A&O delivered 77 Alpha One Falcon Beam 3,000W xenon lights for the show, arranged in four concentric circles with an external diameter of 12m. Behind this ring formation, 16 alpha one Falcon Beam 7,000W luminaires were arranged in a line. Also, 90 Sky Falcon Arc Colour 1,200W metal halide fixtures illuminated the front façade and the interior courtyard. A&O Technology also supplied the requisite controllers for the system, as well as 30sq.m of VersaTile LED panels and media content.
A&O's in-house media department, A&O Vision, carried out the technical planning, visualisation and pre-programming of the show in collaboration with Gert Hof Productions. The initial preparations were conducted by Jens Probst in the A&O Vision studio in Oyten, Germany, and final production was implemented by A&O Vision's mobile studio using, for the first time, the new real-time visualisation software ESP Vision.
On the evening of the party, the courtyard of the Russian embassy was glowing red, while VersaTile LED panels enhanced the overall ambience in the embassy interior. For another element, Hof utilised two cranes, positioned Unter den Linden ('Under the Lime Trees') - a famous avenue in the centre of Berlin - and 'fused' with red light, symbolising the reconciliation of East and West. The highlight of the evening was the light show shortly after midnight, followed by a performance with changing images that ran into the early hours of the morning. The show lit up the night sky and could be seen for miles around, delighting not only guests and organisers attending the party but also onlookers throughout the German capital.
(Jim Evans)
