The Jaguara project was well received by the Burning Man community
USA/Columbia - Columbian interdisciplinary architectural and events company Sonic Design recently designed and built a multi-sensory Art Car, Jaguara - a project that portrays a jaguar emerging from the Amazon River.
The scheme, which was presented this summer at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, incorporated Elation Cuepix 16 IP LED matrix panels in the design to help spread its environmental message.
Sonic Design’s director, Leo Vilar, comments: “Through this artful celebration of the jaguar, we want to raise awareness about the vulnerability of the main refuge of the jaguar, the Amazon Rainforest.
“Jaguara is inspired by the symbolism and powerful spirit of the jaguar, which represents, for most ancestral American tribes, the connecting force between the world of gods and the world of men. In a time where our trends of living are disrupting the balance of our planet and threatening our existence, Jaguara comes to remind us of the essence of living in balance.”
Vilar served as director on the project and one of the many hats he wore was that of lighting designer. The key Elation fixture used in his design was 64 Cuepix 16 IP LED matrix panels used to re-create a traditional ‘jaguar man’ figure, a symmetrical and schematic design placed center stage in the Art Car.
The Cuepix 16 IP is a powerful 4x4 matrix LED panel with all-weather IP65 protection capable of projecting high-impact colour or white light, eye candy or pixel-mapped effects. Vilar first saw the fixture at the Prolight and Sound tradeshow in Frankfurt last April and says that besides the quality of the light itself, he thought the Cuepix 16 was a beautiful looking light.
“It’s a unique product,” he said. “When I looked at the shape and design of the fixture, it looked like a sculpture and I thought it would be ideal for the Jaguara project.”
The Cuepix panels were used for colourful backlight as well as light onto the audience.
The Jaguara project was well received by the Burning Man community, according to Vilar, and technically the designer says the project worked very well. “It was a great experience and we received just amazing feedback, nothing but great comments,” he concludes.
(Jim Evans)

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