Laservision's objectives included the selection of suitable buildings and key viewing areas. A draft design for each chosen structure was completed, taking account of energy efficiency and light pollution issues. A series of reports was then sent to the Hong Kong Government and Laservision was invited to showcase techniques incorporated into the Harbour Lighting Plan during Chinese New Year of 2003. The demonstration consisted of illumination of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the creation of a multi-media show, attracting a public audience of up to 45,000 per night.
The Hong Kong Government engaged Laservision to prepare a launch event for building owners who had been invited to join the scheme, and 18 buildings have now joined the Harbour Plan, to be launched in January 2004, with Laservision engaged as the creative and technical consultant for its implementation.
This month has seen the first test of three stages for the Harbour Lighting Plan, integrating architectural lighting, laser effects and pyrotechnics. Laservision's Simon McCartney stated: "In 2004, when completed, the Harbour Lighting Plan will represent the largest permanent lighting and special effects show ever attempted."
The 17-minute-long shows will run once or twice nightly, and be accompanied by a sound simulcast, broadcast from viewing locations, including ferries travelling to and from the city. The simulcast can also be dialled into via mobile phone, enabling onlookers to hear the sound effects no matter where they are viewing the show.
In selecting the buildings to take part in the project, McCartney was assisted by lighting designer John Rayment and projection specialist Peter Milne. Of the buildings the three men chose, the Hong Kong Banking Corporation (HSBC) alone has incorporated 716 intelligent lights, including 450 colour-changing fluorescent fixtures in the glass stairwells, Martin Exterior 600 and 200 fixtures on five levels, eight search lights and over 1km of LED lighting around the top of the building.
Control systems used to co-ordinate the Lighting Plan are engineered, manufactured and shipped from Laservision's Sydney studios. 18 Digital Data Pumps - designed to co-ordinate and synchronize the usually incompatible elements such as lasers, architectural lighting, surround sound, fountains, aqua screens, large format projection, pyrotechnics and special FX - have been installed into participating buildings. These modules are easily configured and installed, say Laservision, with individual modules can be connected by fibre optics to a central control. Encoded data signals can be sent up to 4km, maintaining a perfect digital signal at each decoder. The software used to control and update shows, Media-Manager, combines elements of data management, timeline editing, real-time preview, rehearsal and on-demand playback triggering. And the entire network is managed over the Internet.
As a result of this export into Hong Kong, Laservision has recently been awarded the prestigious 'NSW Exporter of the Year' in the category of 'Arts and Entertainment'. The Australian Institute of Export culminated this award.
We'll be looking at the project in more detail in a future issue of Lighting&Sound International magazine.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
