The festival featured around 60 major lighting installations all located in and around the downtown area of the city after dark, spread across 18 days in June. It attracted approximately half a million people who came to enjoy and experience some of the wonders and thought-provoking and imaginative properties of light as a live art form.
Robe has always been interested in creative arts projects, and Brockwell's initial contact with Robe was with Ashley Lewis, key account manager for film, theatre & TV from the UK office. The two have worked on some previous projects together. Ashley put him in touch with Robe CEO Josef Valchar to whom Brockwell explained his ideas and intentions for Vivid 2013.
Says Josef Valchar, "We feel it's really important to encourage people who are engaging with lighting in imaginative and dynamic ways, and apart from Simon's passion for the project, I was really impressed with the way he thinks generally about light and lighting - it's something from which we can all learn."
Keen to support the project in the most practical way possible, Valchar put Simon in touch with Robe's proactive Australian distributor, The ULA Group. They in turn helped him source equipment to use for The Nocturnal Pianola installation via their local rental partners.
Robe then funded a student bursary which allowed Brockwell to take an assistant to Australia.
From a myriad of applicants, Simon selected Jaz Hewitt, a first year lighting design student at London's Central School of Speech & Drama.
Brockwell expands, "Robe agreed that the opportunity to exhibit at Vivid and to share the experience of Vivid 2013 with a potential young LD of the future was invaluable, and so a big thank-you to them for finding the bursary."
Robe continues to be a keen supporter of visual arts and performance projects worldwide. Other recent activities include working with the Zip Zap Circus in South Africa and The Caravan Stage Company in Canada and Italy.
(Jim Evans)
