First Australian installation of Philips Selecon SPX Profiles

Posted on Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

St Mary’s Cathedral is the spiritual home of Sydney’s Catholic community. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Sydney, and stands on the site of the first Catholic Chapel in Australia. Constructed in local sandstone, the “Gothic Revival” style of its architecture is reminiscent of the great medieval cathedrals of Europe. St Mary’s is not only a great legacy from the past, it is a vital part of the present spiritual and cultural life of the city and the nation.

In early June Herkes Prolighting was contacted by Ralph Morris, Manager of Facilities and Conservation, about offering a lighting solution for some very important new arrivals at St Mary’s Cathedral. These new arrivals are magnificent marble sculptures by Nigel Boonham, sculpted in the UK and transported and installed very carefully.

The tasks were to light the two new statues (The Risen Christ and Mary Magdalene), the signature marble Altar and the Sanctuary with new fittings and to re refocus and re-plot the existing altar and sanctuary lighting.

A subsequent site visit from Wayne Kellett of HPL saw the recommendation and acceptance of 4 x SPX  25/35 and 4 x SPX 14 deg. These lamps had just been received by Herkes as demonstration stock, but were immediately required to answer a higher calling in the Cathedral. The SPX profiles were fitted with long life GLB lamps and run off individual Theatrelight Single Fade dimmers.

The Herkes team worked closely with the creative staff at the Cathedral to ensure optimum performance and location of the lamps within the heritage environment of the Cathedral. Also to re focus and re plot in the lighting state presets the new lights and the existing stock of pars and area flood lights. Although St Mary’s has some excellent lighting positions in so far as height is concerned there was some strict limitations on the available angles to shoot from. Also the marble finish offered challenges as it needs angles to enhance the contours of the works and must not appear washed out and two dimensional

With Wayne Kellett was Phil Dunesky, acting as lighting designer/coordinator for Herkes Prolighting, Matt Huijsse from Graftons Lighting, and St Mary’s technical staff who implemented this lighting task to great effect with all parties ( Sculptor, Client and Supplier) most pleased with the result.

Next time you are in Sydney why not take a look.

Photos of the installation of the sculptures are courtesy of Ralph Morris.

Photos of the three sculptures are called St Mary’s Cathedral Tryptich: Titles of the individual works are The Entombed Christ relief for the Altar, The Risen Christ, and Mary Magdalene. Copyright to and by the Sculptor Nigel Boonham.

Other photos by Wayne Kellett and Phil Dunesky.

www.herkes.com.au

Digital art finds permanent home on Sydney’s streets

Posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

Sydney’s largest electricity substation has now become the country’s first permanent, public gallery for digital based art, after the official launch of Grid Gallery.

EnergyAustralia Managing Director George Maltabarow said Grid Gallery would showcase the digital works of media-based artists via an energy efficient LED art wall.

“Grid Gallery is about power and light,” Mr Maltabarow said. “It’s located on the external wall of our eight-storey City North Zone Substation – the largest substation our city has ever seen.

“We have turned over this space to our digital artistic community to display their work based on a calendar of themed, rotating exhibits. We believe it’s a world first – to combine critical electrical infrastructure with cutting edge media-based art in a public gallery.”

The physical space for the gallery is combined with an online web portal for artists to submit and display their work. The Grid Gallery LED screen is 15 metres long and 1 metre wide, and the electricity used to light it is matched with 100% GreenPower.

Each month, a new brief with a unique theme will be released for media artists across Australia to respond to. Ten of the best submissions will be chosen for the on-line gallery at www.gridgallery.com.au, and a final shortlist of four submissions will be chosen to occupy the physical gallery at the City North Zone Substation.

Grid Gallery came about after discussions with City of Sydney Council about the design of City North zone substation.

The location connects two important city precincts, so the City of Sydney asked EnergyAustralia to create an engaging street-front that would add colour and life to the area.

Grid Gallery was designed by Brad Wright (whilst he was working for C4 Communications) with help from Show Technology. The lighting was supplied and installed by Avsound Productions and is now serviced by Australian Venue Services.

“When it was first scoped out, before I joined the project, it specified Barco products which blew out the budget,” explained Brad. “One of the first things I did was research a viable replacement. I went straight to the Show Technology web site and found their LED Panels. I spoke to the guys at Show Technology about costs and I was amazed at how much cheaper they were. They are a lower resolution than the Barco panels but still could do what we wanted them to do.

”A demo was arranged at the Show Technology premises to which I bought the client and everyone was blown away.”

A total of sixty-four LED Panels are used to form the gallery. An ArKaos Media Server manages the video content feeding the LED Panels whilst a Martin LightJockey controls twelve Martin Cyclos that are situated on Sussex St. The Cyclos were specified by Brad for their colour temperature, long life span and ability to change colour if required. However, they currently run white only.

www.showtech.com.au

Jands Supply Flexibility To Sacred Heart School

Posted on Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The Sacred Heart School, a Catholic primary school located in the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, recently took out the honour of being the first school in NSW to complete work funded by the government’s Building the Education Revolution (BER) scheme.

The number of multipurpose halls to be built under the program is in excess of four figures and the opportunity and challenges this presents to the professional sound and lighting contractor are obvious. Fortunately Principal Brian Aulsebrook has a passion for the performing arts and has spent many years overseeing school productions. During that time he noticed that Jands was usually the preferred company for lighting products, design and also advice.

”I’ve known of Jands for ages and they certainly seem to be the industry standard,” commented Mr Auslebrook. “I’ve done many performing arts projects with the Catholic Education Office and Jands gear has always been prevalent. The builder on this project had also used Jands before and so we just went with it – why shop around for anything else?”

Jands supplied and installed the lighting infrastructure for the auditorium including two JLX-PRO modular pre-wired lighting bars and two WMX-A wall mount dimmers. The Jands WMX-A wall mounting dimmer was designed specifically to meet the needs of this style of job and together with the JLX lighting bars and Jands patching system forms part of an integrated and cost effective solution. With its simple menu, enabling access to the configuration and test options, the Jands WMX dimmer is ideal for schools.

The hall’s stage is portable but usually faces west with one JLX-PRO lighting bar accommodating this position. However, if a large production is staged and thus more seating is required the hall’s side wall can open making the venue much larger. Overflow seating is then placed outside and the stage is moved to the southern wall where the other JLX-PRO lighting bar is situated. Around the hall there are multiple points for plugging in the DMX dimmer board.

Stage & Studio supplied a suitable lighting package that included four ETC Source Four lights and a Jands Stage 12 control console, an ideal choice for this project due to its ease of use.

”The amount of fixtures chosen was determined by the amount of light that floods into the hall during the day time,” explained Mr Aulsebrook. “We went with the ETC Source Four’s so that we can attach gobos to them if and when required.

”The lighting system is working beautifully. We recently held a major event for Anzac day and when The Last Post was being played, we dimmed the hall to near darkness and then, when the Reveille was being played we lit up a large Australian flag to great effect.”

www.jands.com.au

Show Technology in the Zone

Posted on Monday, June 28th, 2010

AV company Peace of Mind Technology have been delivering just that to AMF Bowling centres including new centres in Robina (QLD), Clayton (VIC) and the latest venture in Rooty Hill (NSW).

With 34 bowling lanes, AMF Rooty Hill RSL is the largest continuous lane bowling centre in Australia. The new AMF Rooty Hill RSL features bowling, M9 Laser Skirmish, cafe and bar facilities, bumper bowling, glow in the dark bowling, and a huge arcade game area.

M9 Laser Skirmish at AMF Rooty Hill RSL is an action packed indoor laser adventure game without the pain of paintball. Players manoeuvre through an apocalyptic urban city underworld, with mazes, dark tunnels and ramps. Smoke screens and integrated lighting add an element of surprise. Players use the walls, obstacles and multi level vantage points for attack or to take defense.

“Pretty much every piece of lighting equipment is from Show Technology mostly because of the great support we get from them,” remarked Jeremy Pollak, Peace of Mind’s commercial manager. “They are always very helpful with any technical problems we encounter. In fact, the Show Technology guys are very creative in every respect.

”Their service and support is excellent, even delivering directly to site for us.”

In an M9 Laser Skirmish arena the lighting needs to create movement and sometimes a hint of confusion. Upon entering the arena a powerful Pro Shop Strobe machine is triggered to disorientate and once through the entry way, two Studio Due Shark 250 moving heads, with their quick and smooth movement, add plenty of action. Six Pro Shop LED Megaflower and three Superflower effect lights create multi-coloured bouncing beams around the arena.

Seven Pro Shop LED tubes help to guide the players to certain areas of the arena whilst a JEM K1hazer creates the atmosphere. Five LED Par56 cans, four LED Par64 cans and LED Neon Flex are also used.

“The layout of the M9 Laser Skirmish arena can change, so the positioning of the lighting has to be flexible enough to allow this,” said Jeremy.

A Martin LightJockey is in control running a twelve-minute program.

”AMF Bowling supply the PC’s and we do the programming. We find that everyone is familiar with LightJockey and we get a lot of support from Martin. We’re very loyal in that way.”

www.showtech.com.au

Gold Coast chooses LSC Dimming

Posted on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Gold Coast Arts Centre (GCAC) recently upgraded the dimming systems within its venues to LSC Lighting Systems’ EKO Dimmers.

GCAC, located on the banks of the Nerang River in Australia’s iconic Surfers Paradise, is the region’s premier cultural facility, bringing visual and performing arts to residents of South East Queensland. The complex houses the Arts Theatre, Gold Coast City Gallery, two Cinemas and the Arts Cafe as well as several stunning function rooms, a chapel and two smaller performance spaces.

A total of 588 channels of LSC’s EKO Installation dimmers have been installed throughout the various venues with 516 channels of EKO TruPower dimmers for the Arts Theatre alone. Chris D’Bais, Venue Operations Manager for the Arts Centre commented, “We selected the EKO TruPower dimmer as it gave us seamless selection of true 240 volt output and dimmable power per channel, without re-patching, replacing dimmer modules or equipment change-over …..  it’s all built in.  We can load and change the venues patch system at the click of a button; no need for extra technicians to work those extra long hours.” D’Bais estimates that a saving of up to 600 man hours per annum is attainable.

All EKO dimmers are monitored by LSC’s Houston software that displays the full system’s performance as well as reporting faults including Circuit Breaker tripping. Houston also allows remote configuring of one or more dimmers via a PC connected on the system.

Jesse Radatti, GCAC Senior Lighting Technician added, “We took the RCD protection per channel option for two reasons – the added safety measure a venue like ours is expected to provide and the time saving that is gained during fault finding as only one circuit is out of action.”

The installation time frame was very tight as the venue was only in darkness for four weeks. Ian Crossley from the Installation Contractor, I&R Electrical, had to disconnect and remove the old dimming system, upgrade the incoming electrical supply and then reconnect the load circuits to the new EKO dimmers. Commissioning of the new system took place the day before dress rehearsal of the venue’s first performance scheduled for the new season. Alex Fox, Senior Lighting Technician at GCAC commented, “Everything just worked. The LSC EKO dimmers performed exactly as both promised and expected. Both the Network and DMX control of the system are flexible, remotely changeable, but most importantly … they really work!”

www.lsclighting.com.au

Icehouse Cool Again

Posted on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Not to be confused with the Australian rock band of the same name, the new $58 Million winter sports facility Icehouse, located at Melbourne’s Waterfront City precinct in the Docklands, is one of the more impressive pieces of infrastructure built in this city for a very long time.

Proudly billed as the largest winter sport facility in the southern hemisphere, the Icehouse features two full-sized ice rinks suitable for ice hockey, curling, short-track speed skating, figure skating, and recreational skating. Rink 1 (the main competition rink, complete with stadium seating) is named the Henke Rink after the Chairman of the Olympic Winter Institute, Geoff Henke. Rink 2 is named the Bradbury Rink, after our most stand-up Winter Olympian of all time, Stephen Bradbury.

Despite the excellent professional facilities available, the venue is more than a training facility for elite athletes. The Bradbury Rink is designed as a family friendly entertainment rink, with ‘general skating’ already proving to be very popular. The rink has been ‘pimped out’ with a striking Audio Visual design by Massteknik, including a JBL sound system and a light show that would not look out of place at a major city nightclub. Both rinks also have massive LED screens at the end of them, with the Rink 1 screen being used as a scoreboard for Ice-Hockey, while the 8m wide screen above rink 2 is perfect for showing music video clips that add to the party vibe of the rink.

Lightmoves supplied the feature lighting for the Bradbury Rink, partnering with Massteknik for the design and installation. Sixteen Martin smartMAC’s provide the bulk of the amazing and dynamic colour seen on the ice, while LED pinspots and LED Par 64’s provide wonderful colour-changing wash and compliment the eight mirror balls. The unique fanless cooling system of the smartMAC’s and the extended lamp life and low power usage of the LED’s, contribute to keeping this venue very sustainable. The Lighting is all controlled by a GrandMA OnPC, located in the upstairs AV control room, which can also interface with the building’s Crestron lighting control and Medialon show control systems. This allows for simple control of programmed lighting scenes via ground level DJ’s or Rink staff from a portable Touchscreen . The Lightmoves-supplied goal lights on Rink 1’s Ice-Hockey goals are controlled via Philips Dynalite and driven by Crestron.

Lightmoves also supplied the custom-designed Browns Truss that houses the lighting rig. Two straight sections per side complement a large central cross-truss to provide

After being a somewhat of a Great Southern Wasteland for winter sports for many years, Melbourne – and Australia for that matter – can look forward to seeing a tremendous growth in winter sports over the next decade, thanks to this professional, practical and attractive new venue.

www.lightmoves.com

Darling Island Wharf chooses sustainable lighting

Posted on Friday, May 21st, 2010

The new Doltone House event space at Darling Island Wharf pioneers a combination of classic design, environmentally conscious construction and cutting edge technology.  

Located on the waterfront of Sydney Harbour, Doltone House’s new Darling Island Wharf venue  consists of an 800-seat capacity event centre, intimate boardrooms, a food emporium, café and live ‘open kitchen’.  

A combination of elegant design and social responsibility, Doltone House Darling Island Wharf features a timeless aesthetic appeal and innovative functional diversity. Clean lines and finishes are balanced with environmentally friendly materials and advanced audio-visual technology. The result is a modern, sophisticated venue that demonstrates a green approach to design, construction, materials and operation, setting the benchmark for environmentally sustainable buildings.

The acoustic-inlaid, operable doors in the event centre can be manipulated to redesign the space in a plethora of different layouts, transforming the building into an architectural Rubik’s cube. The warm, neutral colour palette employed throughout the site and glass facades allow the iconic Sydney Harbour to take centre stage.

Haron Robson designed the audio and lighting and in house AV suppliers Microhire are delighted with the venue in particular the Show Technology products: eighty Pro Shop LED MultiPAR Tri-Colour wash fittings, twenty Martin smartMACs and a MA Lighting grandMA ultra-light control console.

“The venue had a number of elements that needed to be taken into account when the lighting system was specified,” explained Nick Blaxell, Microhire’s Business Development & Venue Services Manager. “One of which was that it is the first 6-star green-star venue in NSW and so all the lighting had to be of low power consumption with the longest possible lamp life that you can get. However, you could not compromise the quality of event that could be produced in the venue. Consequently the designer’s specified LED for static lighting and the Martin smartMAC was identified as the lowest power consuming moving light available. Of course, it also carries the quality of Martin behind it too.

”If you happen to draw more power than is allocated for your production the system will automatically shut down other areas in the building in order to give AV production more power.”

Another important factor to be considered when designing the lighting system is that the ceiling is quite low – only 3.1 metres high. Noise from moving lights could have been a problem but fortunately the smartMACs do not use fans rather they have a heat sync built into them for heat dispersion. The LED MultiPARs, like all LD lighting, run cool and produce no heat.

“We went with the TriColor simply because of the better blend of the RGB LEDs before they hit th lens,” said Nick. “Again being an intimate ceiling height you really want a colour blend that is done very quickly so that you don’t get the RGB broken up before you achieve the required colour. We put eighty in because the capacity of the venue is roughly eighty oval tables so we use them in a table wash configuration.”

The smartMACs were specified by Haron Robson and Nick fully agrees with the choice citing functionality, gobo sets, and colour mixing abilities as exactly what is required for the venue.

”The key positives for us is that it is a turnkey system with enough flexibilty for the type of events we’re doing on a daily basis,” said Nick. “As with all our jobs, we use a grandMA console so we only have to plug in the grandMA ultra-light, call up a few fixtures and programme a few scenes – including anything specific to the client’s brief – and away we go. Sometimes we have to physically refocus the LED MultiPARs to suit table placement or maybe we’ll use them as a wall or roof wash.

www.showtech.com.au

Fortitude Valley Station provides a platform for Martin smartMACs!

Posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010

A little while back Brisbane’s vibrant Fortitude Valley received a $32.1 million makeover of the music and cultural precinct’s railway station. The station is one of the busiest on South East Queensland’s urban rail network, with more than 2.5 million passengers travelling through per year.

Described as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the urban rail network’s 143 stations, the station has an impressive, modern design and features an array of innovative artworks that pay homage to Brisbane and Fortitude Valley’s rich and diverse music history.

However there was one platform that faced a rather ugly wall but rather than spend a small fortune renovating or replacing the wall QRail and NDY Light came up with an ingenious idea – use projected light to not only decorate the wall but to also project advertising.

And what’s the best fixture for the job? The Martin smartMAC which is an extremely bright, fanless 150 watt profile luminaire offering a number of unique performance and economic benefits. With convection cooling instead of fans the smartMAC is almost silent. It also has a long life lamp and rotating gobos that can be easily changed without removing covers, or disassembling the fixture. Gobos are changed simply by opening an access door which advances the gobo wheel with each time the access door is opened. Gobos are removed by hand eliminating the need for tools.

NDY Light turned to Creative Lighting to supply and progamme five Martin smartMACs as well as coordinate custom gobos. Creative Lighting also installed one of their own controller’s that interfaces with sensors that detect trains arriving and departing.

”The SmartMACs are intended to supply a potential platform for advertising both for QRail’s own advertising and advertising that they can sell,” said Lance Stewart, managing director of Creative Lighting. “They also provide something interesting for passengers to look at while they’re waiting on the platform. It was a far less expensive exercise than renovating the wall plus it provides a potential revenue stream for them.”

www.showtech.com.au

Four Seasons Hotel Sydney install Martin MX-10 Scanners

Posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

When AV Partners took over managing the audio visual department for Sydney’s Four Seasons Hotel on January 1^st 2010 the first thing they set about doing was a total refit of all the audio visual elements.

”We refurbished every meeting and conference room, plus the Grand Ballroom, from an audio visual perspective,” commented Nigel Taylor of AV Partners. “We’ve installed sixty Martin MX-10 scanners into the Grand Ballroom so that we can pin spot tables very easily. The Martin MX-10’s are located within the ceiling so that you can’t actually see the technology rather just a hole in the ceiling. The MX10’s mirror is positioned above that hole so that we can shine its light down onto the table below. It means that the room doesn’t look cluttered with technology and that was always the aim.”

Since installation Nigel reports that the MX10’s have performed admirably and he particularly favours their brightness.

“We can get some really nice effects onto the tables and they have been very, very popular with clients for creating an overall room impact,” he added. “The colours that we can get out of them plus the intensity of the light that we can pull out of them, really adds to the show side of productions. The fact that they’re intelligent and programmable means that you can have different states at different times, what ever sort of event that you’re having they’re very flexible.”

Nigel also states that their usual preference is to run the Martin MX10’s from a MA Lighting grandMA, definitely their console of choice.

www.showtech.com.au

C-Duced by Anolis

Posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010

C-Duce is one of the newest additions to hit Melbourne’s Southbank address, which has been a hotspot for partygoers for many years. Lighting & Sound Design (LSD) were the official AV and lighting installers of this new club, choosing Anolis as the LED light of choice. LSD’s Chris McDowall selected to install 49 Anolis ArcSource6 LED downlight fixtures across the back bar display, in the foyer wa­ter feature, and also along the wall of the VIP lounge area. These are all powered from an Anolis ArcPower 144 and ArcPower 36 driver’s.

This recent award winning product, the e:cue Light Drive Elite, with its simple intuitive interface, was installed to control the lighting. This new touch sensitive controller allows the lighting to be adjusted by a simple scroll of the touch sensitive colour wheel for anything from colour temperature to sequences – all plug and play.

Chris has also limited the range of colours to a few key warm tones that compliment the aesthetics of the venue, however the fixtures are certainly capable of a lot more. Says Chris “There’s ‘LED’ and then there’s LED! These Anolis LEDs are from a European manufacturer – the colours that come out of them are warm colours — not ‘casino’ colours. There are cheap LEDs around, but the reds are very red, and same with the greens, it’s like Christmas tree lighting. When you show clients the differ­ence, they can see how good Anolis products are showing warmth and depth. Anolis makes a big difference. I like using Anolis wherever possible”

On the dance floor LSD installed 4 x iMove 250Spots, 4 x MatrixLEDs and a Centrelight with controller, all from ULA’s SDVpro range. Chris and LSD have seen the transformation of lighting styles for hospitality venues from effects lighting to LEDs. “In the last five years, everything’s gone from mov­ing lights and effects to LEDs, because of what you can do with colour-changing. LEDs are the way of the future because of their low maintenance and long life.”

www.ulagroup.com

Revel in Ravál with Show Technology

Posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010

Ravál, located at the top of the stairs above Sydney’s historic Macquarie Hotel, is a purpose built entertainment venue and cocktail bar designed to house a variety of live entertainment including music, cabaret, burlesque, theatre and comedy.

The intimate size, comfy surrounds and fantastic production make for an entertainment experience unlike any other in Sydney. Its’ small stage needed a compact yet versatile lighting system and Luke Everingham of Everingham Audio delivered with a neat, tidy and cost effective package from Show Technology.

Installed above the lush velvet curtains backing the stage are six Pro Shop LED Strips that colour wash the stage along with six standard Kupo Par56 cans and a Kupo Profile HO has been supplied to be used as a follow spot. The LED Strips feature 252 ultra bright LEDs divided into three segments that can be controlled separately. The unit can also be used as a strobe and the on board dimmer allows accurate electronic control of the light output.

Four of the new and improved Planet One Mark II dimmers are used featuring simple DMX control interface, preset dim levels, dimming limits and switching options, and newly developed software that ensures the dimming curve is as smooth as ever.

A Martin Freekie controller was chosen for its’ easy-to-use features and with its’ ability to control up to twelve fixtures, each with twelve channels – plus a smoke and strobe button you can customize to control two additional DMX units – it was the ideal option for this venue.

www.showtech.com.au

Blue Water Black Magic

Posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

The official tribute honouring an iconic New Zealand mariner was officially opened on Saturday 12 December 2009 at Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum located at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. Blue Water Black Magic – A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake provides a world class and engaging museum experience where notions of teamwork, leadership, global thinking and responsibility are explored in simple, interactive ways.   The tribute explores these characteristics as well as profiling many other key players, innovative designers and thinkers in New Zealand’s boating industry.

Centred on NZL32 Black Magic, the boat on which Team New Zealand led by Sir Peter won the America’s Cup in 1995 suspended by its own rigging from the near seven storey high central atrium the exhibition winds up over three levels in a superb Pete Bossley Architects-designed wing of the Museum.

Renowned exhibition designers Workshop e were responsible for the building and installation of the exhibition content specifying only Selecon luminaires for the exhibition lighting: 75 x Selecon Wing Wall Washers with barndoors and UV filters, 202 Aureol BeamSpots with UV filters, 30x Aureol BeamSpots and 46 x tungsten halogen Selecon Display Profiles .

Workshop e director, Az James, who as overall Project Manager for the exhibition, is well placed to comment on how the Selecon luminaires enhanced the exhibition, “I was extremely pleased with the way the selected Selecon fittings worked with the aesthetics of the exhibition and the architecture.  The Selecon Wing Wall Washers, Aureol BeamSpots and BeamShapers worked extremely well with the new Selecon Display Profile units, providing us with the flexibility we needed within such a complex exhibition situation which combined areas of both controlled and uncontrolled natural light.   The colour and form of the luminaires fitted well with the general exhibition spaces, while the black finish of the new SDPs blended flawlessly with the imposing centrepiece – NZL32.
The advice and technical support provided by the Phillips Selecon team was also invaluable throughout the design and installation processes.”

For one of the Workshop e team, this exhibition could not have been a more personal experience.  Sarah-Jane Blake was a teenager when her father was shot and killed by pirates on 6 December 2001 while he was on an environmental exploration trip in South America, monitoring global warming and pollution for the United Nations. Each and every item on display at Blue Water Black Magic is of deep significance to her and she was instrumental in mounting and focusing the lighting for all of them.

“In the huge space that was to be BWBM I spent weeks up and down the ladder arranging the lights. Assembling the lights was very simple as I had never used them before but every step was logical and clear. The lights then fitted into the tracks with ease and could be switched with no hardship to the particular circuit and wattage they had to run on. I am a petite female (slightly lacking in muscle) but did not have a problem when hanging the lights. The three different types of lights we used performed to my high expectations in focusing on different objects and creating various washes of light. In the exhibition which was formed of sculptural objects of many sizes (lots of boats), small objects in acrylic cases and writing and images on wall panels and I found the Selecon Lights could be manipulated easily to lighting all of these,” comments Sarah-Jane.

Philips Selecon is extremely proud to have been involved in this epic acknowledgement for one of New Zealand’s greatest heroes.

www.seleconlight.com

DTS at Edith Cowan University

Posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010

During the recent refit of the TV Studio at Edith Cowan University in the Perth suburb of Mt Lawley, John Culverhouse of Ashton Admor was asked to put forward a recommendation and solution for the studio. Wanting to use the latest technology he looked to the Perth Hills SVL office for advice on DTS led fixtures and what would be the most suitable solution to be used for the cyclorama lighting.

The DTS Fos33 led fixtures were then chosen and demonstrated to the studio manager who gave them the stamp of approval.

The DTS Fos33 led fixtures offered a number of benefits over the traditional the cyclorama using incandescent lights and this appealed to the studio. The FOS bars offered the ability to have a full range of colours controlled via DMX. This meant no more gels and gels changes offering a saving in labour costs and turnaround time for the studio. Other significant benefits included the low heat emissions, low power consumption reducing the energy consumption of the studio.

A total of five banks of DTS FOS 33’s were supplied and installed with each bank consisting of a wide, medium and narrow lens. This ensured a complete even coverage over the Cyc. Also supplied were five FOS33 tri bracket and a DTS Z1 power supply.

“The result is very pleasing” said John, “I am really impressed with the coverage and ease of use of the FOS 33’s. The support of Hills SVL and Lighthouse Distribution has been great right through the complete process”.

www.lighthousedistribution.com.au

Anolis Performs at QPAC

Posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

The Queensland Government has recently invested $34 million dollars to refurbish the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), located in Brisbane’s South Bank.

This is the first major renovation since the opening of QPAC in 1985. The refurbishment has included new seating, the latest in lighting technology and improved acoustics for the 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre and the 1,800-seat Concert Hall, as well as new public spaces such as bars, café’s and foyers.

Anolis was one of the high powered LED lights specified in the Concert Hall, Lyric Theatre and ground level bars, due to its robust finish, high quality and reputation for high performance – not only in Australia but throughout the world. Anolis LED fixtures are known for their long life, low power consumption and low maintenance.

“The choice of LED fixtures provides an overall reduction in power consumption, so for many projects today is an instant ‘first choice’. Add to that the excellent performance and effect that can be quite easily achieved with the Anolis LED solution, and it is not difficult to demonstrate the value proposition – particularly in large venues like QPAC”, says Sales Manager Blair Terrace.

All lighting designs and specifications were by AECOM senior lighting designer, Rick Morrison, in collaboration with QPAC’s Lighting Department “As an example”, Blair continues, “The QPAC Concert Hall can change mood and theme virtually at will, with subtle changes in the colour and intensity of the Anolis ArcLine strips that Rick Morrison has specified. Patrons have a new experience with every production they attend, even before the curtain goes up”.  Rick has made use of Anolis on numerous applications.

Over 50 Anolis Arcline36 Optic RGB strips were installed in the Concert Hall for roof and wall washing, as well as underneath the foyer bars of the Lyric Theatre and Concert Hall giving seamless illumination. Anolis ArcSource 7 Warm White fixtures were installed over the tops of the bar for an even rich and warm glowing effect. In addition, 40 SGM Palco’s were used on the platforms for ceiling and organ lighting.

In total, 14 Anolis Drivers were used, comprising Anolis ArcPower 360 DMX, Anolis ArcPower 144 and Anolis ArcPower 36, to control the fixtures in the Concert Hall. Utilizing high powered Luxeon Emitters, the Anolis Arcline36 Optic RGB strip is designed and made with the highest quality of interchangeable optical systems ensuring that the desired effect can be achieved in the widest range of architectural application possibilities.

QPAC’s Manager – Lighting, Doug Brimblecombe says that the Anolis product has proved to be very reliable and achieved really good outcomes in terms of creating a feel or environment for patrons.

“We had a few strips left over from the project, so I purchased some extra controllers and have started using them in the venues as part of the theatrical equipment. Being such a small footprint they fit into sets well where other products would not. The output is good and although the control is not typical of theatre control, it is easy to use. The most recent example of its use was for the production of Eurobeat – Almost Eurovision under the main stage riser. It was a tight space, but the Anolis strips gave the impression that the stage was floating ,” says Doug.

www.ulagroup.com

Sofitel Melbourne On Collins renovates Ballrooms with Show Technology

Posted on Friday, December 18th, 2009

Award-winning Sofitel Melbourne On Collins now offers extraordinary new venues following the completion of major renovations to its conference spaces on the 1st and 35^th levels, setting a new standard in unparalleled flexibility from one of Melbourne’s largest integrated conference hotels.

Once known as The Terrace, the La Trobe Ballroom has evolved from an open terrace to self-contained ballroom with the addition of a roof and sound proofing for maximum quiet and focus. Striking in its height and elevation, the ‘sky light to black-out’ feature ceiling is as technically impressive as it is spectacular. Centrally controlled via touch pad, presentations remain commanding with automatic audio-visual equipment whilst theming is equally instantaneous with special lighting features. A dedicated kitchen and inbuilt service bar, provides the most efficient catering service with a world class menu. Décor is vibrant, modernistic and slightly retro with colours predominantly neutral to earthy tones with hints of red.

At the end of the first floor promenade in its private position is the Fitzroy Ballroom, formerly The Carillon room. Rich in ambience and design, the room is pillarless for optimal vantage and enhanced capacity and features state of the art capabilities including individual table lighting. The especially designed carpet and wallpaper in colours of deep aubergine with hints of rose gold make this is a room that reflects a refined sense of style, elegance and occasion.

In house audio visual suppliers Audio Visual Dynamics are delighted with their new surrounds and are particularly enthused by their new lighting system in the La Trobe Ballroom which includes thirty-eight Martin MX-10 scanners.

“They’re still the best lighting product on the market for this type of installation,” said Lynton Gellatly, group operations manager. ”They colour the walls, ceiling, floors as well as the tables. They’re bright, punchy, fast and also quiet. They’re a cost effective unit too.”

The ceiling of the La Trobe Ballroom features triangular shapes and it was designed around the MX-10 so that they can be masked from view. A series of trenches through the ceiling hide the MX-10’s as well as the speakers.

”You don’t know that the MX-10’s are there until they start doing their tricks,” remarked Lynton. “The Fitzroy Ballroom was not so extensively refurbished and consequently the MX-10s hang in full view.”

Both the La Trobe Ballroom and the Fitzroy Ballroom utilize a dozen Pro Shop LED par cans each.

”I just needed something to light the dance floors,” said Lynton. “They provide flash and colour in the centre but are reasonably discreet in their appearance. Bang for buck, you can’t beat them.”

An MA Lighting grandMA ultra light was purchased for control in La Trobe whilst a grandMA micro was chosen for the Fitzroy.

”I have a long history with grandMA consoles and I’ve always been a fan of them,” remarked Lynton. “It’s a proven console and is very common so it’s easy to find operators. Basically, there’s been no need to want to change. I also like to keep things fairly uniform supplier wise. Show Technology has always looked after me well as a buyer and I’m a loyal supporter.”

Whilst Lynton specified and designed the lighting system credit must go to Sash Borizovski who installed the gear and made everything happen.

www.showtech.com.au

VuePix™ for C3 Church

Posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

C3 Church is located on the north side of Brisbane and is a part of the C3 Church movement worldwide. C3 Church has close to 3000 members that attend regularly at many services connecting with the local community.

Music & Technical Director Steve Ryan was looking for a new addition to his lighting rig that brought the ‘Wow’ factor. Steve says, “ I took a trip with my sales rep from Brisbane Sound to
the ULA showroom on the Gold Coast to see a demonstration of the VuePix™ P25 LED mesh panels. The wow factor of these LED panels was definitely what we were looking for – they were just amazing and the effects that could be achieved with the software were outstanding! We immediately knew that these were exactly what we wanted”.

Steve said they were tossing up whether to use Plasma Screens scattered across the stage, a projection to the back wall or LED screens. Steve says – “After the demonstration we were sold that day”.

The VuePix™ display is classified as a part of the lighting rig and is used to run graphics through when there are performances on stage. The images projected on the panels whether they be abstract graphics, video footage, still pictures or text – all serve to enhance the atmosphere of a meeting combined with the use of lighting colours and movements.

Everyone’s first impression of the VuePix™ display was – ‘how impressive!’. Steve says “Everyone has loved the new VuePix™ addition to our lighting rig. We have several hundred people, both members of our church and general public hiring our venue using the facilities each week and without fail we have received comments on the ‘awesomeness’ of these LED mesh panels. We are really happy with this investment.”

www.ulagroup.com

MA goes to Deakin University

Posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009

Earlier this year, Deakin University was looking for a lighting control package, a video control package and networking solution to enhance its performance spaces and studio control. MA Lighting and ArKaos were able to supply a simple solution for the lot.

When Lighting Designer Scott Allan is not lighting the stages of theatre world, he can be found leading the Technical Group and managing specialised projects for the Arts Faculty at Deakin University, in Melbourne. Scott has been contracted to the University for the past five years and successfully balances this along side his Lighting Design career.  

During 2009, Scott designed and developed an interactive digital gallery – the Phoenix Gallery – to meet the Faculty’s growing demands of displaying digital art works. This includes most of the final outcomes from the areas of Graphic Design, Animation, Motion Capture, Photography, Film and Television. The Phoenix Gallery is a hybrid exhibition space, where traditional art works can be viewed along side digital screens or projections with ease.  

The University also has five performance spaces each equipped with significant patching, dimming and rigging infrastructure, but relied on localised control. By introducing an advanced MA network, and sectioning off each discrete space as an “MA world”, users can access the same control equipment to control any one space, from any location.

Scott’s experience in MA control goes back to 2001 when he purchased the first grandMA in Australia, installed into a permanent theatrical environment for the Gold Coast Arts Centre. Scott and Russell Jones then continued to expand the Arts Centre’s MA networks and infrastructure.   For Deakin University, Scott designed a wireless control system that leverages off the MA control applications for Wi-Fi using On-PC, iphone and ipod Touch.

The control upgrade was necessary to control the video integration in the art galley and for the large amount of digital scenography used in the live productions by the Dance and Drama departments. The control system comprises an MA Ultra-Light, two two-port nodes, two ArKaos Media Servers, five Mac-Mini’s and a Mac Book Pro. The Phoenix Gallery has LAN switchable 8-in, 8-out video and audio patching that can be sent to 24 locations in the space. There are four permanently installed 50″ LED displays, three pre-wired mobile display-walls and the ability to project images onto any surface, including the three large Barrisol sails which hang overhead.

These can be backlit by LEDs and Scott chose eight Studio Due Archi-LED. Both general lighting and traditional gallery lighting were sourced from Selecon’s Aureol range. Fifty Zoomspots and eighteen Wall Washes hang off three suspended rectangular trusses, which include a custom patching system. ELC panels are set up as remote DMX triggers, providing one-touch solutions for visitors, work light and pre-programmed exhibition scenes and cues.

LSC dimmers power the gallery and the space doubles as the foyer entry for all the performance spaces so Scott continued the theatrical look of the rig with silver truss, black fittings, black roof and white screens.

Equipment for the project was supplied by Lightmoves.

www.showtech.com.au

Polishing the Jewel in the Crown

Posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009

Connections Nightclub gets balls!

Posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009

Perth-based Lux Events recently took delivery of thirty-six Pro Shop LED Balls 500mm with the intention of installing them into Connections Nightclub. However prior to the installation, the LED Balls were given a run for their money at the West Coast Eagles Gala Auction where they were positioned as a tiered chandelier in the middle of the room.

The guys at Lux Events decided that the LED Balls were the perfect thing for temporary or permanent decorative looks at corporate events or dance parties. Utilizing Tri-Colour LED technology, the 500mm sphere is super bright and saturated whilst remaining even across its surface. It features direct DMX and power connection reducing setup times making it perfect for that little bit of colour theming you have to do for the next show of yours. You can even think of it as an innovative piece of signage with the application of some stick on signs, you would have a real head turner.

But the LED Balls were promised to Connections Nightclub and so the events team had to say farewell and wish them well in their new home where they have continued to delight.

”We are running grandMA on PC with a playback wing and the LED balls are pixel-mapped from the grandMA with a MA Node 2,” explained Glen Hunter, Creative Director at Lux Events. “We’ve only just retired the previous control desk – an MA Scancommander! It’s amazing that it’s still going and has served us so well – a real testament to the brand. A matrix arrangement in an inverted pyramid design works in nicely with the LED balls interspersed through a large cluster of mirror-balls.”

www.showtech.com.au

JVG Joins The Society

Posted on Thursday, November 5th, 2009

The Society Bar is the new addition to the hip and funky tapas cocktail bars in Cairns’ CBD. Housing 250 patrons, the lighting designed and installed by JVG Sound & Visual’s North QLD branch – was designed to create a mood change from lunch to after work drinks – to dinner and then late night club atmosphere with a DJ.

47 x Visio LED RGBW/W were installed around the room all controlled by a VPower 600 and E:Cue Butler. Visio Warm White Flexi Tape is used underneath the bar areas for a seamless glowing effect, completing the look.

“This is the first time I have used the new LED architectural range – Visio -  in a venue and I found it was ‘Excellent’ and was very impressed with it when comparing it to the normal LED lights we have previously used. With the Society Bar having a low ceiling, the Visio lighting fixtures created a great lighting show to make the whole room change colour for when the DJ starts playing”, says Scott Miller from JVG.

Everyone has been really impressed with the enhancement of the Society Bar, especially the venue’s owner, Myles Minter. Myles said that the lighting in the Venue was just what he was looking for in light output and especially cost. “Having to work with a light budget – the Visio range of LED fixtures was excellent”, says Scott.

“This Visio product for the price is excellent and I will be using this product definitely again in the future. The colours that it produces are just as good as other LED products on the market but certainly more affordable to a wider range of potential applications. Working with venues and managers that are always changing the rooms around, the Visio lighting range is the most adaptable product JVG uses at this time for architectural lighting effects”, says Scott. 

www.visio.com.au

Auckland Museum Lights Up with Philips LED Technology for its 80th Birthday

Posted on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Philips Lighting is proud to announce its role in the upgrade of  one of New Zealand’s most stunning architectural and cultural landmarks, as Auckland Museum unveils a dramatic lighting transformation for the 80^th birthday celebrations of its building.  The striking installation designed by Light Emotion and specified by New Zealand’s Modus Architectural Lighting utilises Philips’ latest LED technology both inside and outside the Greco-Roman inspired building, as well as display lighting from Philips Selecon – the Museum’s luminaire manufacturer of choice –  throughout the interior.

Sitting atop the Domain, the Auckland Museum has watched the growth of New Zealand’s largest city below, whilst maintaining its relevance as a place of great historical significance.  Symbolising the cultural importance to New Zealand’s past, present and future, the Museum will now take centre-stage in the city’s night sky alight with bold and emotive colour, thanks to Philips’ state-of-the-art programmable and energy efficient LED lighting technology.

“We are illuminating the building, not only to honour its architectural magnificence, but to signify the importance of the Museum’s connection with the city. This iconic building should be seen from all vantage points throughout our city, and we are proud to illuminate it in an economically friendly and beautiful new way,” says Museum Director Dr Vanda Vitali. “We want to mark the building’s 80^th year and honour the War Memorial aspect of the Museum in a truly innovative manner.”

The Museum’s exterior installation utilises Philips ColorGraze® Powercore and ColorBlast® Powercore fixtures to light the neoclassical structure’s façade and columns. Through the use of these small, yet powerful LED lights the Museum can change the exterior’s look and feel simply with the touch of a button, enabling the Museum to enhance its profile on the city skyline and create new colorful illumination experiences for visitors throughout each year. 

“This installation marks the second major landmark that Philips has lit with LED technology in Auckland this year, following the upgrade to SkyCity’s SkyTower,” says Philips Electronics Australia and New Zealand CEO, Harry van Dyk.  “As a company whose heritage in New Zealand spans more than 80 years, and more recently the acquisition of award-winning luminaire manufacturer Selecon, Philips is immensely proud to play a role in transforming Auckland Museum, one of the country’s most important institutions.”

The two-part lighting upgrade also incorporates an interior upgrade, which includes creating a controllable, flexible environment in the Musuem’s foyer with Philips coloured LED technology, as well as the iW and eW Blast®  Powercore and eW Graze®  Powercore, energy efficient bright white LED solutions, enabling the space to be aesthetically changed for special events.

The current interior refurbishment also includes the installation of Philips Selecon’s award-winning Selecon Display Profile* high efficiency 35W metal halide model which combines exceptional light output and power savings with theatrical effect and functionality. Philips Selecon has supplied over 1000 luminaires since the 1990s, enhancing the visitor experience by adding colour, texture, shape and movement, while at the same time protecting and preserving the exhibits for future generations.  

The installation was designed by Light Emotion and specified in part by Modus Architectural Lighting.

www.philips.com

Sharks and Piranhas at Ladylux

Posted on Friday, October 30th, 2009

Sydney’s Lady Lux nightclub has undergone a sexy new transformation thanks to interior designer Thomas Bucich and audio visual supplier Night Works Audio.

Opened in 2003 by Proprietor Scott Bayly the venue ran successfully for five years before closing for complete renovations. The venue has reopened with a new level of sophistication and style; a lush mix of Baroque meets James Bond. New features in the club include a custom designed Piranha tank, custom one off carpet incorporating the Ladylux logo, an exclusive upholstered Absolut members room, state of the art technology and finishes all presented in a lush environment.

The low ceilings in the venue produced a challenge with the installation of the lighting for the dance floor area.

“This was particularly so because the owners were adamant that they wanted moving head fixtures,” said Simon Bell, director of Night Works Audio. “Most traditional moving head fixtures are much too big to use in these circumstances. We decided to use four Studio Due Shark 250 moving yokes for gobo and wash effects on the dance floor. The Sharks are great and really cost efficient too. They’re really powerful for a 250 watt fixture and for the price you get a lot of features such as rotating gobos and rotating prism. The Sharks also have some nice colours in them too and they don’t need a lot of maintenance.”

Simon also chose four Pro Shop LED Strips for the installation. All four fixtures are mounted within the sunken dance floor area yet face towards the bar area. 

“That way clientele at the bar can see them doing cool chases and other effects,” said Simon. “You can have then changing colour as a whole bar or changing them bit by bit.”

www.showtech.com.au

Melbourne Recital Centre Finds Flexibility With ETC

Posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009

The Melbourne Recital Centre is somewhat of a unique venue, specializing in acoustic performances it is so much more than just another concert hall. Their lighting systems need to be robust and reliable, flexible yet simple.

”We strive for the highest quality in our presentations and try to offer a diverse lighting package to our clients,” remarked Jenny Abbott, lighting technician. “To maintain this high standard the corner stones of our system need to be infallible, powerful and yet simple to use. Since opening in February we have been relying on ETC’s EOS as the founding element in our lighting control network.

“Although the shows staged in our venues are often relatively simple from a lighting perspective we often present a different show every night and the lighting content can vary wildly within the space of a few hours. Due to our swift turnaround of shows there is often only a very small window of opportunity for plotting or making changes. All lighting decisions have to be made quickly and then implemented without disturbing the performer’s rehearsal. The Eos is a very ergonomic desk to use and adapts well to a number of differing plotting styles. The flexibility that the Eos provides means that we can tailor our desk setup to suit our needs specifically.”

The MRC has recently purchased an ETC Ion to compliment its Eos. The purchase of the Ion reflects the need for even greater flexibility; the aim being to be able to use the consoles in a number of configurations depending on the demands of the performances.

The primary function of the Ion is to control the lighting systems in their smaller space; the salon. This space is multipurpose used for concerts, rehearsals, recording and functions. Lighting control needs to be both simple to use and powerful.

“Often the space is used for a number of different events in one evening, for instance we use the space for pre concert talks and then during the first half of the show in the main space we turn the salon around into an interval drinks reception followed by a post concert dinner and function,” said Jenny. “Each event has its own lighting look and we try to create a different ambience in the room especially as some audience members will attend all three events.”

The Ion will also be used as a slave to the Eos in some instances so that, if needed, they can run shows in the EMH from a number of different positions around the venue by networking the two consoles via a Cat5 network.  This gives the ease of programming on a console without having to go to the trouble of repositioning the EOS.

The crew at MRC also benefit from ETC’s Client software which can be used for either off line editing or on line as a means to remotely access the desk and program from an alternative position in situations where it would not be appropriate to use one of the consoles.

“The client software is installed on two of the company laptops and once networked we can plot from anywhere in the building,” Jenny explained. “We often utilize the client software to make small adjustments from the prompt desk while minding rehearsals. This way we can update the show as requests are made by the artists and don’t have to worry about re-plotting at a later stage – it’s immediate.”

The MRC undertakes a number of corporate functions each season which occupy their foyers and the Ion is the perfect console to run these gigs. It’s small foot print means that it can be tucked away conspicuously and yet it’s powerful enough to cope with running a number of movers with little programming effort. Easily accessible effects and fixture selection means that cues can be plotted efficiently and left to run without the operator having to expend lavish amounts of time getting the kind of look required.

“We are exceedingly pleased with our ETC system and the ability to interchange and network elements to afford us the kind of flexibility and sustainability we need to maintain our fast moving program of events,” commented Jenny. “We’ve faced a number of trials and tribulations along the road to getting this venue open and running smoothly and I dare say that the journey is far from over, it is however a great help to have equipment which can be relied upon.”

www.jands.com.au

Martin Manias gives more bang to Morang

Posted on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

The Commercial Hotel in South Morang, Victoria, recently underwent a refurbishment including new lighting and sound in their night club. Nathan Pugh of One Productions didn’t hesitate to recommend Martin lighting for the disco dazzle.

Twelve Martin Mania SCX600 scanners were chosen for their incredible speed, brightness and reasonable pricing. Included are two interchangeable rotating glass gobos and 5 interchangeable rotating metal gobos along with 9 interchangeable colours and a split colour feature for added colour capability. What’s more, an additional 8 metal gobos are included for maximum image flexibility.

” The Mania SCX600 is a really powerful scanner with high quality optics,” said Nathan. “I also installed four Martin Mania EFX500 effects lights which have a great range of effects and patterns. The coverage is great and with smoke, they give a really nice effect

The Mania EFX500 features dazzling graphical looks from a combined colour and gobo wheel cast from a rotating and swiveling mirror drum. Other effects can be achieved through electronic dimming, strobe effects and manual focus. The result is a unique, high powered yet low priced effect light.

”Paul Nicolaou, Show Technology’s Victorian Branch Manager, programmed the Manias so you can get them all syncronized together and it looks amazing,” commented Nathan. “I recommended a Martin LightJockey for control as it’s so easy to set up and is pretty foolproof for the operator. One of the club owners actually does the lighting and he loves it. We’ve set it up so it’s all run through a touch screen computer which is all synchronized to the keyboard. It’s reliable and easy to programme.”

Nathan also installed Giga Strobes, mirror balls, UV effect lights and a Martin Magnum Hazer.

www.showtech.com.au

Telstra Tower Black Mountain

Posted on Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Rising 195 metres above the summit of Black Mountain, the Tower presents 360 degree views of Canberra and the surrounding rural area.

Now the Tower itself has become the view lighting up every night in a colourful display of illumination.

Raine & Horne Commercial Canberra, in conjunction with Telstra, have recently completed the Black Mountain Tower external lighting project using Show Technology’s expertise and their Studio Due ArchiLED lighting fixtures.

An investigation was conducted into alternative lighting methods during 2008 with an emphasis on power saving, reduced maintenance costs and the ability to control the lights by some other method.

Raine & Horne Commercial Canberra approached Affinity Electrical Technologies to better illuminate Black Mountain Tower with the possibility of using colour changing lighting. Their brief to Affinity Electrical included the necessity to significantly reduce the amount of power consumed to illuminate the Tower, the need to reduce the maintenance on the light fittings (due to the difficult access issues), and the ability to change colours for special events. So what perfect product can deliver long lamp life, minimal maintenance, low power consumption and also deliver millions of colours? A small size for easier installation would also be handy as would DMX capability. The answer is the Studio Due ArchiLED. 

The LED’s in the Studio Due ArchiLEDs are so bright and powerful they are ideal for larger colour flood applications such as Black Mountain Tower. The ArchiLEDs are fully IP rated, a necessity for this project, and have everything required such as the LED driver and power transformer on board. Furthermore its stainless steel construction ensures long term reliability in the most harsh of environments.

A Martin LightJockey was chosen for control and set to scheduler; this ensures that the lighting automatically switches on at twilight and then turn offs as a predetermined time.

Photos Veronika Sain