The Elements crew: Andreas Mohl, Sebastian Seibert, Dennis Hertrich and Raphael Herrmann from Team Prolite
Germany - Robe’s new IP65-rated iPointe moving lights were prominent among lighting fixtures on the main stage at this year’s Elements Festival, a two-day showcase of house music in the amusement park at Dormettingen, 80km southwest of Stuttgart, Germany.
The festival is staged in a picturesque environment landscape and built on a former mining area, complete with its own artificial lake and beach. The event features three vibrant stages of music and is known for its high production values.
Lighting for the main stage - located in a natural dip in the topography - was designed by Raphael Herrmann whose company Prolite Event also co-ordinated the supply of the lighting kit which included eight Robe Pointes and 16 LEDBeam 150s as well as the 22 iPointes, plus some other lights.
Raphael has lit the main stage since Elements Festival started five years ago and has been involved in designing and supplying lights and running his own associated business since 2000.
Being dance / DJ orientated, the Elements stage set-up was different to a standard rock event. The set was also designed by Raphael and featured a 35m-wide pyramid structure, which was supporting striking columns of LED, with a large scenic / LED event logo sign in the centre upstage and above the DJ riser. The highest point of this back wall was 14.5m.
An overhead canopy provided immediate weather protection above the DJ, but the main structure was completely exposed to the elements.
Other challenges included lighting for daylight, as only the final acts of the two-day event each night played in full darkness, so Raphael needed high output fixtures that registered in daylight and were weather resistant.
Deciding that iPointes would be the solution for all the uncovered positions on the stage, Raphael utilised 22 luminaires which were rigged to the top of the LED structure at the back and positioned on the deck and in front of the PA wings, all completely in the open.
The standard Pointes were centrally above the DJ booth below the canopy roof and proved an “ideal” complement to the iPointes, allowing numerous effects that could fill the black hole immediately behind the lower central area of the DJ booth.
Eight LEDBeam 150s were tucked away behind the DJ on the main stage, and another eight were spec’d for the Lakeside Stage where they were also the primary backlight for the DJ.
Two lighting operators ran lights for the Elements 2019 and both were also suitably impressed with the iPointe. Sebastian Seibert comments: “They are definitely in a class of their own in terms of powerful, bright and well-engineered IP rated spotlights. The incredible zoom range is wicked for EDM.
Some of the event lighting kit was cross rented by Raphael from NicLen. Marcel Bognar built the set and co-ordinated the décor, video was operated by Marc Schuler and the event was organised and hosted by Happyland.
(Jim Evans)

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