Located within The University of Edinburgh’s College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the Usher Institute aims to transform health in society by working with people, populations, and data. The Usher Building houses the Usher Institute with its four core research centres and the Edinburgh Clinical Trials Unit – alongside partners from public, private and third sector organisations. Funded as part of the Data-Driven Innovation Initiative of the Edinburgh and Southeast Scotland City Region Deal, the facility has been designed by international design practice Hassell Studio to be a welcoming space for focus, collaboration, and engagement, with space for around 1000 occupants.

The lighting project was crucial to this mission. The objective was to create an environment conducive to health research and collaboration, utilising as few manufacturers as possible.

Designing a lighting system for the Usher Building, a complex and multifunctional facility, posed significant challenges. The aim was to install efficient lighting throughout the building, ensuring that office lighting worked with ceiling raft details and communal lighting matched the architectural finishes. The project demanded a seamless integration of lighting controls to provide efficiency, flexibility and additional functionality.

Delivered by Leon Gray, a TRILUX distributor, and installed by EMTEC Group with lighting design by Ainsley Cramer, the lighting scheme consisted of 400 custom-designed Sonnos downlights featuring a bronze and black RAL finish; these downlights blended perfectly with the building’s architectural metal finishes. Over 600 Solvan Flows, 300 Amatris, and numerous LED linear runs were installed, providing uniform and efficient lighting throughout the facility.

However, the star of the show was the LiveLink controls system, which offers numerous benefits: semi-automatic lighting with absence detection for maximum energy savings, multiple lighting scenes for dramatic effects in event spaces, push-button controls for on/off and dimming, simplified partition controls for flexible space usage, remote access for modifications and service checks, daylight controls with window row dimming to optimise energy efficiency, and extensive DALI networks across the building for comprehensive lighting management.

The new lighting solutions provided by TRILUX significantly enhance the Usher Building’s usability and aesthetic appeal. The efficient and well-integrated lighting systems support the facility’s goal of fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration. The reflective spaces, such as the reading room and cellular meeting spaces, benefit from the custom lighting, creating an ideal environment for focused work and engagement. The lighting has also improved the overall atmosphere of the facility, making it a more inviting and productive space for its users.

“As a research and innovation institute focussed on health and social care, we wanted our Usher Building to be designed with wellbeing and efficiency at its heart – and for it to be a space that draws our team and collaborators together. Lots of natural light is complemented by flexible lighting from the TRILUX team to ensure we can work most effectively whatever the weather!

TRILUX’s lighting solutions have enhanced the Usher Building’s environment and contributed to a brighter, more connected, and healthier future for the researchers and partners working within this leading medical campus – power is combined in a proven management team – this creates good prospects for the future!” concluded Susan Buckingham, Head of Communications, Marketing and Engagement at the Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh.

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“The lighting is connected to the vessel’s navigation and positioning system. We use geofencing, which combines awareness of the vessel’s position with awareness of its proximity to its destination so that when the ferry reduces speed as it gets closer to the harbor, the color temperature and intensity of the lighting increase. When it comes to a stop and docks, the lighting in the passenger lounge is on full,” said Tommy Stranden, Chief Sales and Commercial Officer for Glamox’s Marine, Offshore & Wind division. “Our human-centric lighting can also provide a calming ambiance by mimicking natural daylight and does this by taking into account the position of the ferry in relation to the time of day and sunlight.”

“Our primary goal is to aid the comfort, safety, and well-being of all of our passengers,” said Marius Martin Hansen, CEO of Torghatten Nord AS. “We’ve been a pioneering ferry operator since 1878 and our latest ferry is not only kind to passengers but to the planet as it operates with zero emissions. Connecting people and communities through sustainable ferries means equipping vessels with lighting that’s sustainable too.”

The 117-meter-long roll-on/roll-off passenger and vehicle ferry, with a capacity of 399 passengers and 120 cars, will be the largest zero-emission ferry in Norway. The vessel operates on electric batteries powered from the onshore grid. If shore power is unavailable, biodiesel generators will provide alternative electrical power.

Glamox has provided 279 LED tuneable white downlights for the passenger lounge and crew day room. The lighting is connected, monitored, and controlled by a Glamox light management system. The lighting also contains presence sensors so that unoccupied areas of the passenger lounge are dimmed down or switched off, saving electricity.

Glamox has provided a total of 1,445 marine lights for the ferry. Also included in the package are navigation lights and control panels, floodlights, searchlights, crew cabin lights, bed lights, emergency lighting, and other downlights.

The Hinnøy ferry was built in the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey. It is scheduled to enter service later this year.

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In addition to showcasing Nichia’s leadership in the lighting industry, the roadshow will unveil sustainable lighting innovations that go beyond mere functionality. Leveraging the latest advances in LED technology, these solutions enhance light quality to engage more profoundly with human experience, cultural context, and biophilic principles, fostering a closer connection to nature within built environments.

The events will feature a comprehensive agenda that includes sessions which address local design challenges and opportunities along with hands-on lighting demonstrations to allow participants to engage directly with technology solutions both in architecture and automotive lighting.

The roadshow kicks off with a half-day forum on 19th September held at the Four Seasons Madrid, a prestigious hotel which utilizes Nichia’s latest LED solutions. The program includes conference-style presentations featuring contributions from Anoche Iluminación, Arkilum, ARUP, Estudio Lamela, Formula Luci, MadeinLED and sAtt. The presentations will explore luxury retail and hospitality lighting along with a closer look at the lighting design powered by Nichia in the historic Centro Canalejas Madrid. Attendees will also participate in a roundtable debate, led by a panel of industry experts and moderated byLightecture, on the challenges and opportunities to promote sustainability and well-being in architectural projects.

The second leg of the roadshow is held in Lyon on 6th November. Nichia will present on many topics including high CRI for indoor automotive applications, and the convergence between architectual and automotive lighting. Guest speakers include ENTPE, Cluster Lumière, Gaggione, Stilec, and Formula Luci.

Dr. Ulf Meiners, Managing Director of NICHIA Europe GmbH, emphasized the importance of the roadshow in fostering direct communication with key stakeholders, saying: “Nichia is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of sustainable lighting technology to achieve unparalleled light quality. Our roadshow is an opportunity to share this vision with the architects, designers, and innovators who will bring it to life. These events will not only showcase our latest advancements but also serve as an engaging platform for collaboration with our customers, as we work together to shape the future of lighting.”

While the roadshow events are by invitation only, a limited number of seats for the Madrid and Lyon events will be available by special request. Stay tuned for further announcements via social media on how to secure a spot.

The post Nichia announces 2024 European Roadshow focused on sustainable lighting innovations appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.

Both companies are owned by Czech Republic-based moving light and LED manufacturer, Robe lighting s.r.o.

This significant development will be mutually beneficial to both brands in Australia and New Zealand – and to the market as it signals a new period of opportunity for the region’s professional lighting industry.

It also brings these two renowned brands full circle. Although in robust competition for more than 30 years, the two enjoyed a successful partnership back in the 1980s, when LSC provided certain products under OEM license to Avolites.

Acquisition has changed the outlook once again.

As Robe businesses, both companies can now draw on each other’s strengths together with the resources and dynamics of the wider Robe group, to offer a new level of solutions and support to the thriving Australasian market. With LSC’s role as a provider of world-leading power and data distribution solutions, complemented by Avolites’ renowned visuals and lighting control products, the future is visibly bright.

Avolites’ Managing Director Paul Wong is thrilled by the development: “We’re all very happy to welcome LSC as our representative for Australia and New Zealand. Their years of industry experience and strong relationships will strengthen Avolites in the region. We all take great confidence from the natural alignment between the two brands!”

Gary Pritchard, LSC’s Founder & Managing Director, agrees: “This is incredibly exciting news that allows us to provide a very attractive turnkey offering to the customers. Two manufacturers working together in their respective fields of expertise can only benefit the market.”

He adds, “Just a few short years ago, we wouldn’t have imagined that an opportunity like this was possible. But now, I’m delighted to say that some big, bold moves in this incredible industry have made it a reality!”

This new reality continues the long and interwoven stories of both brands and presents an optimistic future.

“Avolites’ latest range of lighting control consoles and media servers perfectly complements our product portfolio,” says LSC’s business development manager, Darren McLanders, “It’s a powerful synergy and we’re looking forward to passing it on to our customers here in Australia and New Zealand.”

Darren continues, “The Avolites team has done an amazing job over the years, establishing a real presence, particularly in the UK, supporting and training console users at festivals and shows. It’s a model we’ll follow here, with regular training and direct product support from industry professionals, giving users the confidence and support they need to grow an advanced range of products.”

The Avolites brand will be officially relaunched to the Australia and New Zealand market during the 2024 Entech roadshow events, set to visit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth during October.

Photo shows Paul Wong with Avolites sales director, Ron Carrington.

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Signify a world leader in lighting, is supporting Milton Keynes City Council in its long-term vision to create a sustainable city. Signify was selected to upgrade 18,000 existing streetlights to LED – enabling the city to introduce innovation in terms of performance, quality of light, and connectivity to its lighting assets – and contribute to their climate action goals.

The phased programme will be completed in 2024 and is expected save the council over 5 million kWh in energy usage, and £2 million in energy costs per year, following completion (based on average and estimated prices 2021-2025), as LED lighting uses up to 70 percent less energy when compared to the existing HID lighting. The reduction in ongoing energy costs is expected to pay for the project in full within 8 years. The LED upgrade will also increase visibility for motorists and pedestrians, and improve the quality of security camera footage, helping to improve the feeling of safety and deter criminal activity.

In 2019, Milton Keynes City Council committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and carbon negative by 2050 – steps of which are laid out in their Sustainability Strategy 2019-2050.  They had already kicked off some climate action initiatives prior to this. In 2014, Milton Keynes City Council started delivery of the programme to modernise and upgrade its public lighting stock to low-energy LED; to reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, extend the life of its assets, and reduce maintenance and associated costs.  Then in 2022, due to the 88% increase in energy prices the council came under further revenue pressure for 2023/24, which led them to expand and accelerate the lighting upgrade programme to enable them to operate in the most cost-efficient manner.

Signify was selected as the lighting partner of choice based on several parameters. The technical specification of the proposed lighting solutions, the projected operational and energy cost savings, as well as carbon emission reductions.  In addition, Signify’s sustainability credentials as a responsible supplier played a large part.

Throughout February and March this year, and forming the main part of the roll-out of the project, a combination of ~18,000 Philips LumiStreet Gen2 and LumiStreet ECO LED lanterns were installed along roads and footpaths across the city – replacing the old, energy inefficient HID lanterns.  The Philips LumiStreet ECO was designed to specifically meet the needs of the UK market, and this project sees the first large roll-out across a city. In addition, in December 2023, 1,800 Philips TownTune urban decorative LED luminaires were installed, to improve the lighting across car parks, pedestrian walkways, and cycle paths.

For the installation, the council chose Philips luminaires in combination with Telensa’s cloud-based Central Monitoring System (CMS) that provides a fully functioning, controllable street lighting asset management system, capable of driving further energy savings.

Commenting on the LED upgrade, Cabinet Member for the Public Realm, Cllr Jennifer Wilson-Marklew said “This has been a significant project that will really help us to lower our energy consumption and tackle climate change in Milton Keynes. MK City Council is committed to moving towards our target of net zero by 2030 and being carbon negative by 2050. Reducing our streetlight energy consumption is a big part of that process.”

Milton Keynes City Councils’ service provider Ringway were responsible for the installation and management of the project.  They also undertake the management and maintenance of the largest portfolio of highways service contracts in the UK.

“Upgrading to LED technology helps reduce the carbon footprint of public lighting, while also saving on energy and maintenance costs – year on year. The lights are more efficient, can be targeted precisely where needed, and last much longer than conventional lanterns. What’s great is the connectivity that’s enabled with LED – they are programmable meaning they can be switched on only when needed, which extends the lifetime, and reduces the need for maintenance,” said Jonathan Watt from Ringway.

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Sven was asked to light the high-profile concert after Pavlović’s show producers saw his lightshow for Croatian artist Gibonni – the previous year at Belgrade Arena – and decided they wanted to work with him. They talked to the artist who also checked out Sven’s work for herself and was suitably impressed! This show was extremely important, and all involved wanted to ensure it was a world class production.

Sven, who has an extremely busy schedule combining working as a commercial pilot with designing creative lightshows, was also contacted by the local show producers Ivan Jurić-Kaćunić, Katijan Knok and Goran Hucaluk, with whom he’s worked on other projects and was able to slot this one into his action-packed diary!

His starting point for the production lighting design was a set concept by Igor Barberić and Nebojša Milojević, which included three interconnected runways coming out from the front of the stage allowing Pavlović to get close to her fans. The screen design was an adapted version of the set developed for a Milica Pavlović gig staged at Belgrade Arena a couple of months before this one, but adapted versions of these were the only elements retained for Zagreb.

A troupe of dancers choreographed by Helena Janjušević boosted the visual dynamics of the performance, for which there was a good production budget.

Sven took this opportunity to specify his moving light brand of choice … which is Robe!

The lighting equipment and crew were delivered by MOJO Rental South-East Europe (ex-Promo Logistika), and this show was the first time that Sven had a chance to use Robe’s PAINTE moving light and Tetra2 and TextraX linear LED batten products.

Initially, the 24 PAINTES were not on the spec as Sven thought he would need something larger to cut through the LED video screens from the 20-metre trim height. However, after in-situ testing, he saw for real that the PAINTES were perfectly up to the job!

They were hung on front trusses and used for key lighting and positioned along the catwalks.

22 Robe FORTES were hung on the mid truss in a cluster formation and made excellent effects fixtures for special moments in the set. FORTE has been a go-to powerful luminaire for Sven whenever possible for the last couple of years.

Once these PAINTES and FORTES were in their designated positions, Sven started placing the various other lights and positions around them.

36 MegaPointes were dotted around the upstage trusses, together with 24 Pointes. MegaPointe is still one of Sven’s – and many other LDs’ – all-time favourite fixtures, and MegaPointes in some quantities are still on 99 percent of his designs.

Spiiders are another must-have.

On this show, 24 of Robe’s famous LED wash beams were dotted around the overhead trusses with some on the floor and used for washing the stage – exactly as designed – as well as for additional and secondary key lighting. “They worked harmoniously with the PAINTES in this context,” commented Sven noting that the Spiider’s zoom also allowed them to really cut through the MegaPointe beams.

Sven had always held back from using Tetras before, as he really wanted an appropriate project to materialise … and this was it, so 26 Tetra2s and eight TetraXs were added to the design, and he found the pixel mapping capabilities “completely mind-blowing!”

The Tetra2s were rigged in an arc around the main video screen and used sparingly – only around 10 times throughout the whole set – but when they did fire up, it brought maximum impact.

“The audience gasped with amazement every time!” declared Sven, clearly delighted with the effectiveness of his careful placement, meticulous programming and thoughtful execution of the ‘less-is-more’ philosophy of lighting.

This allowed the creation of moving seamless walls of light for accenting, a style of effect that is new and still rare for shows in the Balkans.

“It’s incredible to be able to take a fixture like an LED bar and create ‘beam-of-light’ effects that work in an 18,000-capacity arena – that’s just really special!” he stated.

The TetraXs were rigged on small trussing sections flown just below the PA arrays. They were also utilised for some of the darker and moodier songs where even just eight fixtures offered serious punch!

Sven admits that he would have liked more TetraXs, but they were simply not available for the dates due to demand for other events!

Thirty CycFX8 fixtures (Tetra’s still popular predecessors) were used as the main floor up lighters and along the catwalks, a mission-critical task especially for illuminating the dancers.

Aesthetically, it was essentially a big glossy-floor pop show. Director Igor Barberić is also a choreographer with plenty of theatrical work under his belt, so A LOT of dynamics and plenty of drama was in play throughout the set, and having the CycFX8s on the stage in these specific positions really helped light the movement and flow of the show, commented Sven.

He has worked with Robe products for over 18 years now, and enjoys an excellent relationship with Croatian distributor, Davor Vujic of LAV Studio, who ensures he is kept updated with all the latest news and tech from the Robe universe.

He observes that while the LED chips have evolved and Robe’s concepts have changed over time, aspects like the fixtures’ colour configuration from the first LEDs to the current ones remain constant.

This consistency is particularly noticeable to him as he always does all his own programming and show console operation. “That excellent colour collaboration between the Robe ranges saved me at least 2 hours on site for this show,” when time was – as always – tight, and delivering to everyone’s high expectations was a major challenge.

Also on the rig were 24 LEDBeam 150s and 10 LEDBeam 350s which worked brilliantly as back of shot fillers for the multicamera shoot. The 350s placed upstage crisply sliced through the 150 square metres of LED screen.

Sven enjoyed many things about the concert including the scale of it and the theatrical moments even when it went dark. “Crafting a show that has a real emotional impact on the audience is also about knowing when to turn all the lights off!”

Photo: Benny Gashi.

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The Haarstrang-Nord service area in the district Westbüderich in Werl, Germany, is a critical stop for long-haul truck drivers and travellers, has undergone a comprehensive modernisation. With nearly 100 new truck parking spaces, dedicated areas for buses and heavy goods vehicles, additional charging points, and a new restroom facility, the service area is now better equipped to meet contemporary needs. The lighting infrastructure has been upgraded to incorporate state-of-the-art LED technology, specifically designed to be both highly efficient and insect-friendly.

At the heart of this lighting upgrade is TRILUX’s Jovie 70 luminaire. Selected for its exceptional performance, the Jovie 70 is engineered to minimise environmental impact. Its intelligent design includes features such as IP66 certification to prevent insects from entering the fixture, a low operating temperature that avoids harming insects, and customised multi-lens technology (MLT IQ) that directs light precisely where it is needed, reducing stray light.

In consideration of local ecosystems, Autobahn GmbH, the organisation responsible for the refurbishment, chose a warm white light colour (3,000 Kelvin) for the Jovie 70 luminaires. This colour temperature is known to be less attractive to insects, thereby preserving the local flora and fauna. With 65 Jovie 70 LED luminaires now illuminating the site, the rest area achieves an optimal balance between safety and environmental conservation.

The success of the lighting project at Haarstrang-Nord has set a precedent, leading to the adoption of the same advanced lighting solution on the opposite side of the A44. This demonstrates TRILUX’s commitment to effective planning, execution, and responsive adaptation to client needs.

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The defense and navy markets are expanding and exhibits favorable characteristics that align with Glamox’s strategic growth objectives. Notably, the UK Navy stands out as an especially attractive partner due to its track record of exporting advanced vessel designs. Additionally, the navy sector demands high quality and reliability, which aligns well with Glamox’s expertise and innovation-driven approach. This acquisition would enable Glamox to leverage these strengths, capitalize on market opportunities, and enhance its competitive position in the maritime industry.

MARL had total revenues of GBP 6,0 mGBP for the 2023/24 financial year, with close to 60 percent coming from Navy projects. All 62 employees are based in the United Kingdom. The company specializes in designing and providing high performance LED lighting solutions in highly technical environments for domestic and international customers in Navy, defence, rail, and other specialty lighting.

Group Chief Executive Officer Astrid Simonsen Joos highlighted: “With MARL’s capabilities, dedicated employees and growth within the Navy segment, this strategic acquisition aligns with our ambitions. Together as one, we will be better equipped to serve our customers with cutting-edge solutions within the Navy segment.”

“The growing market for sustainable lighting solutions within the Navy and marine segments is continuing to be a profitable opportunity for Glamox, and with MARL onboard as a part of the team, we are positioned well for growth” says Simonsen Joos.

MARL International’s main owner and managing director, Adrian Rawlinson, is enthusiastic about the new opportunity: “We are thrilled to see our company join forces with a solid international lighting company with a focus on innovation, engineering, and quality. Their commitment to excellence and forward-thinking approach ensures a bright future for our employees, customers, and partners.”

MARL International will be a part of the Glamox Marine, Offshore & Wind division, headed by Tommy Stranden.

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Eco-Friendly Lighting: The Crown Class lighting revitalization project included 69 ESPRITE Profile, 87 Spiider, 78 PAINTE Profile, 98 LEDBeam 150, and 48 ParFect 150 wash luminaires, which has reduced the Crown Class’ overall electrical consumption by an impressive 50 percent. This not only benefits the environment but also leads to reduced HVAC draw and overall fuel costs. Additionally, it significantly reduces operational and maintenance expenses. Princess Entertainment continues to invest in engaging and eco-conscious technologies to enhance guest offerings and sustainability goals.

Robe TE Technology: Robe’s revolutionary Transferable LED Engine technology allows for easy replacement of light engines, extending the fixture’s lifetime and avoiding costly and time-consuming full light engine replacements. This technology provides the flexibility to choose engines, including HP (High Performance), HCF (High Colour Fidelity), TGW (Tungsten White), or the MSL-TE™ (Multi-Spectral) engine. This ensures optimal color rendition for every performance.

Spectacular Performances: The new lighting system enhances Princess Cruises’ award-winning in-house entertainment offerings, including major original productions created in partnership with Stephen Schwartz, an Oscar, Tony, and Grammy award-winning composer.

The lighting rig upgrade for Crown, Emerald, and Ruby Princess was a significant undertaking in 2023. Robe Lighting delivered all fixtures on time for immediate installation, leading to reduced power consumption and maintenance, making the rigs more efficient for use. Working with EMF Lighting, the lighting design team was impressed with the innovative features and impressive output of the small form-factor, feature-rich fixtures. The enhanced color rendering across the TE Engines and Osram engines of the Spiider and LEDBeam fixtures has revitalized the shows, providing vibrant and saturated visuals. Onboard lighting technicians have praised the new lighting rig for its ease of use, ease of service, and its ability to enhance their designs and operational needs. Notably, the new Robe lighting system has reduced the operating noise by 53db, improving audio fidelity for guests and on-stage monitoring systems.

Matt DeJong, Fleet Lighting Supervisor for the Princess Entertainment Project team, chose Robe Lighting due to the impressive range of fixtures and Robe’s global support system, ensuring on-demand assistance no matter where in the world any Princess cruise ship might be. Princess is always grateful for the quality engineering and QA provided by Robe as all equipment worked straight out of the box, which allowed the project team to complete these time sensitive, in-service installs, with minimal disruption to onboard operations.

In addition to the all-Robe automated lighting rig, the Crown Class lighting setup was complemented with additional conventional fixtures, strobes, and UV effect units.

Photo by Matt DeJong.

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Originated and designed by Arcadia’s Pip Rush (creative director) and Bert Cole (technical director), the 30-metre-long, 8.5-metre-high biomechanical Dragonfly is built from an ex Royal Navy Sea King helicopter and was surrounded by a 50,000-capacity evolved geometric ‘energy field’ at the festival.

The sculpture ‘awakened’ every night of Glasto at 23:30, presenting “Warraloo” a breathtaking 9-minute show developed by Arcadia in collaboration with the Wadjuk Noongar nation of Western Australia and based on the Dragonfly’s pupation cycle.

The Dragonfly head is covered with over 200 custom hexagonal and pentagonal LED screens, the legs were pixel mapped, the body was projection mapped, and over 200 lighting and LED pixel fixtures were rigged on the construction and dotted around the Arcadia arena, all vital elements of the production lighting scheme created by Dave Cohen from design studio, MIRRAD.

MIRRAD was also responsible for designing and supplying the full lighting and visual control system and all the related integration.

Music lovers were treated to a sizzling hot lineup of local and international DJs who played well into the night throughout the three-day festival, and Arcadia also presented its new 9-minute ‘spectacular’ timecoded performance show – complete with aerialists, fire, lasers, other SFX and massive excitement.

In addition to the Dragonfly, four sets of scenic bull-rush podiums, also created from recycled scrap metal, circled the space, two of them doubling as performance areas for elements of the timecoded show. Six 11-metre-high lighting towers were positioned around the outside of the arena, rigged with – among other lighting fixtures – six of Robe’s new searchlight style laser-lightsource iBOLTS.

Dave explained that lighting for the event was 95 per cent operated live or busked – only the Arcadia shows were timecoded, so with operating sessions of five hours or more, the Avolites D9-330 was his desk of choice for this style of operation.

“It is absolutely the best option” to combine both these operating MOs (busking & cue stack) as well as facilitating the seamless live operation of both lighting and video, he stated.

A major creative challenge was ensuring that the Dragonfly was well lit and getting plenty of light into the arena and amongst the crowds to help keep the atmos pumping whilst maintaining the structural integrity and look of the Dragonfly as an impressive piece of industrial art.

He and MIRRAD’s Sam Werrett operated Arcadia’s lighting for all artists across the Glastonbury weekend working in close conjunction with the live visuals team featuring Australian artists Peter Walker and Brad Hammond. They used Touch Designer and Unity to bake these (visuals) onto a UV map, which was mixed by Joe Crossley from Astralprojekt using a MIDI controller.

Sam – thrilled to be working on his first Glasto – explained that D9 features like Timeline, Timecoded Cue Lists, Pixel Mapper plus several others created especially for this Arcadia event were invaluable.

Other features like Align made it extremely straightforward to copy all the positional and other fixture information from – in this case – one tower and apply it to another, which saved time when dealing the parts of the lighting rig hidden from the FOH position which was side-on to the Dragonfly – rather than having to adjust every light!

The D9 console’s rotary playback faders were utilised to execute some on-the-fly safety parameters like dimming strobes or lighting that might inadvertently get in performer faces during the live shows.

Using Avolites Synergy to unite the worlds of video and lighting control enabled Dave and Sam to see the NDI previews of the visuals being created and instantly match or contrast colour-wise with lighting and crossfade between outputting lighting and video feeds.

“Avo’s history is in live operation,” noted Sam, “and the D9’s versatility meant we could keep the show fresh and invigorated with new looks and combinations even after a five-hour plus operating shift.”

While those long operating stints were part of the challenge of this event, they were also what Dave and Sam relished.

All the timecoded parts were pre-vizzed in WYSIWYG – using a model of the helicopter – and fine-tuned on site, and they also had a WYG set up on site, networked to the FOH which enabled video and lighting and video to be processed in the same previz environment.

The two D9 consoles – live and backup – were run in multi-user mode, allowing looks, combinations and effects to be prepared and trialled on one and then output on the other as the evening progressed.

Coordinating the AI media server side of the control for MIRRAD was Arran Rothwell-Eyre, one of the original team behind AI, and Greg Haynes from Avo provided additional tech support.

The LED screen design and installation for the head of the helicopter was created by Ben Vaughan and Video Illusions.

The connection between Avolites, MIRRAD and Arcadia goes back to 2012 and the famous Spider and their “Metamorphosis” show. An Avolites console has been running their lighting ever since then, and they first implemented Synergy and the AI servers in 2015 which became a crucial part of their touring shows.

Arcadia’s technical production manager Katie Davies enthused, “It’s great to work with a team who just really get what we are trying to do, and with whom we can build on the knowledge and experience of previous years and stage designs.”

Utilising the Avolites D9 console, AI media server and Synergy for the live visual feeds, helped make Arcadia one of the most talked about areas of Glastonbury 2024.

Photos: Steve Bright.

The post Avolites Diamond 9 controls Arcadia Dragonfly lighting and video appeared first on A1 Lighting Magazine.