STUDIO 54 : NIGHT MAGIC LIGHTING LIST
All rental and purchased lighting equipment supplied by Christie Lites Toronto unless otherwise noted .
CONTROL :
• P Martin M2Go console ( four fields of DMX )
• P ELO 2201L touchscreen monitor
• P Colour filters by Rosco and Lee
• P Diffusion filters by Luminit
“ CHASE POLES ”:
• P 30 x Chroma-Q Color Block DB4
“ NEON Xs ”:
• P Lumicrest 5-m LED RBG Strips
• P 24V , 5050 LEDs
• P 120 LEDs / m
SPINNING GOBOS :
• P 8 x Martin MAC 250 Entour Profile
• P 3 x ETC Source Four 19-degree Leko
• P 9 x ETC Source Four 36-degree Leko
• P Lekos loaded with Osram HPL 375W / 115V lamps
• P 3 x Apollo gobo rotators
• P Apollo “ Super Resolution ” Custom gobos :
• P Studio 54 logo
• P 54
• P Moon
• P Spoon
• P Apollo Standard “ B ” Size “ Arrow ” gobo P ( traffic direction )
• P Various Apollo Standard “ B ” Size gobo ( floor )
“ OLD SCHOOL / EARLY DISCO ”:
• P 6 x ADJ Pinspot LED II
• P 3 x ADJ mirror ball ( 8- , 12- & 20 in .)
• P 3 x ADJ M-101HD mirror ball motor
EXHIBITION GALLERY :
• P Edison Price two-circuit track lighting
• P 200 x LED 3000-degree Kelvin light engines
• P 0- and 20-degree beam spread reflectors
• P ERCO two-circuit track lighting
• P 60 x LED 3000-degree Kelvin light engines
• P 4-degree and 8-degree beam spread lenses
DRAPE :
• P 25 x Rosco Mylar Slit Drape , Solid Silver – 16 x 3 ft .
However , to mitigate these issues , eventually rentals of more modern computerized boards did become commonplace , as the main control system in place for the venue was an old autotransformer system . “ Big old dimmer . They can take 3,000 watts , and had a great big handle that you turn on a rod . You ’ d turn these handles , six of them at a time , that lock into a master . So rather than have a little electronic master that you ’ re pushing up and down with your finger , your whole body is into moving these levers up and down .”
Mathiesen describes the outfitting of the Studio as a product of the building ’ s history in and of itself . Prior to Studio 54 , and even CBS ’ s tenancies , 254 West 54 th Street had also previously been home to the Gallo Opera House , among others ; the Fisher and Marantz-designed disco system had only been the most recent addition to the venue . “ It had gone through all these iterations , so it still had this old-school lighting system . And that was part of the Studio ’ s charm ; it wasn ’ t all just flash and lasers .” In fact , they didn ’ t even use lasers aside from a special event or two . “ It could be quite moody , it could be quite subtle ,” Mathiesen says .
Ultimately , every aspect of the club contributed to its timelessness and unique vibe , according to Mathiesen , from the history of the building itself , to the mosaic of various generations of technology that were used to bring the club to life . “ It was a visual experience . It was also an aural experience , with the sound system from Richard Long ; top-drawer amps and equipment and a custom design . You felt the bass , and you could feel the lighting change . You could feel the heat of all these tungsten bulbs that you don ’ t get with LEDs anymore . And just the charge of the people , the atmosphere , you could feel it . Plus , you know , some drugs . Alcohol for certain . Sex , drugs , and rock and roll .”
Now , in the present , Mathiesen has taken his wealth of personal experience from the original Studio 54 , and created a modern interpretation of what it would ’ ve felt like stepping into the venue back in ’ 77 with the AGO ’ s Studio 54 : Night Magic . In the Brooklyn Museum ’ s original conception of the exhibit , Ian Schrager suggested to curator Matthew Yokobosky that Night Magic should represent how Studio 54 would look if it were open today ; as such , the original exhibit exuded a more modernized presentation .
However , Mathiesen instead felt that the AGO ’ s exhibit should celebrate the feeling of the original nightclub , and he along with AGO Deputy Director / Chief Curator Julian Cox , and assistant LD Angelo Pedari , aligned Toronto ’ s iteration of the show with that vision . With the exhibit ’ s design , he set out to emulate the feeling of the original Studio ’ s scene changes as viewers move through the exhibit , viewing the 500-plus artifacts , many of which appear courtesy of Schrager ’ s treasure trove .
“ I have red and yellow lights that are chasing ; they ’ re behind a frosted plexiglass plate so you ’ re distanced from them , but you can feel the changes . I do have the 54 logo ( the Brooklyn Museum / AGO show version of it , specifically ) rotating around the room , and these are in automated lights now .” The Studio 54 logos are made possible with Apollo gobo rotators mounted into ETC Source Four lekos .
“ To give the feeling of the chase poles , I used Chroma-Q Color Blocks using red , and mixing red and green to get yellow . The sandblasted glass distances you and softens the feeling of them . Then for the moon and spoon effect , I did that with rotating MAC 250s with custom Apollo gobos . I ’ ve got six , three spoons and three moons ; they ’ re different sizes , focused on a cyclorama wall that they built in different sizes .”
For the coloured Xs in the ceiling , Mathiesen employed two rows of four Lumicrest LED strips on an aluminum channel with a diffuser , that slowly and subtly change between a small selection of colours . “ One of my things from the original Studio 54 was that the looks were contained . You can ’ t use red , blue , purple , and green all at the same time , but you can go through that palette over five minutes , or 10 to 15 minutes . I wanted to keep my palette here kind of narrow .
“ I wanted individual looks and a localized , almost atomized feel for each of these four or five places in the exhibit . This gives you the feel of what it ’ s like to walk through the club .”
The exhibit is laid out like a timeline consisting of multiple sections , as Mathiesen mentions , with each section of the timeline existing in its own area . “ What I did was have a red and yellow section , a blue and purple section , a blue and green section , and then a kind of a lavender and / or purple and red section . My lighting flashes in some places , it crossfades in other places . And the mix of all of those , as you walk through and are looking at the videos , of which there are dozens , you get the changes that way .” He also notes that each of these areas is individually-programmed from the Martin M2Go console running the exhibit .
Ultimately , Mathiesen and the rest of the AGO team have created a faithful representation of Studio 54 ’ s heyday that succeeds in bringing back to life the mystique and vibe of the club that very much lived and breathed as its own entity . While COVID restrictions are currently keeping the AGO and the exhibit closed to the public , they will re-open with timed-entry tickets and limited capacity when it is safe to do so . However , between the inviting warm lights , the zany fashion on display , and the boundless history within , the magic of the night beckons on .
Andrew Leyenhorst is the Assistant Editor of Professional Lighting & Production .
Spring 2021 | 25