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Project Update
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New Kids On The Block ( NKOTB ) set out on their MixTape Tour this summer , featuring Salt-N-Pepa , Rick Astley , and En Vogue as special guests . Lighting Designer Cat West of Flash and Trash Works , Inc . selected 108 Ayrton IntelliPix-R fixtures as a central part of the high-energy , party-like look of the show . Production Designer Butch Allen of Blame Funnel Creative designed a set with six giant monoliths that run upstage forming a dynamic , ever-changing backdrop for all of the artists .
“ The IntelliPix fixtures are built into the monoliths , which are on rotators , so they spin to allow for entrances and to give us some different looks throughout the night ,” West explains . “ They fit perfectly and gave me a lot of pixels to play with so I can change the look of the stage behind the guys throughout the night .”
Jack White returned to the road this summer with the topically named Supply Chain Issues world tour , presenting not one but two new albums : Fear of the Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive . On the visual design side is Matthieu Larivee from Montreal-based LUZ Studio . This tour marks Larivee ’ s third collaboration with White . Larivee specified over 100 Robe moving lights to help him achieve numerous aesthetic goals , with 63 BMFL WashBeams , 18 Spiiders , 36 MegaPointes , and three BMFL Follow Spots running on one RoboSpot system , all supplied by Solotech .
Challenges on the tour included creating a workable and scalable design to deal with both arenas and the smaller , more intimate theatre spaces that White loves to play . There was a different setlist each night drawn from a large catalogue of songs , so Larivee and his FOH team had to programme for every possibility and be able to spontaneously recall and run song cues at a moment ’ s notice .
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One of the most eagerly anticipated live music events of the decade , ABBA Voyage brings the ‘ 70s group back to the stage in a blend of virtual and physical worlds . Solotech worked on the project under the direction of director Baillie Walsh , working alongside Aniara ’ s Technical Producer Nick Levitt and Technical Director Joe Frisina , and collaborating with concert producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson , Industrial Light and Magic ( ILM ,) and TETRO and Greenwall ’ s Fredrik Stormby to provide audio , lighting , and video solutions capable of pushing the boundaries for live productions . Scott Willsallen from Auditoria supervised the audio elements of the show , with VYV Photon servers specified and programmed by Anthony “ Bez ” Bezencon .
The project is Solotech UK ’ s delivered audio , video and lighting technology , as well as their expertise to the show . The company drew on its experience as live production specialists to aid in the process from the design stages to installation and opening night to help deliver the event . State-of-the-art equipment was chosen from leading manufacturers , including ROE , VYV , Robe , L-Acoustics , and others to augment the filmed performance footage with technology used throughout the venue . The show features one of the largest installations of ROE Black Pearl v2 LED screens , driven by Brompton 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors . It is one of the tallest installations of Black Pearl screens , standing 19 tiles high . Solotech also coordinated the supply of its Service + real-time , managed services software platform .
France ’ s historic Mairie de Pantin ( town hall ) is being illuminated by a new Anolis LED lighting scheme designed by Rozenn Le Couillard from Noctiluca . It was commissioned by the city council to tastefully highlight their newly-renovated flagship building . The modern Renaissance-style building , constructed in 1850 and inaugurated as the district ’ s town hall in 1886 , is in the town of Pantin , Seine-Saint Denis , now a suburb of Paris . It received historical monument status in 2017 , and that same year the renovation project was launched to recondition the roof and front façade .
The client specifically wanted a lighting scheme that could offer a stylish signature warm white look as well as dynamic-coloured effects , enabling them to transform the building for events and special occasions . Le Couillard looked for workable solutions that would offer this versatility and picked Anolis , using a combination of RGBW Outdoor IP67 / IP68-rated ArcSource MC fixtures – ArcSource Outdoor 4MCs , ArcSource Outdoor 16MCs , and ArcSource Inground 24MCs .
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