"The existing dimmer system at The Sage Gateshead was over complex and was proving to be unreliable," says Black Light's installations project manager Paul McGreal. "We replaced it with a simplified set up, using equipment that we knew were the best on the market in terms of its reliability and functionality." The main equipment used by Black Light's team comprised ETC Sensor dimming and Unison Paradigm control systems.
"We were very happy working alongside the Blacklight installation team; they were very helpful and efficient," say Clair Willis and Neil Colebeck, who led the project for The Sage Gateshead. "The product that we specified has, so far, proven to be reliable and much more satisfactory than the previous installation."
The main challenge posed by The Sage Gateshead project was the fact that the time window for installing the new system was very narrow. Black Light's involvement came at the end of an overall maintenance programme. This meant that, if its technicians had over run by even a day, it would have disrupted the venue's performance programme.
The other main challenge was that the old dimmer system had to be carefully stripped out. This was very demanding work as it was interconnected with a number of the theatre's other lighting and alarm systems. "We completed the installation without a serious hitch and finished a week before the deadline," says McGreal. "This gave us ample time to test and do all the necessary programming."
(Jim Evans)
