The Future's Bright is the brainchild of Jon Thirsk, a locally-based graphic designer who's keen to stimulate tourism, business and interest in the town. He and other interested parties formed the not-for-profit organization, Y Grael Cyf (The Grail), to stage the initial pilot event. Thirsk approached E/T/C UK's Ross Ashton to help realize the idea on the visual front. The proposed Caernarfon 2004 events aim to stretch Caernarfon's tourist season, in similar fashion to the Blackpool Illuminations, which attracts many millions of visitors. The projection formed the visual centrepiece, and other attractions included a children's dry skating rink, fire dancers, jugglers, craft stalls and music.
Ashton and Thirsk compiled a storyboard and narrative for the 11-minute show, repeated over a three-hour period, and based on Caernarfon's historical and contemporary history. The projection show was set to an especially composed musical soundtrack, played through a Turbosound Floodlight PA, supplied by Manchester-based STS.
Ashton produced PIGI scroll artwork and the projectors were located 50m from the castle walls on a specially constructed platform, creating images 60m wide by 30m high. Ashton said: "It's great to be involved in this type of community-based project. We also like working in this collaborative way, and the results bring fun, information and entertainment to a huge variety of people."
The interest generated as a result has been overwhelming, say E/T/C. The Mayors of Conway and Beaumaris have already approached Thirsk, with a view to staging similar events at other castles. Welsh arts television programme Y Sioe Gelf and Channel 4's S4C are interested in developing the son et lumière concept for TV. The National Theatre of Wales has also been in touch with Thirsk, interested in helping to develop a multi-media spectacular. In Caernarfon, the success of The Future's Bright has meant a green light to go ahead with staging a larger and more comprehensive son et lumière in the early summer.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
