Technology, theatre
and festivals
SEPTEMBER | SUPPLIER FOCUS
After our first Boomtown Fair, Access talks to Orhan
Ertughrul, executive VP of G-Smatt Europe, the company
behind the festival’s most memorable installation – Bang
Hai Technologies, the headquarters of the festival’s Bang
Hai Corporation
How did the concept for the cubes evolve,
and how did the commission occur?
Boomtown’s current story arc was
coming to a close with a high-tech dystopian
finale due to be unveiled at this year’s
closing party. When we started talking
to the theatrical and production teams at
Boomtown, it quickly became clear there
was a great synergy between G-SMATT’s
real-world technology and the fictional world
of Boomtown’s Bang Hai industries and their
AI avatar AMI. We could help them deliver
the futuristic look and feel they required
for their production like no other event
technology available.
What technical and creative challenges did
you face?
Creatively, the content creation for the
screens was developed in partnership
with Boomtown and their content teams.
B ecause our screens are actually very easy
to work with, there were no real challenges
on that front, it was a seamless process. In
terms of the physical install, the uneven
ground and varying soil conditions below
the structure presented some interesting
engineering challenges. However, our
world class engineering team worked in
partnership with specialist event engineers
and contractors to deliver a solid and robust
groundworks solution under a platform
structure to the highest of safety standards.
Why was Boomtown suitable for the vision?
Boomtown is world renowned for
delivering the most spectacular and
innovative theatre-based festival. The
level of detail and thought that goes into
the production is unrivalled and we knew
from early on that their dystopian high-
tech future presented in their ‘Metropolis’
district would be the perfect backdrop for
us to showcase our technology. It also gave
us the opportunity to work with some of
the most creative minds in the industry and
maximise the capabilities of our technology
in new ways we were thrilled to see.
What plans do you have for the UK market
in the future?
We are really excited about the UK market
and the undoubted opportunities that exist,
and are keen to work with brands and events
that are looking for something new, be this
music festivals, exhibition pavilions, product
launches or more diverse and creative pop-
up experiences. As the days shorten, having
a flexible, interactive space that is also
completely weather proof provides event
organisers with some new options and ideas
for hosting VIPs and hospitality areas where
a damp tent may have little appeal.
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