Vietnam - Christie HS Series 1DLP laser projectors brought to life the fictional planet of Nebula, enthralling audiences with immersive visuals in a dome set up within Dam Sen Cultural Park, a well-known amusement park in Ho Chi Minh City. Titled Nebula – The Elemental Lighting Planet, this AV showcase took place in an inflatable dome measuring 15m in diameter and 8m in height. It employed various technologies including several Christie D20WU-HS laser projectors, interactive lighting, laser effects, and realistic props to transport visitors to an exciting universe inspired by Avatar: The Way of Water. The concept was conceived and executed by Christie’s partner Alta Media, which specialises in systems integration, digital content, and show entertainment technology. “Nebula – The Elemental Lighting Planet tells the story of the four elements
UK - Christie projection has helped to elevate a spatial light art experience at a 19th-century church building in Waterloo, Liverpool. At Black Hole – End of Time, projectors were used to map striking content from visual artist Rocco Helmchen onto the interior of Old Christ Church, in conjunction with a soundtrack, lighting, lasers, and additional effects. The performance was the brainchild of musician and lighting designer Paul Alty, with the projection content created by Helmchen. Funds were raised from ticket sales, a JustGiving page, and cash donations and were donated to BackupTech, which supports professionals in the entertainment industry, and local charity Friends of Old Christ Church. Following a successful 2021 event, the show aimed to deliver an even more engaging storytelling spectacle with the addition of projection. “There was a lot of appetit
Italy - In response to environmental and energy sustainability challenges, the city of Formia turned to the power of Christmas architectural projections as the most effective way to illuminate its urban landscape over the recent holiday season. Six of the city's landmarks and community gathering places were dressed up with a light show, utilising Prolights Mosaico L projectors and personalised gobo images supplied by Prolights. The image-mapping technique was used to adapt the projections to the specific buildings, creating a different and dynamic display at each location. The Mosaico L projectors proved to be the ideal tool for this project, with their flexibility and remote-control capabilities allowing for dynamic scenes to be displayed in sequence. The 300W LED source and efficient optical system of the projectors also significantly reduced energy consumption, resu
USA - Anthony Leo’s Nashville-based AV production company 800 Pound Gorilla Media specialises in capturing comedy, recording everything from albums to live specials. Live comedy recording brings with it some rather unusual challenges, and Anthony relies on Lectrosonics wireless products – including the DCR822 Compact Digital and UCR411a Digital Hybrid Wireless receivers, HMa and SMQV Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters, and HHa Handheld Wireless Transmitter – to get the job done right. Anthony has been doing audio and video production in Nashville for 16 years. He originally co-founded 800 Pound Gorilla Media as a comedy record label, but the firm now does much more. “We do albums, shoot comedy specials… we aim to be a supportive service for every stage of a comedian’s career.” Comedy venue recording isn’t like capturing a room for music, Anthony expl
Hungary - Debrecen, Hungary’s second-largest city, is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and one of the Hungarian people’s most important intellectual and cultural spots. In August this year, the city opened the doors to a new cultural jewel, Csokonai Fórum. Part of the oldest and largest theatre in Debrecen, the Csokonai Theater, Csokonai Fórum is a new multi-functional theatre and training complex, created to meet the needs of modern theatre productions. DiGiCo’s Hungarian distributor, Chromasound, was chosen as the audio supplier for the new venue, supplying a DiGiCo 4REA processor along with a Quantum 7, SD12, and two mobile SD11 consoles, which are used throughout the multi-purpose facility. “Building a new theatre from the ground up is the dream of every company, as it offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a new historic
USA - Guitarist Richard Fortus is currently playing with Axl and Slash in Guns N’ Roses, whom he joined in 2001. He has previously played with Rihanna, Enrique Iglesias, Thin Lizzy, Fiona Apple, BT, and Crystal Method. He’s been a full-on band member of The Psychedelic Furs and more recently supergroup The Dead Daisies. His film score contributions include Monster and The Fast and the Furious franchise. He joined Celestion for a conversation about his career, influences, musical values, gear, and how Celestion speakers — especially the Alnico Cream, G12H family, and Gold — have been his musical partner during his entire journey. Whatever the genre, Celestion speakers are a cornerstone of the sound Fortus delivers. “In my live rig with Guns N’ Roses I have two amps that the front-of-house engineer mixes,” he says. “One is a little Magnatone Twilighter with an
New Zealand - George Ezra’s lighting director Chris Taylor and production manager Jake Vernum were very happy to see Robe on the lighting specs for the recent Australia and New Zealand legs of the UK singer / songwriter’s Gold Rush Kid tour. Eleven Robe MegaPointes on the upstage truss have been present throughout the whole tour which kicked off in Spring in the UK and Ireland, then extended into a lengthy festival section as Ezra and his band delighted audiences across Europe. The original show and lighting / set design by Cate Carter is being overseen and co-ordinated on the road by Chris Taylor, and the earlier sections of the tour have also featured two Robe RoboSpot systems running with two Forte moving lights. The Auckland show, staged at the Spark arena, was an all-Robe rig – apart from the strobes and 10 2K fresnel ‘specials’ on stands – wit
Thailand - Last September, 10,000 of Thailand's electronic dance music fans got reacquainted with the energy of a live show as Bangkok’s Together Festival returned after a two-edition hiatus to deliver a programme filled with the genre’s A-listers. Headliners like Blasterjaxx, W&W, Will Sparks and AXMO were featured alongside local talents Roxy June, Riviere and Ayrton. Staged over two days in a massive 3,267sq.m exhibition hall at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC), the festival showcased various EDM styles. With a dynamic range of sub-genres from big room house, and hardstyle, to euphoric, vocal-led tracks, an equally dynamic PA was needed to support the various musical content. Festival organisers looked to Bangkok-based L-Acoustics rental partner, One Systems Global Production to supply a full-range, powerful PA that would fit t
France - Christie Mirage 4K40-RGB pure laser projectors have formed the centrepiece of a new extension to a research centre at IRCAD (Institut de Recherche contre les Cancers de l'Appareil Digestif) located within the University Hospital of Strasbourg, France. IRCAD 3 is the latest addition to the globally recognised surgical research and training institute, and the 2,400sq.m (26,000sq.ft) hub building dedicated to robotics. AV integrator DEYA installed a pair of Christie Mirage 4K40-RGB projectors in its 237-seat auditorium, delivering 3D and leading colour reproduction required for specialist learning. A Christie Terra SDVOE-based AV-over-IP solution is used to power content at the auditorium, and the building features a host of IP-connected AV elements throughout, including speakers, microphones, digital signage and video conferencing technologies. “The aims of t
Germany - Rapper Luciano had six albums chart in the Top 10 and sold out Germany’s leading concert venues. Last year, in September, he became the first German rapper to reach over seven million Spotify listeners. But through it all, musical phenom Luciano hasn’t lost touch with the creative forces rising from the streets of the Schöneberg district of Berlin; they continue to drive his music today, just as they did when he burst upon the scene in 2012. “I come from the street. I have characteristics from the street, and the streets can teach positive lessons as well,” Luciano once told an interviewer. However, as his career has flourished, the irrepressible rapper has enlarged his musical footprint and stage charisma, creating a uniquely powerful style. His impressive presence was on full display on his recent Majestic Tour of Germany and Austria. Reflecting th
USA - Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles recently premiered its latest award-winning show, Signs of Life, in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium. The new immersive programme thrusts viewers into the driver’s seat of discovery: illuminating the nature of existence on Earth and exploring where one might look for life elsewhere in the universe. To put forth an authentic, amusing and engaging immersive experience, Re-recording Mixer Michael Phillips Keeley turned to Nugen Audio’s Halo Upmix plug-in. Since he worked on Signs of Life in the midst of the pandemic, Keeley had to figure out the most beneficial way to translate the sound from his Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 speaker setup at his Sound Striker studio to the 28.1 system at the observatory. Having previously used Nugen, he knew the brand would help him deliver exactly what he planned. “This was an absolute dre
USA - The Ravenscroft, a new music venue located in Scottsdale, AZ, first opened its doors in October 2021. Since then, it has hosted numerous renowned jazz musicians in the 200-seat Ravenscroft Hall along with performances by local artists in the Jazzbird Lounge. Both venues are powered by Meyer Sound systems, provided by CSD Group LLC. “What sets the Ravenscroft apart is the quality of Meyer Sound products throughout,” said Rick Stewart, the principal AVL consultant for CSD. “The venue’s performance hall is fabulous, just an incredible sounding room.” Ravenscroft Hall is outfitted with a Constellation acoustic system, providing natural, flexible, and immersive acoustics to the space. It also features a loudspeaker system that includes our UPQ full-size loudspeakers, UPJ compact variO loudspeakers, 900‑LFC compact low-frequency control elements, and more.
Lithuania - The open-air production of the Wagner opera The Flying Dutchman in the historic Paul Willy Lindenau shipyard in Lithuania was was broadcast live on the OperaVision streaming platform. Lighting designer Andrius Stasiulis and event technology service provider Baltic Production Service relied on more than 200 outdoor-ready Cameo spotlights for the lighting production of the spectacular stage. The Wagner protagonists performed on a 50m stage, and often moved far from one another on the ship and the laterally rigged superstructures, sometimes being up to 40m apart. In addition, Andrius Stasiulis and Baltic Production Service were faced with the challenge of creating a lighting setup that was equally suitable for live and camera use. The team used a total of 38 Opus X Profiles for spot and front lighting, while the 32 Opus H5s were primarily used for show eleme
USA - The multi-generational Northwest Bible Church in Dallas, Texas, ramped up atmospheric looks and festive lighting effects for a series of concerts in December, rigging Vari-Lite VL1600 Profile luminaires from Signify. The church’s lighting director Matthew Hughes worked with Tyler Gannaway, Vari-Lite business development manager Central and Eastern rental & touring at Signify, to source the VL1600 fixtures. Hughes’ aim was to utilise the VL1600’s VL*FX wheel to add movement to the textures projected on the walls, and the tuneable white engine and wide colour range to create the perfect atmosphere for the concerts. “I wanted the service to have a delicate feel, as Advent services are often full of reflection and preparation and require a bit of theatrical finesse to pull off in a tasteful manner,” says Hughes. “Many of the songs we did were very slo
France - “We think of our creations as an invitation to dream,” Jean-Baptiste Duperray, founder and artistic director of La Compagnie des Quidams has said. This invitation was eagerly accepted recently by all who visited the historic Château des ducs de Bretagne on the banks of the Loire in Nantes to see the street art group’s Fiers à Cheval performance. There, as the show’s large, self-lit inflatable horses floated in the air, flowing in harmony with metamorphic human artists, the imagination of spectators took flight. Like all Compagnie des Quidams performances, Fiers à Cheval (Proud on Horseback) is an enchanting and colourful open air presentation, where music combines with the swirling, synchronized motions of humans and large (3.5m high by 2.5m wide) self-lit inflatables to transform any public spaces into a dream-like wonderland.
UK - For the past several years, White Light (WL) has worked closely with Culture Creative and Sony Music to supply the lighting and technical support for their Christmas trails. Taking place at locations across the UK, the trails feature trees and woodland drenched in Christmas colour, shimmering waterside reflections, tunnels of light as well as fire gardens. WL once again supplied the Trails in 2022 and not only invested in several new fixtures for the illuminations but also helped develop a new unit that is now part of the company’s extensive hire stock. The 2022 Christmas Trails featured a more expansive list of locations than ever before, ranging from Kew Gardens and Blenheim Palace to Leeds Castle and the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. As always, WL’s role was to work closely with Culture Creative, Sony and the designers involved to bring their vision to life.
UK - The Lyttelton Theatre - the middle-sized of the three venues that make up the National Theatre complex on London’s South Bank - has recently undergone a complete lighting upgrade, replacing the last of its tungsten and discharge automated heads with an almost all-Martin LED rig. This brings it into line with the other spaces, including their premier Olivier and Dorfman Theatres. Both have also systematically transferred exclusively to LED rigs, using Martin by Harman MAC Encore Performance wash lights (both CLD and WRM versions) and recently the new high-powered MAC Ultra Performance profile. Laura Curd, lighting supervisor for the Lyttelton, confirms that in recent months the theatre has taken delivery of nearly 80 mission critical fixtures from the Martin portfolio, including a further 54 Encore Performance WRM and CLD ‘top-ups’ and seven MAC Aura PXL -
Germany/Poland - Event technology service provider DLP Motive supplied full technical design and production – staging, automation and kinetic elements, lighting, sound, video, and LED screens – to ESL Gaming for the 10th anniversary of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) e-gaming tournament, including two three-day events staged at the 10,000 capacity Spodek Arena in Katowice, Poland, and the 18,500 capacity Lanxess-Arena in Cologne, Germany. Striking lighting designs by Andreas (Andy) Mohl for these two events included over 250 x Robe moving lights, part of 15 trucks worth of production kit that helped ensure the delivery of a colourful, adrenalized, all-action three days of superlative e-gaming enjoyed by both live and streamed audiences. The Robe luminaires included 48 x Esprites, 70 x Spiiders, 60 x LEDBeam 150s, 54 x Pointes and 22 x MegaPointes, and the event i
Sweden - Automation and a Kinesys system were right at the heart of Palle Palme’s spectacular lighting and video design for Swedish pop supergroup GES’s popular 2022 tour, which culminated in a month-long residency at Stockholm’s Cirkus venue. The band – featuring three of Sweden’s biggest singing stars – romped through a playlist of greatest collective and individual hits, and to keep the energy and pace pumping throughout the set, Palle’s design included two circular lighting trusses – 10m and 3m diameters – that moved, plus a 5m diameter semi-circular LED screen which flew in and out at strategic moments. “Automation was an essential element of this show’s aesthetic,” commented Palle, who wanted the additional dynamics of movement to make the stage design really rock. “It was an ideally suited performance environment for the extra visual t
USA - Once again, the company responsible for creating the light show at Seattle's New Year's Eve event at the Space Needle, Illuminate Production Services (IPS), turned to Elation Professional's line of IP-rated products to bring their vision to life. New to this year’s design were Elation Proteus Rayzor Blade linear effects, which joined other Proteus range luminaires and other Elation IP-rated lights on the dazzling show. The New Year's Eve celebration featured a choreographed 11-minute show with synchronized drone footage (Sky Elements), fireworks (Pyro Spectaculars), and Elation lighting. The show was set to a playlist highlighting significant music and pop culture events of the year and included a tribute to Ukraine. Broadcast locally on KING 5 and streamed online, the night also included two 10-minute light shows prior to the New Year’s countdown used to bu
Switzerland - As the European festival scene kicked back into action following the upheaval and restrictions of the pandemic, Ayrton teamed up with some established Swiss rental companies to support festivals across the country and showcase some of Ayrton’s latest fixtures. Stagelight AG Showtechnik supplied kit to the largest hip-hop festival in Europe at Frauenfeld, the Gurten Open Air festival in Bern and Schaffhausen’s Stars in Town across July and August. Stagelight AG Showtechnik used the same equipment package from Ayrton for each festival: 16 x Zonda 9 FX; 16 x Cobra and four Domino LT with every fixture adding its own features to the stages. “Each of these fixtures brings a new dimension to meet open-air design challenges,” opens Stagelight’s Stefan Rüttimann. “We have a long and mutually trustworthy relationship with Ayrton, and having Marc (Lor
Japan - Since opening in 1985, Antiknock has become a hall of fame for punk and hardcore bands, and many of today’s major artists originally set down their roots there. Now the venue, situated in the burgeoning Shinjuku district of Tokyo, has become the first in Japan to install Martin Audio’s new Torus constant curvature array. Speaking of the installation, Mr. Sekikawa, CEO of Hardaway Corporation, which manages the venue, said the renewal of the sound system was a gift to the many artists and patrons who volunteered to sell T-shirts and make donations to keep the venue alive during the COVID pandemic. “This was my first thought when trying to thank them all for their cooperation during those difficult times,” he said. The system previously installed had been huge and featured old long-throw cabinets. Their disproportionate size not only made the stage looked
USA - For Patrick Dierson, it was a case of really bad timing. The day before he was scheduled to travel to The Kia Forum for the iHeartRadio ALTer Ego concert, he had to cancel his flight after testing positive for COVID. “It was a real bummer, as this is one of my favourite projects,” said Dierson, the production designer for the big alternative music concert. “It was particularly disheartening given what a non-event my sickness turned out to be. So, I had to work on this one remotely. In the end, though it proved to be way more of a personal disappointment than an actual production challenge. “Things went smoothly because of the team we have onsite, beginning with our project manager and gaffer, Zack Guthimiller, and our LD, Justin Cheatham, as well as the crews from 4Wall Entertainment, C2W Rigging, and Diversified Production Services.” There was an
Denmark - When it opened in September of last year, the new campus of Sonic College - a unit of the University of South Denmark in Kolding - immediately vaulted to the top ranks of European educational institutions for all disciplines related to sound design for music, film, video, and gaming. The new facility boasts 10 studios for sound creation, recording, and mixing, but what sets Sonic College apart is what the school calls their “sound-embracing atrium”. More than 180 Meyer Sound self-powered loudspeakers are installed throughout the five-story space, with about half facing into the open atrium and the remainder placed in the ceilings of connected corridors. Each loudspeaker is connected to a discrete output of a Galileo Galaxy Network Platform, which allows dynamic panning of multiple sound sources throughout the entire space using Meyer Sound’s Spacemap Go spat
