Pharos - Leaderboard - May 2024

Projects

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Europe - Andrew Liddle, the longstanding designer for New Order since the band's emergence from Joy Division in the early '80s, turned to Elation’s powerful Proteus Excalibur narrow-beam moving head to create stunning, laser-complementary lighting on the band’s recent tour across mainland Europe and the UK.
Recognised as one of the most influential bands of its era, New Order continues to enhance its legacy, captivating audiences with a timeless fusion of music and visually gripping performances.
Andrew specified the Excalibur for the tour and says the choice came from a chance suggestion from Ryan Knutson at Brown Note Productions in Denver that eventually led to New Order utilising the fixtures on a short US tour this past March. “Since then, they have become an integral part of the show,” the designer says, “working to expand into the audience the looks b

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Germany - Since its opening in October 2023 in the presence of German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Film exhibition has been on display at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site at the Völklingen Ironworks in Saarland.
The industrial hall on the grounds of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is dominated by gigantic blowing machines and flywheels and presents more than 125 years of German film on 100 large screens, combined with over 350 original exhibits. In order to provide flexible lighting for these - and future - exhibitions, the Völklingen Ironworks' sponsoring organisation invested in a modern lighting technology setup consisting of Cameo P2 FC LED profile spotlights and Zenit W300 LED wash lights.
“The Gebläsehalle is an extraordinary industrial hall with a very special atmosphere,” explains Udo Treimetten, who, together with Mario Es

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Romania - One of the country’s most popular festivals, the three-day Summer Well event, recently celebrated its 12th edition in spectacular style.
Promoted by SC Livada Advertising and held annually on a picturesque 24-hectare meadow and forest site outside Bucharest, Summer Well peaked last year when Arctic Monkeys were headlining. However, it emulated this success in 2023 when Florence and the Machine, Röyksopp and Yungblud headed a line-up of 30 artists, featuring both international bands and DJs.
Production manager since the first festival is a self-confessed fan of GLP lighting fixtures, Vlad Darie, who runs Film Location. So impressed was he when the JDC1 hybrid strobe first came out that he decided to invest personally for smaller shows he was producing, later adding Fusion Stick FS16 Z, followed by Fusion X-PAR 12Z and impression FR1. JDC1 in particular had

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Australia - BBC Earth Experience is an immersive exhibition that promises to transport visitors on a journey through the natural world, narrated by David Attenborough. Following the popularity of the inaugural BBC Earth Experience in London, the attraction has recently opened a second site at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. HIVE’s BeeBlade and BeeBox products were chosen to bring this captivating experience to life through seamless media playback.
“We are introducing a new technological era into the industry with the BeeBlade series, and when TDC in Australia contacted HIVE for the BBC Earth Experience in Melbourne we could not have been any more excited,” recalls Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “The natural world, preserving it and the beautiful documentaries of David Attenborough have inspired the entire HIVE team for many years.”
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China - Nanxun Ancient Town, one of China's six renowned ancient towns south of the Yangtze River, is a repository of cultural riches. Considered one of the best-preserved ancient towns in the region, Nanxun dates back to the South Song Dynasty and is home to over 750 years of history and architecture.
Both international and national tourists flock to Nanxun to experience the magic of yesteryear, and a recent night tour project aimed to elevate the visitor experience through the installation of a light and sound solution. Kgear, part of the Italian-based K-array group, was chosen to provide an audio solution that could deliver reliable, high-quality audio in an outdoor environment.
The project, led by leading culture and sports audio and video integrator, Dafeng, was multifaceted, demanding a comprehensive sound system to cover an extensive tourist route extending appr

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USA - Located outside Philadelphia, PA, Sesame Place is a theme park and water park based entirely on the Sesame Street TV series. It is one of 12 theme parks operated in the US by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
One of the main attractions, popular for hosting a variety of shows, including meet and greets with the characters, is Abby’s Paradise Theatre.
It is here that system integrators Illuminated Integration - based across the State in Harrisburg - recently installed a Martin Audio CDD solution to meet the request for a comprehensive upgrade to the theatre’s aging PA that was failing to meet the requirements for either coverage, output or clarity. At the same time, Sesame Place asked the integrators to carry out an assessment of the audio in other event spaces and theatres, as well as a parade route.
At Abby’s Paradise Theatre the client required a

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USA - Since he signed with Warner Music Nashville in 2021, Wyoming native Ian Munsick’s star has risen rapidly. He’s earned more than 100m global streams and been named one of Spotify’s inaugural Hot Country Artists to Watch.
This year, his rapid rise is reflected in his tour itinerary, which has taken him from a western honky-tonk bar one night to opening for Morgan Wallen in a stadium the next before headlining his own arena shows. You can also see that narrative written in how his tour sound has evolved. Beginning this year, Munsick’s sound team was bolstered by the addition of a dedicated monitor engineer, after they transitioned to a pair of DiGiCo Quantum225 consoles, supplied by Clair Global.
Seth Hewson was Munsick’s initial front-of-house engineer when the artist’s burgeoning career was still using what Hewson describes as a “Clair ‘band-in-a-

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USA - Antonio Herrera Pérez, better known to the world as Mexican music superstar Junior H has released eight studio albums, four of which have reached the Top Ten on the Billboard charts.
Junior H’s talents are on full display on his current Sad Boys USA tour. Supporting his passionate blend of music is a lively and dynamic light show by Arturo Sanchez. Working for JCA PRO, its CEO Ignacio (nacho) Zamudio, and his son Josh Estrada, along with lighting tech Luis Fernando Marins, Sanchez has created a show that reflects the inspired style and stage presence of his gifted client.
Like the music of Junior H, the stage production is bold and engaging with immersive 3D video walls accented by bright colourful lighting. Contributing to the latter are over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Included in this group are 24 Color Strike M motorised strobe/blinders, 24 Maverick

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Denmark - The historic Østre Gasværk Theatre in Copenhagen is the first theatre in the world to secure the rights to produce, conceptualise and perform Another Brick in The Walls - Part 5 as a piece of musical theatre. Based on the Pink Floyd double album of 1979 - which is still the third largest grossing album in the US, almost 45 years after its release - Another Brick in The Wall, Part 5 is an extension of the three original album tracks - Part 1, 2, 3 - and Part 4 that was enacted as an opera in Montreal in 2017.
Having premiered to great acclaim in Copenhagen on Friday 22 September 2023, the new Danish staging is an ambitious one with a large cast of singers, dancers, musicians and aerial artists. The production will also be staged in Musikhuset Aarhus, with a premiere slated for 5 January 2024.
Lighting designer, Jeppe Lawaetz, cho

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South Africa - Playing a dual role as a lighting designer and programmer for shows such as Idols, The Voice, RMB Starlight Classics and countless others, South African Andre Siebrits recently acquired an Ultimate Ears UE Comm, specifically the Ultimate Ears 11 Pro model, from DWR Distribution. The decision has been pivotal for him, particularly considering his concern for the long-term health of his ears.
Andre first became curious about Ultimate Ears Comm in 2017, starting the conversation with many people including Jaco Beukes from DWR. UE Comm is the result of a collaboration between UE and In-House Sound with features like noise-isolating in-ear monitors with a purpose-built microphone, guaranteeing crystal-clear communication in any production environment.
“Ultimate Ears are reputed for their outstanding sound quality, at least that's what I

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USA - The first ever Power Trip music festival was considered epic before it even took place. Six of the world’s best known heavy metal and hard rock bands gathered to play on one stage, and 4Wall, Paradox and Elation had the honour of lighting the event.
Metallica, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Tool (subbing for Ozzy Osbourne) all played at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, 6-8 October, where up to 80,000 fans gathered each day. Power Trip marked the first concert in seven years from AC/DC.
Some 80 Proteus Maximus, 18 Proteus Excalibur, 84 DTW Blinder 700 IP and 80 DTW Blinder 350 IP luminaires from Elation, were all used by the lighting design team at Paradox Production and Design and 4Wall Entertainment, led by 4Wall account executive and production manager Dallas Gaspar. 4Wall also supplied additional lighting packages for the I

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Hungary - Robe moving lights were used in three major locations for the massive 2023 St. Stephen's Day celebrations in Budapest, a public holiday celebrating the foundation of the Hungarian state more than 1000 years ago, which this year attracted over 1.5m spectators to the banks of the Danube watch the main large format projection and drone show.
Multiple events were staged throughout the country’s vibrant and beautiful capital city on the day, with technical production - lighting sound, visuals, staging - for the 2023 event co-ordinated and delivered by the Visual Europe Group (VEG), working with 12 sub-companies.
The three main areas in which Robe fixtures were used were the riverside Road Movie Live concert stage with an all-action line up of top Hungarian artists running over three days of the holiday weekend; The Parliament Building, where Robe Fortes support

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USA/Europe - Ireland-based lighting and production designer Steven Douglas selected Claypaky Volero Wave fixtures and the Panify solution for Hozier’s Unreal Unearth tour, whose North American leg wrapped this month.
The bluesy rocker’s 27-date schedule kicked off in September in support of his new EP Eat Your Young and upcoming album Unreal Unearth. The tour moves to Europe and the UK for the rest of the year with more dates to follow in 2024.
Douglas took on his current role with Hozier for the artist’s previous album cycle. He was given a lot of creative latitude with the new show although Hozier was “heavily involved in how it looks since he’s quite artistic himself”, says Douglas. The album’s theme is based around Dante’s nine circles of Hell, he notes, which the show references. “We knew we wanted a moment in the show where

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Europe - Designed by Axel de Beaufort and Guillaume Verdier and the first of its kind, Artexplorer is soon to set sail. As a project that encompasses both culture and environment, it aims to raise awareness of contemporary issues by utilising a revolutionary LED tunnel, made possible by visualisation technology specialists, Leyard Europe.
Since its inception in 1995, Leyard Europe has collaborated on many innovative and transformative assignments. However, Artexplorer presented the company with an opportunity to be a part of something different.
Artexplorer is a one-of-kind work of art, featuring Leyard Europe’s LED tunnel as the main event. At 46m long, it is currently the largest sailing catamaran in the world and built to the highest environmental standards.
Enlisted by Guy Butterati, Co-Founder of AV-IT systems integrator Akumendo, which spearheaded the t

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Romania - The FIBA 3x3 World Tour 2023, hosted at the Constanța Masters in the City Park Mall, was illuminated by a lighting setup composed of Prolights products. For its inauguration in Romania, the FIBA 3x3 World Tour attracted 16 top-level teams from around the world who competed for the championship title.
In addition to the basketball matches, the event offered a variety of engaging activities, including a dunk contest hosted by the Dunk Elite team, a 2-point shooting competition, and a series of entertainment performances such as sports dances, street dance performances, majorette shows, and circus acts.
The diversity of the event required a lighting system capable of meeting various show needs. The FIBA 3x3 organisation relied on Audiovision, which provided a lighting setup consisting of 58 Prolights solutions: EclPanel TWC and EclFresnel 2KVW for variable CCT

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Lithuania - Christie RGB pure laser projection and Vive Audio technology deliver powerful cinematic experiences at Apollo Kinas, a new premium multiplex at Vilnius Outlet shopping centre.
Christie partner BMK installed a Christie CP4425-RGB and five CP2415-RGB Real|Laser illumination technology, each accompanied by a Christie Vive Audio sound system, to immerse audiences in its six screens.
“This cinema is fully equipped with many innovations to elevate the theatre experience for Vilnius moviegoers, including three chair selections in each auditorium, comfortable recliners, food delivery, self-serve shop, and most importantly top-notch laser projection and immersive audio system,” says Donatas Ivoška, head of Lithuania marketing department, Apollo Kinas. “We are very happy that we chose Christie and BMK as our partners. They completed everything on time and the

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France - Bière à Lille, a week-long festival in Lille celebrates beer and brewing with dozens of special events and samplings from over 80 different breweries. Among the highlights off the festival this year was Nuit du BAL, an electro pop show headlined by Martin Solveig, along with Upsilone, Miel de Montagne and Victor Flash.
These artists performed on Friday night 22 September before a packed house at the Zénith de Lille, adding electricity to the atmosphere for their shows was a dynamic fast-moving lighting design by Valentin Lemarquier.
Drawing on the intense output of 60 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by the Alive Group, Lemarquier created bold looks that reflected the music and personality of each artist.
Among the fixtures in his rig were 14 STRIKE Array 2 blinders that provided dramatic exclamation points of light throughout the evening. “Wi

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UK - Virtual production facility Racquet Studios has partnered with Video Screen Services (VSS) to offer dynamic solutions for virtual productions of all types and of all sizes
Having launched in June 2023 and located in Eastbourne’s Devonshire Quarter, , Racquet Studios has been rapidly evolving to cater for a range of traditional and virtual productions across its facilities. Racquet Studios has been developed to support existing businesses and production companies through technical innovation to produce world-class creative content while creating a progressive creative economy, bringing investment, education and skilled year-round jobs to the region.
Having delivered market-leading solutions for films including The Batman, Barbie and The Marvels, VSS also provides installations for TV productions including Strictly Come Dancing and

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Lithuania - The renowned state puppet theatre has undergone a largescale technical refurbishment valuing over 2.2m euros in its Grand Hall, selecting a DiGiCo mixing console to sit at the centre of a new audio system, with the aim of enabling more complex and high-profile productions.
Situated in the capital of Vilnius, and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lėlė Puppet Theatre was established in 1977 in the restored house of the distinguished Duke Oginsky. The theatre’s main performance space required an overhaul of its stage, lighting and sound equipment, so the venue approached Sonus Exsertus, stage technology design and integration company, with the brief to install an industry leading system, which swiftly let to the selection of the compact, feature-filled DiGiCo SD12 at FOH.
“Installing new technology in the main hall wi

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USA - Nashville-based PTP Live has invested in 60 Ayrton Argo 6 FX lights for its live production work for music, festival and corporate clients and to bolster its rental inventory of lighting and video equipment.
The new Argo 6 FX lights expand PTP Live’s roster of Ayrton fixtures, which already includes Ayrton Khamsin S and MagicPanel 602 units.
“We’re doing a lot of shopping this year, adding a lot of new inventory,” says president Andrew Sparks. “We were looking for a fixture that was super bright, versatile and for outdoor use, and had great eye candy effects as well as general wash capabilities. We saw several different brands of fixtures, and the Argo 6 FX lights filled the bill.”
The Argo 6 FX is a versatile, fully-equipped luminaire designed for a multitude of applications. It offers all the features of a wash light and can generate many co

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USA - Nashville-based band Big Daddy Weave has been raising the roof and bringing down the house on their ongoing 2023 Heaven Changes Everything Tour. The Dove Award winners - including founding members Mike Weaver, Joe Shirk, and Jeremy Redmon, who met at the University of Mobile and formed the band in 1998, along with the newer rhythm section of Brian Beihl and Raul Jose Alfonso - have long been popular and enduring staples of the contemporary Christian music universe.
They’re also extremely conscious of the role that technology plays in their sound, so this tour saw the addition of a pair of DiGiCo Quantum225 consoles, used for both front of house and monitors. In fact, they liked what the Quantum desks did so much that they bought them, rather than renting them for the duration of a tour as is common. They made an investment in DiGiCo technology because of the long-ter

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Mexico - Xcaret is one of Mexico’s leading tourist attractions. At the end of 2021, the park’s technical team upgraded a problematic projector-based video system in its main Tlachco Theatre with ADJ LED video panels.
The new setup not only improved the clarity of the video content shown as part of the venue’s resident production but has also proven to be far more reliable than the previous system, following over a year of continuous use across daily shows.
Opened in 1990, Xcaret is a visitor attraction on the Riviera Maya that celebrates Mexico’s present and rich past. Located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, 5km south of Playa del Carmen and 75km south of Cancún, the park showcases an area of natural beauty. Beneath a jungle canopy are a network of underground rivers and cenotes (flooded sinkholes) as well as ancient Mayan buildings, while on the coast is

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USA - Christie MicroTiles LED took the stage with Something Corporate during the band’s headlining reunion show at Las Vegas’ House of Blues on 20 October and their main stage performances at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on 21-22 October as part of the When We Were Young festival.
Vocalist and pianist Andrew McMahon performed on a piano fully wrapped in Christie MicroTiles LED, which displayed images and lyrics from the band’s catalogue. Kevin ‘Clutch’ Page, principal, Procraft Media, who is also the bassist in Something Corporate, led the integration of this one-of-a-kind project.
Something Corporate returned to the stage after a 13-year hiatus. The performances also marked their first shows in 20 years with the band’s original line-up.
Bassist Clutch recalls the history of the band, and how they vinyl-wrapped McMahon’s piano with album artwork

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Italy - Vivitek reports that its DU8395Z, DU9800Z and DU9900Z projectors have been chosen for use in immersive projection experiences created by Playartmultimedia. The scenographic project has been enlivening events ranging from private wedding events to public town activities in over 150 venues across Italy.
Immersive projection experiences are much in demand, thrilling audiences with their fusion of colour, vivid images and punchy soundtracks. As with many modern artistic endeavours, the immersive rooms – or ‘Sala Immersiva’ - marries a labour of love with the latest in AV and IT technology to bring the visual extravaganza to life.
The driving force behind Sala Immersiva is Giuseppe Casciello, art director, Playartmultimedia. Commenting on the concept, he said: “My inspiration is spurred by the necessary and continuous evolution of this wonderful art form. F
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GLP - MPU - May-June 2024
Robe - Large MPU

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