UK-based lighting rental company Siyan was asked to design a lighting scheme for Lynx Base 24-7, "the ultimate dating challenge", a surprise 24-hour party staged at Kiruna in the Arctic Circle, Northern Sweden for 300 lucky Lynx competition winners. Bryan Leitch devised the lighting scheme and Siyan supplied equipment and crew to production company Cake and also worked closely with TV Production Company Done & Dusted, who recorded it for a Channel 4 broadcast. Live performances included Faithless, The Thrills and Shaznay Lewis, plus an assortment of DJs, and Leitch was lighting it for the live event as well as for camera.
Leitch used six Robe 1200 Washes for throwing beams across a vast frozen river adjacent to the stage, and eight Robe 575 Washes on the stage itself along with other lighting units. The 1200s were the only fixtures that were seriously bright enough to blast right across the half a kilometre wide river explains Leitch. This was also the coldest part of the site!
Much of the site infrastructure was made out of ice, including the crowd barrier and set which weighed approximately 8 tonnes - and the main bar - all constructed with igloo technology. There was also a Teepee warm up area, VIP area and all the facilities you'd expect of a 21st century festival. Being white and reflective, it was a beautiful surface and landscape to light.
"The ColorWashes were just incredible", says Leitch. "They didn't flinch at all, they just kept working away solidly for the whole time." They were monitoring the internal circuit boards which went down to -15°C at certain points, but the fixtures still kept going strong. "The Robes worked like clockwork throughout the set up, rehearsal and show periods," says Leitch.
Lighting was operated by Nick Whitehouse via Avolites Pearl 2004. Additional lighting support was supplied by locally based Sam-Ijus, who were so impressed with the reliability of the ColorWash's performance that they're considering buying some for their hire stock.
(Lee Baldock)
