UK - PLASA has been invited as one of six European Associations to attend the upcoming EU Commission meeting to address the proposed updates to the Eco-Design Working Plan 2016-2019 that would require all stage lighting to meet efficiency targets in line with domestic and office lighting. The proposed changes to the Eco-Design lighting regulations would have a commercially devastating effect on the industry should it become legislation in 2020.
“The impact this law would have on the whole entertainment industry is huge: venues, manufacturers, rental companies, and indeed lighting designers would be greatly affected,” says PLASA's MD, Peter Heath. “Video projection has been granted an exemption - this is what we and other trade bodies are now pushing for - the same exemption for stage lighting.”
Adam Bennette of ETC will represent the interest of PLASA members at a meeting in Brussels on 17th May. The meeting will address the EU’s proposed Eco-Design changes and give representatives of affected parties an opportunity to request exemption.
Adam Blaxhill, PLASA’s Chairman and the director of Stage Electrics, comments: “In drafting these new regulations, they have clearly not considered the impact they will have on the entertainment industry. Venues, rental companies, and sales operations all have significant sums invested in lighting inventory, which will be devalued by these proposed regulations - the financial impact on the entertainment industry is potentially huge.’’
All sectors of the entertainment industry are urg

Germany - French lighting manufacturer Ayrton reported that the size of the crowds that surrounded its stand for the hourly lightshow throughout the four days of Prolight+Sound were “testament to the anticipation generated annually amongst visitors by Stephane Migné’s lighting design and the Ayrton products he used to create one of their most complete lightshows to date”.
The show incorporated over 300 fixtures and gave each product group a chance to shine. It showed off the qualities and characteristics of the full range of new wash and spot fixtures, some new product releases, plus a few old favourites. Swathes of MagicPanel-FX worked their geometric magic from the back wall, MiniPanel-FX performed in tight aerial clusters, and MagicBlade-FX showed off its capabilities moving between ethereal colour changes to dramatic club-style sweeps.
MiniBurst added drama with military precision followed by Merak gyrating to Indian style Bhangra music and Mistral bringing some atmospheric gobo work. Ghibli showed off its versatility and panache to some James Bond music before all were brought together in a finale which revealed all the drama, subtlety, fabulous gobo projection and superb colour renderings that these products are so capable of, moods-changing in a heartbeat before MiniBurst delivered a final dazzling ending with a lingering sparkly finish.
“We were delighted to hear rapturous applause after every performance,” says Ayrton CEO Chris Ferrante. “We are extremely pleased with the huge international attendance this year. There was near

Germany - The RTI NEO ONE modular laser systems for professional applications and lighting designers debuted at Prolight + Sound last year. This year, they were featured on the PRG Stage in their Highlight show.
Simple, yet very effective DMX / ArtNET control makes the RTI NEO ONE compatible to existing control infrastructure, no other control system is required. The RTI NEO ONE is designed as a multi-projector-laser-system: Several units can be attached to each other with a quick-lock system. Due to the octagonal shape it is possible to create shapes built of laser systems. They can not only be mounted at uncommon positions, e.g. flanking the sound line arrays on big stages, arranged as circle or in other shapes, but can also be used as high-power laser array.
The RTI NEO ONE is a powerful white light full colour laser system. With a power of ca. 20W RGB per meter or 3.3W RGB per unit it is also well suitable for large scale applications: The RTI NEO ONE have 10 times more power per aperture than the RTI NEO SIX, proven multiple times to be sufficiently powerful for large stages.
Besides the DMX controllability, the RTI NEO ONE has a built-in controller that can either allow for direct control of the lasers through laser software, or provides additional playback features. It can be individually configured with custom patterns or animations (free software for creating ILDA patterns is included).
The high-speed scanning systems allow graphics and logo projections as well if required.
Up to six units of the RTI NEO ONE can run with

Germany - Avolites experienced its most exciting Prolight+Sound show yet, with a series of product launches including the world premières of new compact media server, the Q3 and launch of light and video integration feature set, Synergy.
Avolites kicked things off on the eve of the exhibition by hosting its annual distributor summit and awards. The company introduced its latest product developments to the 68 sales partners who attended from around the world, and afterwards presented a number of awards to its highest-performing partners.
"The response from the international team was excellent," says sales director Koy Neminathan. "They were genuinely excited about the Q3 media server and what Synergy offers to their customers. The Avolites Academy was also an area of key importance as we are now rolling out certified Avolites training via our global distribution network."
Following this success, on the opening day of the show, sales manager Stephen Baird-Smith introduced Synergy at the company's packed press event. Key features of the Synergy platform include the ability for users to connect and configure their Ai media server from the Titan interface.
Synergy's Lightmap feature means that users can stream Ai video colour data through any fixture group, including both RGB and CMY fixtures, to instantly integrate them into a larger video canvas - meaning that everything from high-res LED screens to LED fixture groups can be controlled from one intuitive User Interface (UI).
"We were inundated with people asking us for more information abo

UK - Eaton’s Zero 88 is looking forward to a busy PLASA Focus in Leeds next week, where the UK lighting control manufacturer will highlight its powerful FLX range of consoles, which will be running with the latest ZerOS 7.9.4 software on Stand N-B12, 1st and 2nd of May 2018 at The Royal Armouries in Leeds city centre.
The all new FLX S24 and FLX S48 consoles, the original FLX and the ZerOS Wing will be demonstrated at this event, which is also renowned for its conviviality, networking and being a meeting hub for industry professionals working and based in and around the north of the UK.
FLX S24 is a new console that runs up to 48 LED, moving lights and conventional fixtures and is easy to learn and straightforward to use, delivering flexibility and multiple features at an affordable price.
FLX S48, also new, has double the power of FLX S24, offering intuitive and hands-on control of up to 96 fixtures, and a touch monitor output for quick access to palettes / show overview. The quantity of available playbacks, groups and palettes are all also doubled.
Both FLX S24 and S48 are ultimately portable, powerful controllers with a small footprint and free apps available for wireless monitoring of the lighting rig, and support for a range of networking accessories.
Inbuilt tools include the award-winning RigSync, helpful step by step Guidance, and Auto Palettes to assist with the prep work. Colours can be quickly and accurately selected and applied via the multi-touch Colour & Image Picker or the encoder wheels or by selecting colours c

USA - A little over two years ago, lighting designer Peter Spadaro III dropped in at a local pub outside New York City. He left with a future client, one who would help push his career in new creative directions. His new friend was Matisyahu, a fiercely independent artist who has blazed new paths since he arrived on the music scene in 2004 by blending his Orthodox Jewish heritage with a mix of reggae, beatbox and alternative rock sounds.
Matisyahu, who reached the Billboard Top 40 with his single King Without a Crown, happened to be looking for a lighting designer at the time of their meeting. Spadaro, who was designing an upcoming show at the iconic Capitol Theatre, was seeking a new creative challenge. The two hooked up. In March, the latest chapter in this history was on display, as Spadaro unleashed an intense razor-sharp lightshow for his client at the New Orleans House of Blues with help from Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures.
The stop was part of Matisyahu’s US tour in support of his fifth studio album. Spadaro has been travelling with eight Rogue R1 Spot fixtures as the foundation of his floor package on the tour. He paired these with the Rogue R1 Wash and Rogue R1 FX-B units that were already in the House of Blues rig.
“I travel with and depend on the Rogue Spots,” says Spadaro. “They’re extremely versatile, real workhorses that allow me to create a variety of looks, so I can keep up with the musical directions that Matisyahu and his band take. It was nice when we walked into the House of Blues and found all these other R

USA - Over the last two years, American rock band Kansas has toured the country performing their five-time platinum album Leftoverture in its entirety in honour of its 40th anniversary. Following more than 80 tour dates and on the heels of its impending closure this summer, the band has now thrilled fans with the announcement of The Point of Know Return anniversary run.
“We have been blown away by the positive fan response,” comments Kansas guitarist and original member Richard Williams in a press release announcing the tour. Our hope is that fans will enjoy this tour just as much, and hopefully even more.”
Bandit Lites has supplied the lighting for the Leftoverture anniversary tour, crafted by lighting designer Scott Pearson, which features Martin MAC Viper Profiles as the primary spot fixture with half in the air and half in the deck. Pearson
Pearson explains: “I have 14 GLP X4S fixtures in the air as my downstage colour wash and pick-ups, with six more uplighting the backdrop and 32 LED pars provided locally. That emulates a standard par rig . . . with lots of punch.”
As the concert consists of a two-and-a-half-hour production, special attention was given to programming the show.
“Scott is very creative, and it is apparent with how much attention to detail is in his programming for each song,” says Bandit client representative Shawn Lear. “I have been fortunate enough to see his shows and I appreciate Scott’s timing and patience holding looks and effects so as not to reveal everything in th

Europe - Philips Lighting reports that its Philips VL6000 Beam luminaires are delivering stand-out visuals for American rock band Foo Fighters' current world tour, which heads towards Europe this summer.
Foo Fighters' long-term lighting designer Dan Hadley chose the powerful, retro-styled Philips VL6000 Beam fixtures for very particular reasons. With the diagonal square artwork of the band's ninth studio album Concrete and Gold as the inspiration for his basic motif, he wanted to incorporate its distinctive 45˚ and 90˚ angles into his lighting design.
"The main thing I needed from the ground row was a fat beam and a fixture that would keep a balance with the fixtures that hang above," says Hadley. "Once I saw the VL6000 I knew there was no substitute. There wasn't another fixture that I knew of that came close to offering the look of the fat beam and the big reflector and, since these are all used on the floor, the physical presence needed to pull its weight almost as much as the light coming out of it."
Hadley is happy with the output of the VL6000 Beam. He says, "I needed a fixture that could hold its own in terms of brightness in front of the two upstage video walls. That's always a challenge, and the VL6000s don't struggle a bit."
As the tour has progressed, Hadley has added further VL6000 Beam fixtures to his design. "We started with 12 placed in a V formation on the floor, upstage of the band and once we'd done a few arena shows I was excited to add another 12 under the side IMAG screens for the upcoming outdoor shows. We've now done a

Germany - Robert Juliat has reported one of its busiest shows in recent years at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.
The French lighting manufacturer occupied a central position in Hall 3 at its stand C42, saying the area was “constantly busy” throughout the four days.
Robert Juliat sales director Claus Spreyer comments: “It’s impossible to say which product made the most impact as customers were keen to try out the new followspots, the SpotMe system and the new additions to the Dalis range, as well as our new LED profile spot.”
Alice and Oz, the 600W LED short and long-throw followspots, were first in the line-up, exhibiting restyled bodywork and the company's classic optical train to ensure Alice and Oz produce an output equal to that of conventional 1200W discharge models whilst boasting silent operation and smooth electronic dimming.
"Alice and Oz were designed with small to medium-sized venues and budgets in mind and the hugely positive response we have received shows we have got the formula right,” comments Spreyer.
Sharing its technology, output and quality of light with Oz and Alice is Robert Juliat’s newly presented range of LED profiles, the Charles 960SX series. This range of 600W LED profiles is available in three variable zoom ranges (29°/50°, 15°/40° and 8°/16°) and exhibits a high optical efficiency with a 6000K colour temperature and a CRI in excess of 90.
Also demonstrated on the booth was Robert Juliat’s SpotMe, its bespoke, 3D tracking system for followspots.
“SpotMe is a genuine and u

The Netherlands - Around 500 CLF Lighting fixtures were deployed during De Coolste Baan van Nederland which was held at Olympic Stadium Amsterdam. Centre of attention was the 400m speed skating track that was used for the ISU World Allround Speed Skating Championships 2018 on 9-11 March.
In co-operation with production company For Live, LD Henk-Jan van Beek (Light-H-Art) chose different CLF Lighting fixtures to illuminate the speed skating track and all the areas around it. With 350 pieces, the CLF Yara LEDPAR was everywhere. Most fixtures illuminated all the flags in the surrounding area.
Ruud van den Berg, owner of For Live, comments: “We have seriously challenged the fixtures. The fixtures were deployed 24/7 with temperatures below zero for a significant period but the fixtures didn’t flinch. We have a large rental stock of multiple CLF fixtures and we will continue to expand it.”
One hundred and fifty CLF Quadcolor RGBW LED pars illuminated an extra skating track from a closer distance. Because of the 30° beam angle they were very suitable for this job. The CLF Ares LEDwashes took care of the grandstands and the skating track in the centre area. Besides all the outdoor fixtures, the CLF LEDwash RGBW took care of the entrance hall.
(Jim Evans)

USA - A High End Systems Hog 4 console is touring the world with rock group Evanescence.
LD Marty Postma of NY-based Retinal Resonance has been using the Hog 4 console to control Evanescence’s Synthesis Live tour in North America. Postma designed and operated this tour until the end of 2017 and for the 2018 leg, he turned the reins over to LD Dan Hardiman to direct the tour in Australia in February, followed by dates in Europe and the UK.
Considering crazy weather patterns, unpredictable festival rigs in fields, to the bumpy cobblestones of European truck touring, Postma finds the Hog 4 console to meet and beat all challenges.
"It’s been through extreme cold and extreme heat. I’ve run the console at minus 20 and minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and the console booted up, no problem. Through three tours of South America, bouncing off air freight every day, there’s never been so much as a hiccup. The reliability and durability far exceed anything else out there," says Postma.
"The Change Fixture feature is the strongest feature," he notes. "I can do in six minutes on this console what would take six hours because of abstract fixture functionality.” Using it to integrate into a new floor package every day on festival tours, the Change Fixture feature allows the user to adapt to any rig, no matter what the fixtures. "It far surpasses anything else for ease of use," he emphasises. "It’s solid."
A Hog user since 1992, Postma currently uses the Hog 4 with Alice in Chains, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and NY Fashion Week, among oth

Canada - Being creatively involved with emerging artists is always exciting, and lighting designer Matthieu Larivee has relished the chance to work with American singer-songwriter Børns on his current Blue Madonna tour.
Matthieu decided to put 15 x Robe MegaPointes right at the heart of the lighting design.
The founder and artistic director of Lüz Studio in Montreal also designed set and lighting for Børns’ first tour, Dopamine, having received a call after his management saw and heard good things about his creativity for indie rockers, Broken Bells.
For that first Børns’ tour there was no LD on the road, so Matthieu produced a design and spec which could be followed by local LDs.
With Børns’ rising popularity, everything has moved up several levels on the production for this one, and the visual starting point for the Blue Madonna design was a dynamic backdrop to provide the basic canvas.
Before starting, Matthieu meticulously scanned all the venues on the itinerary and identified the largest and smallest to give him a scalability ratio. After meeting Børns and his management to receive a brief, he produced the first ideas.
Projection was out due to the size differential of the venues, so he decided on a very cool backdrop with a collage of over 1000 acrylic tropical leaves, handcrafted by theatrical artisans in Montreal. The leaves are applied organically to camp netting with gaps in some places to allow back light through, and they are painted grey so they can catch, reflect and absorb all the d

UK - Lighting designer Will Potts found inspiration in the subtle shapes of nature for his current lighting and show design for award-winning singer Rag'n'Bone Man (see LSi April 2018 for a detailed report). Potts' design incorporates 'sacred' geometric shapes and an illustrated backdrop of personal significance to the singer. To carefully light these elements, he chose the Claypaky Scenius Unico.
Having worked with the singer for little over a year, the designer delved deep into the psychology of Rory Graham's (a.k.a Rag'n'Bone Man) music, drawing on recurring themes within the artist's debut album 'Human' to inspire and craft his detailed show design.
"There's lots of religious and spiritual references in the language of Rory's songs," says Potts. "When I asked him about these, he slowly revealed a fascination with the afterlife, death, spirituality and the soul. I had to find a way of reinforcing this, but doing it subliminally. So, the structure and proportions of the stage and light design are based around an octagon which holds the meaning of regeneration, totality and rebirth."
In fact, the entire show is carried on a theme of connectedness and this is apparent in the high level of detail in the design. As well the geometric influences in the production, the show features a hand-drawn series of backdrops featuring caricatures of the singer's friends, family and musical heroes.

UK - Following a three-month business review, specialist LED lighting manufacturer GDS has announced management changes at its Bristol HQ, “to assist in the long-term growth of the business”.
Richard Cuthbert will take on the role of managing director, whilst Matthew Lloyd will now occupy the position of sales director for entertainment. Ian Colquhoun will continue in the role of finance director.
Lloyd comments: “During the 14 years of the company’s history, Richard and I have overseen the growth and success of ArcSystem, BluesSystem, CueSystem, GDS-Korea and the business as a whole. I feel now that Rich should take GDS forward with his strategic view, allowing me to focus on the sales and international business so core to our roots.”
Cuthbert adds: “It has always been a pleasure working with Matt to create great solutions for the industry and we will continue to forge ahead together in our new capacities. I’m looking forward to assessing and further developing the commercial areas of GDS and helping to improve products and services for our customers. These are very exciting times for GDS and the focus is now firmly on establishing a solid base for the company’s long-term growth.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - Building on the success of the SixBar series of colour-changing LED battens, Elation Professional now offers the Seven Batten, a new line of linear lighting effects using the latest seven-colour multi-chip LED technology for an even more flexible colour wash solution.
The Seven Batten Series house individual 25W 7-IN-1 RGBAW + Lime + UV LEDs and boost an improved optical design for better colour mixing and smoothness of field. The fixtures can also project uniform colour onto any surface, whether lining the downstage edge or flown in a truss.
Available in 1ft (0.3m), 4ft (1.2m) and 6ft (1.8m) lengths, Seven Batten fixtures produce nearly 80% more lumens versus comparably sized SixBar series fixtures. An updated rugged die-cast aluminium case design provides improved thermal control and heat management, ensuring stable, improved performance and extending the fixtures’ lifetime.
Useful for production applications or installations as a wash light, uplight, wall/cyc wash, accent lighting, direct view pixel strip and more, the Seven Batten’s high-power LEDs offer an expanded palette of colours, including stunning ambers, true whites and even an ultraviolet effect. The addition of the Lime LED produces a better white mixed output and improved CRI across all mixed white colour temperatures while the Amber extends the colour range and provides an effective means of colour temperature control and higher colour rendering. LED zone control allows for even further design possibilities and eye candy looks.
All fixtures in the Seven Batten serie

Germany - Media solutions and control specialist ArKaos revealed its new An-Ki scheduling system at Prolight+Sound and highlighted MediaMaster 5.2, the newly-launched latest release of its popular real-time video control platform.
Managing director Agnes Wojewoda comments: “We experienced another very busy show this year and saw a good mix of high quality European and international visitors, with people from the US, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa as well as Pan Pacific regions. I am impressed with this international flavour.
“Particularly interesting to us was perceiving an increase in professionals and practitioners working in the architectural and ‘architainment’ sectors which - to us - reinforced the belief that there is a hunger for new technology in these markets.”
This trend tied in with the launch of An-Ki, which addresses the need for flexible, cost-effective and fully mobile control of media interfaces.
An-Ki is an inventive tool for scheduling and monitoring the highly successful ArKaos MediaMaster platform that enables mapped video or LED installations to be maintained from anywhere in the world via the potential of the ArKaos cloud.
An-Ki was launched during a special presentation event in the Manufacturers Forum on the first day of the expo, and the feedback has been very positive, reports Agnes.
Working over the internet, An-Ki enables digital content appearing as projections, or creative media on any LED mappable surfaces or devices to be updated, synched and tweaked in just a couple of cl

Germany - Claypaky presented a new concept in theme booths as it introduced its stage lighting products at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt.
The Claypaky booth concept was based on three theme showrooms. Demos were performed in each one by alternating lighting techniques with evocative visual effects, creating an absorbing multimedia mix enjoyed by the almost 3,000 visitors who came to the showrooms over the four days.
"We saw enormous interest," comments CEO Pio Nahum and marketing manager Davide Barbetta. "The theme itinerary through the three showrooms worked in a continuous cycle, yet there were visitors waiting to enter at every time of day, and their numbers even increased on the last days. We think word got round of a highly detailed demo, put together by our technical team consisting of Claypaky's lighting designers, Marco Zucchinali and Giulia Sabeva, and visual design experts."
Making its international debut at the show was the Zac-Eye, a stand-alone followspot that uses artificial intelligence: the movements of Claypaky lights are controlled automatically by a device that connects to them via Ethernet. Its 3D optical sensor detects all the objects on stage, and a sophisticated algorithm distinguishes human shapes from the rest of the surroundings. In this way, it is possible to follow up to 4 actors on stage independently and automatically with any Claypaky light.
The Axcor 300 family of ultra-compact LED moving heads was presented for the first time at PL+S.
There was also great interest in the début of the HEPIKOS, an innovative

USA - Stars from all musical genres came to headline shows and after parties during the Masters Golf Tournament this month. Among this stellar group is rapper and film star Nelly. The double Grammy winner, who has sold 21m records in his career, got a jump on the festivities this year, when he came to Augusta in early March to perform a Masters warmup concert of sorts at the city’s popular Country Club live music venue.
With an artist of Nelly’s stature visiting his mid-sized venue, house LD John Berret wanted to go all out to create some special looks on stage. He did just that, with help from a collection of ground stacked Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures, supplied by Quest Sound & Productions LLC.
“Normally, we keep a lot of intense lighting on the dance floor, but with Nelly we wanted to pull everyone’s attention to the centre of the stage,” says Berret. “The best way to do this, given the space and budget we had to work with, was to surround him with bright and colourful deck mounted lights. The Rogues fit this bill perfectly.”
Berret positioned two Rogue R1 Beam fixtures and one Rogue R1 FX-B on either side of the DJ booth. Drawing on the independently controlled prisms of the Rogue R1 units, he split their beams. Coupling this effect with the five independently controlled heads on his Rogue R1 FX-B fixtures, he was able to create a lattice work of beams over the stage, creating a compelling light field around the mega-star rapper as he performed.
“It looked like we had a lot more beams out there, given the number

USA - Known colloquially as RodeoHouston, The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) is the world’s largest livestock show and richest regular season rodeo, dedicated to benefiting youth, supporting education, and facilitating better agricultural practices through exhibitions and presentation. It draws more than 1.4m people each year to the 72,000-capacity NRG Stadium and over 2.5m people to NRG Park to enjoy the entire festivities.
Running for 20 days in February-March, it attracts the very top names in country music, from Garth Brooks through to Brad Paisley, who perform after the main rodeo event each day.
Such high calibre artists demand top concert production values and this year the Rodeo boosted its technological infrastructure by purchasing a new stage - built by TAIT in Lititz, PA. Working closely with TAIT, and leaning heavily towards GLP fixtures, were Houston based LD Systems. The company has been servicing the rodeo since 1985, and provided all technical design, live sound, concert lighting, HD video screens, custom truss structures, rigging equipment, production crew and logistics throughout the season.
LD Systems is headed by Rob McKinley, who has specified over 300 GLP fixtures, comprising 140 x impression X4; 70 x JDC1; 108 x X4 Bar 20 and 16 x X4 Bar 10.
The process of designing and building the new stage started after the 2015 event, which is when LD made the recommendation to HLSR to engage TAIT to provide a vibrant structure for the 72,000 capacity stadium. In deference to the Lone Star state, this was conceived as a

UK - Lighting and visuals rental specialist Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and video for the recent UK tour by Welsh rockers Feeder, who are back on the road with their Arrow album tour.
Bryan Leitch is the band’s LD and visual designer and the person who took the tour to Colour Sound after previous excellent experiences with the west London based company. “It was a video-based tour so ideal for Colour Sound,” he comments. Colour Sound also invested in some new lighting fixtures to ensure that Bryan had exactly the rig he wanted.
Bryan has worked for Feeder since 2004. On this tour he was joined on the road by technician / crew chief - and Colour Sound regular - James Hind.
His creative inspiration for the design started with three festival shows last summer where they used an upstage screen split into three sections, a format that lead singer / guitarist Grant Nicholas really liked.
Another consideration for the overall design was that it had to be scalable to deal the wide range of venue sizes.
This touring version utilised 60 panels of Colour Sound’s proprietary BT-6 LED screen, configured as four tiles wide and five high (20 panels per screen) which was upped to six-high for the London show at Brixton Academy.
Video content was a mix of existing material and new footage which was created by Bryan - much of the new clips were shot on an iPhone 8 - then edited and complied to fit exactly to the screen specifications. This was replayed via a pair of Green Hippo v4 media servers.
New kit bought for

Poland - The Leonardo da Vinci Energy of the Mind exhibition, which recently opened in EC1 Łódź City of Culture in Poland, is being lit with 120 x Robe ParFect 100 LED luminaires.
Taking centre stage in the EC1 building, an impressive fusion of industrial art, heritage and modern design that sees the original power station of Poland’s third city reimagined as a vibrant science and technology centre.
The acclaimed exhibition - which has previously appeared in Paris, Munich, Brasilia and London - is a collaboration between EC1 Łódź, the Cité des Sciences et de l’industrie in Paris and producers, the Muzei Nazionale della Scienza et della Tecnologica Leonardo da Vinci.
Installed in the majestic former turbine hall of EC1, over 70 exhibits include historical models, interactive installations, films and contemporary examples of bio-inspired robotics, aviation and material technology, all focused on the activity of Leonardo da Vinci as a scientist, engineer and inventor.
There are seven sections to the expo, six presented by the da Vinci Institute and the seventh by the National Festival for Film and Culture in Poland.
Scheduled to run for six months, EC1 has purchased the ParFect 100s, and the fixtures will then be used for other expositions and events taking place in the complex.
ParFects were chosen for their tuneable whites and smooth refined colour mixing by the exhibition’s lighting designer Sebastian Binder, in consultation with Robe’s Warsaw based Polish distributor Prolight, where the supply was co-ordinat

Germany - ROE Visual enjoyed a successful Prolight + Sound 2018, introducing new team members, as well as two new products.
Roelof Bouwman, managing director of ROE Visual Europe, comments: “Prolight + Sound is an important exhibition for our industry, all the major players come together to share experiences and look for new products and innovations. The quality of the visitors visiting our stand has been outstanding. We were happy to illustrate our innovative drive, by showcasing both the new Diamond 2.6 series and the Vanish 18 panels. These new products, have received very positive feedback from our customers and users.”
Bouwman continues: “As commercial partner of the AV Alliance, we were asked to participate in a panel discussion on The future of LED during the annual meeting here in Frankfurt. This offered a unique opportunity to discuss the development of the LED business and its outlooks for the future. ROE Visual felt secured by the topics discussed, with our innovative strategy and drive to enhance the general knowledge on LED technology, the future looks bright. Passing on this knowledge is one of the reasons we have started our training programme, the ROE Academy.”
The Diamond 2.6 (DM2.6) is the new light weight, small pitch solution from ROE Visual, suitable for various indoor applications. With its ultra-light weight frame design, this superb LED screen brings lifelike viewing experience.
A carbon and magnesium frame design, guaranties light weight panels, where the black LEDs bring an incomparable viewing experie

UK - Housed on the UK's largest broadcast entertainment set, Revolution is Sky One’s new extreme sports show which pits skateboarders, BMXers and skaters against each other across a custom-built course.
Filmed in front of a live studio audience, the show is centred around an extensive track layout, constructed at Cardington Studios against a super-vibrant set created by scenic designer Dominic Tolfts and art director Ben Telford.
Working alongside the production crew, illumination rental and installation specialists LED Creative provided their Sigma 60 and BYTE Control system to the show, allowing the team to create the fast-paced mix of electric-bright colour and movement that encircles the on-track action.
The BYTE Controller units have been developed by the company specifically to work in unison with their Sigma product range, allowing maximum artistic control with minimum programming time. The LC Sigma 60 LED is ideal solution for building into complex scenic arrangements such as Revolution, combining powerful, discreet, low energy LED illumination with incredibly precise control over individual pixels.
LED Creative project manager Tim Rees comments: "BYTE’s ability to control a large number of pixels using just a few DMX channels was perfect for a show of this scale where we were able to utilise the Group Function to allow several outputs to be treated as if they are a single fixture. What you have in effect is a system that gets very close to pixel mapping but with very little setup time and no need for the universe and contr

USA - The stage was set up to resemble a wrestling ring, but the 1000 or so students from four states who gathered at suburban Naperville North High School recently didn’t “duke it out”, they belted it out, in the form of beautifully sung and choreographed musical arrangements. Their spirited performances were part of the third annual Clash of the Sequins, a competition involving 22 show choirs from across the Midwest that raises funds for performing arts programs.
Providing a sparkling and rocking high-energy visual backdrop for the day of non-stop singing and dancing was a Garrett Vander Veen-designed lightshow, anchored by 48 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Vander Veen, owner of V2 Productions, covered the entire 48’ wide by 32’ deep stage with his Rogue fixtures, flying eight of them on upstage truss, 24 on the mid-stage ‘claw’ and 16 on a downstage truss.
“In the three years since it started, Clash of the Sequins has developed a large following for being very production-heavy,” says Vander Veen. “We decided to embrace this look more than ever in 2018 - and nothing says big production like a 1980s rock show rig, which is exactly what sparked the concept for this design.
“It’s not all rock and roll though, and that’s where having R2 Washes was really nice,” continues Vander Veen. “We could do anything with the Rogues, from creating wide wash looks all the way down to tight ACL looks, and anything in between. The Rogues in the claw also gave us some nice movement on stage without the r