South Africa - Designer Chris de Lancey from Immersive Show Technology was asked to create a stunning architectural lighting scheme for the Union Buildings in Pretoria, to help celebrate the recent South African presidential inauguration.
Chris chose to work with Robe Esprite moving lights and one of the new Robe iBOLTS, which were applied with great effect together with projection mapping of the South African flag onto the building.
Cyril Ramaphosa was inaugurated as South African president and leader of a national unity government made up of representatives from four major parties – the ANC (African National Congress), the DA (Democratic Alliance), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
The final inauguration events are organised on a tight timescale once the actual election results are confirmed and certified – Chris received the call a week beforehand and was asked to present a scheme for illuminating the Union Buildings, a notoriously difficult structure to light effectively due to its 285m façade.
Designed by Sir Herbert Baker in 1908 in English ‘monumental’ style, construction from light sandstone materials began the next year and was completed in 1913. The buildings are semi-circular in shape with two side wings representing the union of formally divided people.
This was the first time that Chris had lit the Buildings. Initially, the client had the idea of projecting the South African flag onto the four end-walls, however after a site visit, Chris proposed lighting the two inner end walls with the projected flags, and lighting along the whole facade of the near side wings for better effect and to also to maximise their budget.
The client agreed and Chris then specified six Robe Esprites a side for the façade illuminations, and two 40K projectors for the flags onto the two end-walls.
From a conversation with Duncan Riley from Robe’s South African distributor DWR Distribution, Chris learned that the iBOLT had recently arrived in the country. They both thought it would also be an appropriate ‘inauguration event’ for this powerful laser-light source searchlight style fixture in SA, and that an iBOLT would complete and complement the other elements of the installation.
DWR’s Duncan and Bruce Riley set up and programmed the iBOLT using a small console so it blasted up into the night sky and cycled through a number of colourful effects.
“It’s a completely awesome fixture and created some beautiful effects,” commented Chris, adding that it juxtaposed seamlessly with the lit building.
The Esprites were rigged on truss tower sections on the other side of a road that passes directly in front – with a 9m drop – of the buildings, along the edge of the large park / amphitheatre that stretches away in front of the seat of government. They were positioned to avoid greenery, and the shutters used extensively to produce crisp delineating lines between the different bold flag colours.
The installation ran for three nights from dusk to dawn, bringing the Buildings to life, and was enjoyed and appreciated by the press and the public either side of the actual inauguration ceremony, which took place at midday on 19 June on the South Lawns of the Union Buildings.
