Dutch megastar Marco Borsato's recent all-action 3Dimensies show
Benelux - Over 100 axes of Kinesys automation were utilised to move a host of scenic and visual elements for Dutch megastar Marco Borsato's recent all-action 3Dimensies (3Dimensions) shows. He played to over 210,000 people during a two- week period across multiple nights at the Gelredome stadium in Arnhem, The Netherlands, and the Sportpalais in Antwerp, Belgium.

The total count of 107 Kinesys motion controlled elements on this production beats the previously held record of 80 by the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest final in Oslo.

Borsato's set and lighting was designed by Ignace D'haese from Arf & Yes who worked closely with show producers John Mulder and Flip Van Ommeren from Mojo Concerts who also did the production management.

WImotion - part of the Belgium based WIcreations Group - were asked onboard to co-ordinate and engineer all the automation design and specify the system. Movement specialist Hans Willems of WImotion says, "This was a real collaboration with Kinesys. When you take on an ambitious special project like this with a large automation system, excellent service and support from the manufacturer/designers is vital, and, as always from Kinesys, this was thorough, detailed and very fast."

They used two Kinesys top-of-the-range K2 control systems for the show, one positioned at front-of-house controlling elements above the audience, and one at side stage, dealing with all the over-stage elements including moving video pods and tracking screens. The operators were Erik Gielen and Cedric Berkmans from WImotion.

A major show 'gag' was an 18 x 10m box truss with an LED video wall rigged on its front side, which tilted backwards, turned, moved up and down and at some stages formed a ceiling above the forestage area. This weighed eight tonnes and was moved by four five-tonne Liftket motors all running Kinesys Elevation 1+ vari speed controllers.

Three active tracking dollies with 3Kw WI-Drives were used to move parts of a massive video wall behind the lifting screen, and a WI-Nch 100-40 with a 7.5Kw WI-drive was used to do the Bulb effect. A 2Kw lighting bulb came down out the ceiling to start the show and to light up Marco at his start.

A further eight half tonne Liftkets with Kinesys Elevation 1+s were used to move a series of lighting pods around the stage while four CM JJ half tonne high speed Lodestar hoists lifted the onstage follow spot trusses - which were also rigged with additional lighting - into different positions throughout the performance.

The vast majority of the Kinesys hoists - 72 in total - were used to fly and move three massive jointed horizontal scenic structures - dubbed "flying carpets" - above the audience.

(Jim Evans)


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