The German company Procon, through a sub-contract of the Australian Bytecraft, designed, installed and supplied the lights inside the superb Khalifa Stadium of Doha, which was the venue for most of the sporting competitions, as well as the extraordinary Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Games.
Procon supplied 110 Clay Paky Alpha Spot HPE 1200s, which together with many other luminaires, were excellently used by lighting designers Andy Doig and Fabrice Kebaour for their shows. Alongside them, 120 technicians, under the guidance of the Procon project manager Michael Casper, worked non-stop before, after and throughout the event (from 1 to 15 December 2006), using a total of 520 tons of equipment (which also included 5 Km of truss and 400 chain hoists).
The climatic conditions in Qatar certainly did not help the operations: the initial torrid temperatures, followed by a month of unexpected rain and hailstorms, very unusual for that region, severely put the organisation and equipment to test.
The lights were installed mainly on three distinct elements of the arena: on scaffolding supporting the roof of the stand, on a truss hooked to the arch that crossed the length of the stadium and on the truss placed at the top of the largest of the LED video-walls, boasting an incredible base length of 150 metres (492').
The long throw required of the luminaries was a big consideration, with each projector having to cover a distance of up to 100 metres. This was one of the reasons for using the Alpha Spot HPE 1200, which the company says is particularly suitable for covering long distances. Procon had already used HPEs in similar circumstances in Paris, for the epic Ben Hur staged at the Stade de France.
The shows for the Opening and Closing ceremonies, produced by David Atkins Enterprises, were characterised by their strong emotional impact: Doig and Kebaour's design blended colours and special effects perfectly with the actors on stage, like a Broadway musical produced in an arena. In addition, great importance was given to the public, lit up so that they also became a real element of the show.
Clay Paky moving body luminaires and colour changers were used on the four stages located along the stadium of Doha. The installation and the lighting design was by Lumen Art, a large Lebanese rental company, and the lighting was managed by the LD and owner of Lumen Art Roger Bakhos.
(Chris Henry)
