India - Christie laser projectors deployed for a spectacular projection-mapping showcase on the Secretariat Building in India’s capital, Delhi, have elevated the scale and solemnity of the annual Beating Retreat ceremony to new heights. The North and South blocks of the Secretariat Building are lit by over 40 Christie D20WU-HS laser projectors The captivating visuals, specially designed to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence, complemented the grand ceremony at Vijay Chowk, which included military bands, pipes and drum bands, buglers and trumpeters from India’s armed forces. Held annually on 29 January, the Beating Retreat ceremony is a centuries-old military tradition dating from the days when troops disengaged from battle at sunset. In India, the elaborate military ceremony is conducted to mark the formal conclusion of Republic Day celebrations. O
Mexico - The Day Zero Festival marked its 10th year in style with Funktion-One sound systems - from distributor and rental partner Loto Audio - on all three stages. The festival, which is the brainchild of organisers Damian Lazarus and Crosstown Rebels, is renowned for its melting pot of music, mysticism and natural wonder. Born on the final day of the Ancient Mayan Calendar in 2012, the one-day spectacular takes place in the Mayan jungle surrounding Tulum on Mexico’s Caribbean coastline. Over the last decade, it has grown a community of like-minded partygoers from all over the globe, attracted by both the deeper festival experience and its stellar music programming. This year, international electronic music acts, such as Nina Kravitz, The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler and Carl Craig, joined founder Damian Lazarus and a host of Mexican stars, including Grammy Awar
USA - Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) made it easy for themselves, swapping out their decade-old ASP8024 console for a brand new ASP8024 Heritage Edition by Audient. For coordinator and professor of audio engineering, Dr. Ian Corbett, it was an easy decision. “Teaching signal flow on the ASP8024 has always been easy, so why change a good thing? “We had used the classic for over 10 years and it survived hard student use and a building move so well. Less than one minor repair every five years - that’s a great track record compared to some other products we’ve had.” Continued reliability and ease of installation were very important to them. “The wiring and infrastructure from the classic ASP8024 was of course already there for the new mixer, so installation could not have been easier. A bunch of students to lift the old board out, and the new one
USA - Dodd Technologies, a full-service live events production company in Pendleton, Indiana, near Indianapolis, had a busy start to the year thanks to the College Football Playoff national championship game, which took place at Indianapolis’s Lucas Oil Stadium on 10 January. Dodd worked on several projects associated with the game including a remarkable high-rise ballet lit using Elation’s 50,000-lumen Proteus Maximus. The CFP national championship presented an opportunity for the city to shine. Over the weeklong festivities, Dodd lit up the JW Marriott hotel and Lucas Oil Stadium, along with a series of concerts by national acts that took place at Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. One of the more extraordinary events however took place high above Monument Circle on the 701’ tall Salesforce Tower, where a vertical dance troupe performed across the façade of
USA - The Incas revered gold as far more than a symbol of wealth and power. To them, the glittering metal was a gift bestowed directly from the gods that radiated mystical, restorative powers from its shimmering surface. Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru, named after a 15th-century Incan citadel in the Peruvian Andes, opened at the Boca Raton Museum of Art and showcases a collection of 192 gold artifacts crafted by this vanished civilization. The collection of chalices, bracelets, breastplates and other objects beckon visitors to dive deep into the world of the Incas. Embarking on their journey, they enter a collection of immersive walk-through galleries that house these artifacts. Taking up virtually the entire museum on two floors, these rooms reflect Incan life and culture in all its complexity and mystery. Enhancing the transformative power of this
Russia - On its inauguration in 2007, the Toratau Congress Hall became an instant architectural icon. Encompassing 14 multifunctional conference rooms, three VIP meeting rooms, a concert hall, a massive, 4000sq.m exhibition space, and three restaurants, each of the facilities matched the innovative design of the building itself. As time went by, Toratau Congress Hall attracted an increasingly international roster of events and artists, which in turn presented more demanding technical requirements. Venue management realised that the main auditorium would require a new high-end, multifunctional sound reinforcement system. A brief that was fulfilled by L-Acoustics K Series and X Series. Situated in the city of Ufa, the capital and largest city of Russia's most populated Republic of Bashkortostan, Toratau Congress Hall was designed to cater for events ranging from regional civil
USA - The fact that The Rolling Stones went on tour last year is nothing short of a miracle. Not only was the tour postponed from the summer of 2020, but the band’s drummer, Charlie Watts passed away in August. Nonetheless, The Stones went ahead with the tour, paying tribute to Charlie throughout. Front of house mixer Dave Natale had worked with The Stones many times before and joined them again for the 2021 No Filter Tour. Dave is known for his work with Prince, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Yes, Motley Crue, Fleetwood Mac, Van Halen, and many more A-list artists, and mixed the two most recent Super Bowl halftime shows. Dave first used the Austrian Audio OC18s cardioid pattern precision microphones on the reunion tour of The Black Crowes early last year and was more than pleased: “I am out on The Black Crowes tour right now. I am using a pair of OC18's for the overh
USA - Seacoast Church is recognised as a pioneer in the field of church propagation, with a dozen physical locations in South Carolina and one in North Carolina, as well as its online presence reflecting its status as one of the largest churches in the Eastern United States. Over 10,000 worshipers attend weekly, where Greg Surratt continues to serve as founding and teaching pastor while his son Josh Surratt serves as lead pastor. Seacoast Church recently installed a DiGiCo Quantum338 console at front of house for the church’s main and broadcast location in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina that seats 2,500. In addition, a new DiGiCo Quantum225 console is on order for the campus’ 1,300-seat Student Centre auditorium, with a third future Quantum225 planned for the church’s 800-seat Warehouse space. The new FOH Quantum338 is complemented with a pair of SD-Racks for a
Spain - Showtec stage and effect lighting fixtures were used on Canal Sur where three couples compete against each other in a refurbished Lingo studio. Recently, the first episode of a new Lingo season was broadcast on CanalSur. It is a battle of words between three couples with the aim of raising as much money as possible. The game consists of three rounds and a final lap in which the candidates try to guess as many words as possible. The winning couple eventually takes home the money they have gained during the game. The Lingo episodes are recorded by Loasur Studios. Unicorn and Galdo Media were also involved as co-producers. They have almost completely furnished the studio with Showtec products. They have managed to beautifully combine stage lighting with effect lighting for an atmospheric and vivid impression. What stands out are the beautiful colour
Romania - The 2/3 galeria is a space dedicated to contemporary art with an emphasis on photography, located in Bucharest. The building that houses the art exhibitions was built in 1895 by the architect Wilhelm Bast. After undergoing many transformations, the gallery's founder decided to preserve its historic character by keeping the 19th century exposed brick arches and the natural marble added in the 1970s. The new art gallery was inaugurated in June 2021 and it is characterised by a timeless feeling, combining the historical charm of the Bucharest's Old Town with the novelty of contemporary art. The art gallery aims to feature new artists with a distinctive perspective on the world. The name of the gallery was inspired by the 35mm frame format seen on compact cameras, another tribute to the importance of history in contemporary art. The new gallery has already hosted
Mexico - Daring acrobatic performers are as much a part of a circus as jugglers and clowns. This is especially true at Gran Circo Bardu, which, having no animals in its rink, relies heavily on the feats of physical dexterity by its acrobats to thrill audiences. These nimble artists aren’t the only ones performing delicate balancing acts at Gran Circo Bardu. As a lighting designer at the popular circus, Abraham De La Curz Merida must also walk a tight rope of sorts. With no backdrop or scenery inside the circular rink, he has to create texture with lighting alone; but at the same time, he must also be very careful not to distract the performers as they go through their carefully choreographed routines. Helping him thread the needle between these demands and create visuals that support the stars during a one-hour acrobatic demonstration is a collection of four Rogue
Canada - Laval, Québec-based Creative Lab, which creates lighting and visual installations of all kinds, has invested in 24 Ayrton Mistral-TC LED spot moving lights. The new fixtures have already been put to work on the Montreal Canadiens’ Samedis FANatiques (FANatic Saturdays) pre-game show and on a glitzy auto dealership event. “The Mistrals are our first Ayrton fixtures but certainly not our last,” declares Francis Aubin, president and founder of Creative Lab. “They are also our first moving light purchase. We decided to go with Mistral because the fixtures are well known in the industry by lighting professionals. Mistral is compact, versatile and powerful – the ideal first moving light to add to our inventory and bring more creativity to our design.” Les Samedis FANatiques is streamlined live before each Saturday home game. Featur
USA - Eric Church set out on The Gather Again Tour this fall with the intention to unite fans and celebrate the return of live music, promoting his most recent Heart & Soul albums. Church is fuelled by the energy he receives from the audience and his interactions with them. Now, he doesn’t have to worry about being at certain mic positions for certain moments. With the format of The Gather Again Tour, special moments can be created anywhere on stage at any time during the show, thanks to BlackTrax. While The Gather Again tour shows take place in arena-sized venues, the stage is set up in an intimate, in-the-round style where the audience surrounds the performer from all sides. It’s a setup that needed a brand-new stage from the ones that Eric’s used to performing on for prior tours. The design brief mandated that 64 automated follow spots
Belgium - Production values were ramped up by the organisers of the two-day Rave Rebels XXL extravaganza, staged at Palais 12 in Brussels, celebrating a return to live events for this high energy phenomenon that included production design with lighting and set by Thomas Boets with 200 x Robe Pointe moving lights at its epicentre. The show design brief from the two organisers, Jens Grieten and Nick Ramoudt, who also run the renowned Kompass Klub underground techno venue in Ghent, was to keep it “industrial” - raw, stark, high tech and with a massive impact on 30,000 techno fans over the two nights. Thomas collaborated closely with several creatives including Rene van Dijk, head content creator / VJ and his team, on the overall look of the show, together with lighting programmer and operator Kristof Blancquart and automation designer/operator Rik Uytersprot of Gravit
South Africa - Global restaurant chain Nando’s is keen to celebrate its Southern African origins. To this end, Nando’s has commissioned local art from the outset to decorate its restaurants; consequently, the chain now possesses the largest privately owned collection of contemporary Southern African art in the world. Recently, Nando’s inaugurated one of its latest restaurants, located in the Mall of Africa, Johannesburg. Much like the collection of art, the cultural resonance of audio is also an important touchpoint for the brand. In fact, Nando’s run an entire radio station across all their restaurants that delivers a carefully curated Afro-Luso playlist. Heatwave Radio combines the ‘beats of Africa along with the fiery rhythms of Latin America’, an ode to the Afro-Portuguese heritage of the company. Retail solutions specialists Lumalytic secured the t
USA - A bold and imaginative example of how to repurpose a neglected building and breathe life back into it could not be more vividly demonstrated than turning a 125-year-old church into a modern restaurant and nightclub. Few would be so tenacious, but US based hospitality and venue operator David Cardaci not only had the vision, but also the ambition coupled with over 20-years’ experience in the hospitality and leisure sector. And so, in early December 2021, after a project taking well over two and a half years, and in the midst of a global pandemic, The Angeles nightclub and Holly Blue restaurant in Fort Lauderdale Florida USA opened their doors to a capacity audience and high praise from club and restaurant goers, and critics alike. This is a high-end, high-profile 11,000sq.ft multi-purpose transformation for David and his team at Knallhart Management Group, as
The Netherlands - The Theatre of Vista College in Heerlen hosted the eleventh edition of Nieuwe Honden. The student-run production featured a plethora of lighting fixtures, consoles and accessories, and LED Screens from Infinity, Showtec, and DMT. Nieuwe Honden 2021 was the biggest production of the year for the Arts, Theatre, and Media Department of Vista College. The previous year’s production of Nieuwe Honden was live-streamed as an alternative to hosting a live audience due to coronavirus restrictions. However, this year’s edition, which ran from 9-11 November, returned to welcome sold-out attendances. An important theme of the Nieuwe Honden production was collaboration, meaning everyone was dependent on one another and had to communicate effectively. This theme was not only limited to the Art, Theatre and Media courses at Vista College, but also various other
UK - A group of enterprising locals have undertaken an initiative to celebrate Bradford’s industrial past and look forward to its future with Bradford is #LiT. A festival of art and illumination, Bradford is #LiT aims to transform the West Yorkshire town’s post-industrial cityscape with light installations ahead of its bid to become Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2025. Towering high above the Bradford skyline, the chimney within the former Albion Mills complex provided the appropriate canvas on which to highlight the wonders of one of Bradford’s industrial relics. To implement the resulting installation, entitled Tapestry of Light (one of the most visited landmarks during the two week festival), Chris Beardwell and his team at Pro Audio Systems (PAS) incorporated four Chauvet Professional Rogue 1 Outcast BeamWash luminaires to accent the structure.
France - A new Anolis LED lighting scheme is illuminating the exterior façade of the Rosary Basilica at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes (Sanctuaire de Notre-Dame de Lourdes), a destination calling pilgrims and worshipers from worldwide to the south of France. The new lighting was designed and specified by Bruno Le Vacon, founder of audiovisual design office Blev Organisation and Sébastien Gaye from Ace Event Group. The physical installation of the luminaires - chosen from Anolis’ Divine, ArcPar, Eminere and ArcSource ranges - was completed by Ace Event who are locally based, with the equipment supplied via Anolis France. Each luminaire was individually customised at the Anolis factory in the Czech Republic before dispatch to France. The delicate and meticulous application of light on this special monument was a major challenge for Bruno whose task was
India - Christmas and New Year celebrations in Mumbai were especially dazzling thanks to a light and laser spectacular showcasing the beauty of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, a 5.6 km long, eight-lane wide bridge connecting Bandra in the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in the south. Spectators in India’s largest city enjoyed the experience in which Claypaky Mythos 2 spotlights and versatile HY B-EYE K25 LED wash lights/beams/VFX projectors played a key role. The span of the bridge was illuminated with a string of lights in a changing array of colours as the towering arches and cables were bathed in rainbow hues. “This was a benchmark holiday event in India for Christmas and New Year’s,” says Pankil Ahuja, sales manager for the Indian sub-continent for AMS-Osram ClayPaky . “The lighting set up and installation happened in just two days. With such a short turn
UK - Hever Castle recently had its façade and gardens beautifully lit by 96 Showtec Helix S5000 RGBW outdoor LED wash lights and 50 Showtec Festoon light Q4 Strings manufactured by Highlite International B.V. STL Lighting Limited supplied its services, decorating the estate in bright and colourful lights for the dark days around Christmas. The double-moated 13th century Hever castle has a rich history. Once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I, it can be found in the village of Hever, about 50km south-east of central London. Nowadays, the castle and its gardens are open to visitors, and accommodation for corporate and private events can be booked as well as hotel rooms. To brighten up the dark days surrounding Christmas, Hever Castle and its gardens were submerged in beautiful festive lighting, provided by STL Producti
Canada - Country Music “rings true wherever you go” James Barker told an interviewer last year. The platinum certified chart-topping star is living proof of that. Born in Canada, the singer/song writer and his James Barker Band embody the heart and soul of the Nashville sound with their raw, down-home style - a brand of music that’s earned them two No. 1 hits along with a Juno Award. Recently, the quartet appeared at London’s Centennial Hall for a country jamboree, Canadian style. Reflecting the upbeat, hard-driving power of the band was an Andrew Dawson lightshow that featured Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 fixtures supplied by PA Shop Productions. Like the band itself, Dawson’s show thrived on creating a strong connection to the crowd. Toward this end, the young designer from Toronto relied on audience lighting from the eight STRIKE 1 units in his rig.
Ireland - In late 2021, VDC Trading was approached by Murt Whelan Sound to create a 48-channel stagebox which will be core to much of the company’s work in 2022. Murt Whelan Sound (MWS) is a pro-audio rental and installation company based in Limerick in the Republic of Ireland. It provides professional services nationwide and is a one stop production shop, offering support from initial concept and design right through to the realisation and management of any large-scale event. MWS constantly invests in responsive, state-of-the-art equipment to ensure it stays ahead of the market and exceeds its customer expectations. It therefore approached VDC Trading to design a custom 19” rack mountable, 48 channel stagebox, which will be central to many of the concerts it plans to do in 2022. The stagebox has three passive splits for FOH / MON and REC, on 24 channel VDMs.
Australia - Jarrad Donovan from Juxta Design chose a full grandMA3 lighting control system for Hillsong Church’s recent Simply Christmas special production which was staged at The Hillsong Convention Centre in Norwest, Sydney. The vibrant event was slightly different from the usual Hillsong Christmas Spectacular show, both to reflect the ‘mood of the moment’ and to comply with the current Covid protocols, which resulted in a smaller cast and a tighter timeframe for build and rehearsals. That said, the goal of achieving the same high standards and complex production values was still very much the objective for the entire team involved in creating a dynamic, memorable event that wowed both live and streamed audiences. The six 90-minute shows took place over two days and were action-packed with a lively mix of 15 different back-to-back musical perform
