPL left and right (in two box resolution), with 12x WPC for delays (also in two box resolution) and 21x SXH218 sub
Tunisia - The 42nd Festival International de Dougga took place between 27 July and 7 August this year in Dougga in northwest Tunisia. Qualified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1997, the city is the best preserved Roman small town in North Africa, and festivalgoers enjoy music and theatrical performances on stages dating from Roman times. Performers at this year’s festival included Dhafer Youseef, noted for fusing eastern and western musical styles and introducing the traditional short-necked lute-type instrument the Oud into contemporary music, and Algerian Berber singer, songwriter and guitarist Souad Massi. Also appearing were Assyrian-Syrian singer Faia Younan, Mauritanian singer, songwriter and instrumentalist Noura Mint Seymali and Tunisian musician, composer and singer Zied Gharsa. Sound for the festival was provided by local event technology specialists
The Netherlands - The 10th edition of the Op Dreef music festival took place at the BillyBird Park Drakenrijk in Reuver on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May. Ritmo Productions supplied a large number of lights by Showtec and Infinity for the event. The festival, which plays house, r&b, techno, urban and hip hop music, was attended by thousands of people over the course of two days and saw more than 60 artists perform across five different stages. More than 200 lighting fixtures by Showtec and Infinity, supplied by Ritmo Productions, were in use at the festival and 175 of these were fixtures by Showtec. Bright, colourful and dynamic lighting came in the form of 14 Spectral M800 Q4 spots, 36 Helix S5000 Q4 washers, 45 Sunstrips and 80 Pixelstrip 40 lights. The Pixelstrips were controlled by seven Showtec Pixel Controllers. Infinity added to the atmosphere with 19
UK - In June, Wellcome Collection hosted the Land Body Ecologies Festival - a free, four-day event exploring environmental and mental health topics by incorporating elements of sound, touch, taste and vision. The festival, which included art installations, workshops, talks, films, and performances, focused on the connections between mental health and our ecosystem. The Land Body Ecologies (LBE) research group is led by Yorkshire, UK-based multi-disciplinary arts studio Invisible Flock and other partners, who were recipients of the Wellcome Trust’s prestigious Hub Award. The festival was produced by Unbox Cultural Futures and Invisible Flock. "The focus of all of our work looks specifically at the natural wild and the environment: the ways in which we interact with it and the ways we perceive it - or maybe don’t perceive it," explains Invisible Flock technical direc
Chile - Lighting designer Deivid Rojas used a large complement of Claypaky fixtures when reggaeton stars Zion & Lennox marked their 23rd anniversary as a musical duo with a spectacular show at the Moviestar Arena in Santiago. “We aimed to impress the audience with a massive setup where the artists would be the center of attention,” says Rojas. “We incorporated extensive LED screens and lights, including Claypaky fixtures, to achieve a striking show. Our goal was to provide the audience with the best experience while keeping the focus on the artists.” He designed the rig with 40 Claypaky Sharpy Plus, 30 Midi-B, 27 Sharpy and eight Alpha Wash 1500 fixtures from Iluminacion Chile. Rojas chose the Claypaky fixtures for “the vibrant colours they offer, their focus and zoom capabilities, and their speed. They stand out with their bright and vivid colours
USA - Electronic dance music pioneers Odesza launched their The Last Goodbye Tour last summer to critical acclaim and the popular duo continue to mesmerise audiences with dates on the schedule into October 2023. Lighting design is by Kyle Kegan who complements an array of captivating backdrop visuals using a rig that includes 78 Smarty Hybrid and 26 Artiste Monet moving heads from Elation Professional. Kegan, who has been lighting the duo since 2017, works on the design process with creative directors Luke Tanaka and Sean Kusanagi, as well as artists Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight themselves. Programming started early last year and after months in pre-vis and two weeks of tech rehearsals, the first string of sold-out shows launched at Climate Pledge Arena in the duo’s hometown of Seattle last summer. Video content is the driving visual force in the show an
USA - Bandit Lites is thrilled provided the lighting for multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band on their 2023 From the Fire Tour. Comprised of Zac Brown, Jimmy De Martini, John Driskell Hopkins, Coy Bowles, Chris Fryar, Clay Cook, Matt Mangano, Daniel de los Reyes and Caroline Jones, the Zac Brown Band recently released The Comeback (Deluxe) album which features re-recorded tracks with James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, Marcus King and Blake Shelton. This tour follows Zac’s 2022’s Out in the Middle Tour, where Bandit worked with Bryan Bieber and Ryan Gall of 340 Productions to provide the lighting system. It is the band’s tenth North American tour and kicked off 30 June and continues through November. With more than 30 shows, fans of the southern rock band will also be able to hear special guests on select dates throughout the tour, in
USA - Cody James created the lighting and production design for Yellowcard’s current Ocean Avenue 20th Anniversary Tour. “This design was built on two main ideas,” said James. “I wanted to have no blank space, but at the same time I didn’t want the stage to feel cluttered. Also, I wanted the whole thing to have an almost organic feel, something that felt natural and didn’t take away from the band playing their first shows in seven years.” Anyone who sees the famed punk rockers on their current tour, which includes stops at Petco Park, Denver’s Levitt Pavilion, and the YouTube Theatre in LA, will readily agree that James has accomplished his ambitious goal in flying colours. His design fills the stage with bold, electrifying looks from three large video walls and a collection of intensely bright lighting fixtures rigged in irregular patterns at di
UK - The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s vision is to be the world’s greatest immersive event. Creative Technology supported the technical delivery of the projection which was displayed across Edinburgh Castle throughout each of the spectacular shows that took place over a period of three weeks from 5-26 August. Utilising 23 Panasonic RQ35K Laser Projectors, the Creative Technology team displayed a 6K canvas over Edinburgh Castle - projecting the content created by Kate Dawkins vividly across the structure, bringing it to life. “To project onto such an iconic building is the stuff of dreams and I feel honoured to be a part of this prestigious show,” says Paul Seeger, project manager at Creative Technology UK. “One of the most exciting things about this project is having the opportunity to do it more than once; this isn’t often the case with largescale pro
UK - Chichester Festival Theatre has recently upgraded its follow-spot solution with a pair of new Macula remote follow-spot systems, combined with a pair of Martin MAC Ultras, all supplied by White Light (WL). Macula is a brand-agnostic system in terms of the moving heads it can control, with a combination of software and hardware delivering class-leading user-experience It is the brainchild of Danish production company, Lite Com, and was initially a system built for their in-house use only. However, its features and capabilities meant it was soon being deployed on numerous productions and shows – including the 2016 Eurovision – after which, it continued to be further developed and refined. It now finds itself being utilised at yet another performance venue - Chichester Festival Theatre. Graham Taylor, head of lighting at Chichester Festival Theatre, explains the
Jordan - Tritec AV Amman Jordan, a leading creative technical AV production company in the region, recently embarked on a restructuring programme, which included significant investments in new lighting products from Claypaky. The company purchased 40 Claypaky Xtylos, 42 Mini Xtylos HPE, 12 Skylos and 100 Mini B Aqua fixtures. They were quickly put to use on a number of projects, including a concert by Iraqi superstar Kadim Al Sahir on 13 July in Amman Exhibition Park. Al Sahir is one of the Arab world’s most popular and successful singers; he has also collaborated with western artists Sarah Brightman and Lenny Kravitz. “The event was challenging since the artist is generally considered classical but still comes across as energetic and lively,” says Marwan R. Abujaber, CEO of Tritec AV. “So we focused on depth and dimension using soft washes with an emphasis on
Australia - The first Australian feature film to be entirely shot using Virtual Production premieres internationally this month. Mercy Road is an unrelentingly tense psychological thriller from Tracks director John Curran. Teaming up with Australian filmmaker Alex Proyas’ (The Crow, Dark City) Arclight Films and virtual film production company, Heretic Foundation filmed the in-car and select outdoor scenes for the 85-min drama using the LED Volume stage at the purpose-built TDC Studios in Sydney, Australia. Working from a script by Chris Pelletier and Jesse Heffring and starring Luke Bracey (Point Break, Hacksaw Ridge, Elvis), Mercy Road is a white-knuckle ride about a man who is pushed to the limits of his sanity to protect his beloved daughter. To realise his vision, Curran and cinematographer Ross Giardina (Gold<
Finland - A new brand born in the Nordics, Unity is designed to seamlessly integrate work and life whilst developing a strong sense of community, offering busy professionals everything they need under one roof. Currently boasting seven locations throughout the Nordics, the most recently opened – Helsinki and Tampere – are equipped with high quality Genelec sound systems in the public and function areas, including a Smart IP system in the Helsinki location – all specified and installed by specialist Espoo-based AV integrators, AVconcept Oy. "The brief was to create a welcoming atmosphere with a distinct signature for the Unity brand and bring it to life with high quality audio," explains Tina Kaikkonen, General Manager for Unity Finland. "We collaborated with Tunebutler – a DJ group from Denmark – to curate playlists for the entire Unity group, ensuring a cons
USA - Lighting designer Emmanuelle ‘Gigi’ Pedron has taken Elation Professional’s broadcast market KL Panel XL IP LED soft light and transformed it into a high-impact, aesthetic rock 'n' roll light for Queens of the Stone Age’s The End Is Nero tour. After playing European festivals throughout much of the summer, the band launched their North American leg 3 August in Sterling Heights, Michigan. “I wanted to do a colour field type show in the style of an abstract painting, minimalistic in form with a sense of open space,” Pedron explains of her design. “I want people to see what I see in my head when I hear the music - like chromesthesia - and I needed a light that could express that with colour.” Pedron says the idea behind using the KL Panel XLs on the tour came about during the pandemic when the designer was working in TV and film. “You see special
UK - Enjoying their third year of providing quality sound at the South Facing Festival, Solotech UK found themselves working with a new production team - but the result was just the same. The natural contouring of the 10,000-cap Crystal Palace Bowl amphitheatre, coupled with the power and ultimate control of Martin Audio’s MLA multicellular array, once again provided a winning formula. Method Events were the new incumbents this year, and for the production company’s award-winning co-founder Will Holdoway it was a welcome reunion with Solotech account manager David Preston. “It was a pleasure to be working again with David and the Solotech team for the first time since operating shows together at Drumsheds, North London until February 2022,” he reported. Once again, the programme over the two weeks was top drawer, with - according to Preston - Noel Gallagh
USA - Sphere Entertainment Co has announced that internationally renowned media artist Refik Anadol is the first artist to utilise the Exosphere, the fully programmable LED exterior of Sphere in Las Vegas, as an immersive canvas, debuting an AI Data Sculpture created exclusively for Sphere called Machine Hallucinations: Sphere. Refik Anadol is a media artist, director, and ‘pioneer in the aesthetics of machine intelligence’. He uses large collections of public data and machine learning algorithms to create immersive art installations. Anadol is the founder of Refik Anadol Studio, a technology-driven creative design studio based in Los Angeles. Anadol’s work has been exhibited on six continents, including MoMA, New York; Art Basel, Miami; and the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. Machine Hallucinations: Sphere, an immersive digital experience, celebrat
Thailand - To provide the The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon hotel with an audio system fit for a luxury guest experience, Mahajak Co and Atkrist Co collaborated with Harman Professional Solutions to select and install a range of audio and control solutions. Nestled in the King Power Mahanakhon skyscraper in Bangkok, The Standard’s flagship hotel officially opened on 4 December 2022 and recently clinched the AHEAD Award for best Hotel New Build in Asia. The Standard required a robust background music system for its public areas, restaurants, terraces and meeting rooms. To meet this request Mahajak Co and Atkrist Co deployed a range of solutions from JBL Professional, Crown and BSS. Given the variety of rooms found throughout the hotel, the installation team broke up each floor into multiple zones to assess the unique audio requirements of each space and identif
USA - Today, it seems like just about every show “has to be lit ready for broadcast, I-Mag and or social media at any time,” says Felix Peralta. The noted designer and programmer has worked with many big stars with astronomical followings on Instagram, Facebook, and every other platform. This summer Peralta had the opportunity to create an array of video/photo-worthy visuals with his lighting when he lit Café Tacvba with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Peralta’s inspired use of contrasting warm and cool colour tones played off against the famed bandshell’s concentric arches, while the warm, radiant glow emanating from the shell-like stage accentuated the natural beauty of the venue’s Hollywood Hills surroundings. Helping him create these looks was a 4Wall Entertainment supplied rig that included 24 STRIKE Array
Poland - Sound rental company Gondek Stage & Events provided the audio infrastructures and other facilities for some of the largest festivals staged in eastern Europe through the spring and summer of 2023. An established Outline client, Bydgoszcz-based Gondek has recently added a substantial stock of Superfly to their existing inventory, which along with many other Outline products, handled a wide range of productions across numerous locations. Starting in May, they delivered a package including sound systems and staging for the Sunrise Festival at the Ergo Arena Upperground in Gdańsk, which was followed in June and early July by supplying two stages at the Open'er Festival at the Gdynia-Kosakowo airport in Gdynia. Right after that they delivered not only the sound but also the main stage and entire backstage infrastructure at the Reggae Festival in Ostró
Canada - Christie reports that its RGB pure laser projectors are illuminating a new immersive venue in Toronto. Illuminarium Experiences, in partnership with Toronto-based Secret Location, has opened its first Canadian location in Toronto’s Distillery Historic District. The 13,500sq.ft space includes almost 30 Christie RGB pure laser projectors and maintenance and support from Christie Professional Services. Illuminarium at The Distillery District places guests in the story and allows them to see, hear, feel, and affect the space around them. The new experience opens with two immersive shows: "Waking Wonderland inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Through the Looking Glass, takes guests through multiple projection-mapped environments and includes 7.2m real-time frames and over 30 unique interactions. SPACE: A Journey to the Moon and Beyond uses
Singapore - Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is always a delight to light, and Singapore-based lighting designer Gabriel Chan relished this task for the 2023 Shakespeare in The Park (SITP) version of this magical and mischievous work. Gabriel chose 67 Astera NYX Bulbs to get light sources into some of the more inaccessible parts of Richard Kent’s ‘cityscape’ set design, a cocktail of architectural fantasies that reimagined Athens as a stark industrial landscape that transformed into a dynamic hi-tech playground for the magic parts of the narrative. The set needed careful lighting from specific places and NYX Bulbs proved a perfect solution. It was the first SITP event for producers, The Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), since 2018. The production was directed by Guy Unsworth and staged at Fort Canning Green within Fort Canning Park.
