Elation Proteus lights Eiffel Tower spectacular
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Magnum’s role on the project was to interact between the artistic ideas of set designer Bruno Seillier and the Eiffel Tower’s technical director. Programmed by Magnum’s Clément Lelevé, the custom light show portrayed a series of moments in history including Gustave Eiffel’s design and construction of the tower, special broadcasts France got to experience due to the tower’s height, the two World Wars, and other notable events in history including the recent fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
“For this great and historical event, Seillier wanted to feature the tower as the ‘DNA of Paris’ so the 60 Proteus Hybrids were positioned accordingly on the top section of the tower,” stated Magnum head Jérôme Chupin. A double helix design of Proteus fixtures, mounted above the second platform, lent itself to a beautiful symmetry of design, sending powerful beams of light thousands of feet into the Parisian night sky and allowing for unprecedented visual effects. The Proteus fixtures worked with other beam effects (in domes) located at the platform positions.
Climbing technicians akin to mountaineers spent three nights on the Eiffel Tower installing the multi-functional IP65 arc-source lights, an experience other technicians around the world have become familiar with as the award-winning Proteus has been used on several high-profile light spectaculars including New Year’s Eve light shows on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Space Needle in Seattle.
“To this day the Proteus Hybrid is the only fixture gathering exceptional lighting qualities with the possibility to execute them in all environments,” says Jérôme of the hybrid moving head. “Elation’s previous experience at the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai was instrumental in the decision to give the Eiffel Tower’s technical services department peace of mind and give the okay to hang the Proteus Hybrid fixtures.”
(Jim Evans)
