Bryant Park Winter Village warms up with Chauvet
- Details
Kesselschmidt, who is lighting the Bryant Park Winter Village for the first time, used 116 COLORado 2-Quad Zoom IP fixtures and 18 Ovation E-260WW IP ellipsoidals to bring an added level of warmth to the popular attraction. “Coming here is a tradition for many New Yorkers,” she said. “We wanted to use lighting to create an immersive atmosphere that reflected this connection between the people of the city and this spot.”
COLORado 2-Quad Zoom IP fixtures units in Kesselschmidt’s rig wash the 17,000sq.ft ice skating rink, as well as the interiors of its first and second floor pavilions, which house a skate rental centre, lockers and meeting areas. The high-output warm white Ovation ellipsoidal fixtures are positioned on towers that surround the rink, and are used to light the skating area and project evocative gobos.
“A key to selecting both fixtures was their IP rating, since we are up for five months in New York City winters,” said Kesselschmidt. “Both are withstanding the elements very well, but their benefits go far beyond their durability. The zoom range of the COLORados (14° to 44°) has been instrumental in allowing us to create a variety of looks by changing coverage areas, and their natural colours showed up very well on the ice.”
The warm white light of the Ovation E-260WW IP lends an inviting glow to the ice rink. “At first, we were torn between warm white and cool white for templates on the rink,” said Kesselschmidt. “I am very happy with how the warm white looks, and how it works with the wash colours from the COLORados as well as on skin of the skaters. The warm white light allows us to create a much more inviting feel for this rink.”
Kesselschmidt, who created her design on Vectorworks, relies heavily on various seasonal gobos to evoke welcoming feelings at the Winter Village. The crisp, natural looking gobos she projects on the rink and in the surrounding buildings have a transformative effect on visitors, encouraging them to feel as if they have indeed entered a winter wonderland where they can leave their everyday concerns behind and enjoy the pleasures of the season in New York.
Going beyond the ice skating rink, Kesselschmidt used snowflake gobos to create an immersive mood in the Winter Village Pavilion 1, which houses the entry, skate rental centre, bag check and snack bar. She also used snowflake cluster gobos in the foyer and stairs at the pavilion to add to the ambience
The Bryant Park Winter Village opened on October 28 and runs through March. To keep the attraction looking fresh, its lighting design changes to reflect different seasonal themes, with programming cues triggered on a calendar by day and time of year.
“Our programmer Louis Malagrino did an excellent job,” said Kesselschmidt. “So too did production electrician Shawn ‘Jr’ Robinson and rigger Ken Flagg, as well as our audio team, Bob Rendon, Dave Chessman, Wes Warren.”
(Jim Evans)
