It's been project managed and engineered for Kinesys by Andy Cave who's been working closely with Andy Edwards from Brilliant, designer of the hardware, in conjunction with the show's set designer Mark Fisher.
This also follows on from work Kinesys completed earlier in the tour involving the design and build of a motion control system to move the B Stage into the middle of the auditorium.
The compressed air cannons are rigged to a header truss running the width of the stage, each containing a very long piece of folded silk, which is ejected - parachute style - at the designated moment, forced out by compressed air.
Kinesys was asked to design a system that would work off a lighting desk and deal with 40 compressed air release valves and 40 electric Kabuki drops plus all associated cabling. The latter are activated to dump the silks onto the ground once the effect is completed.
They built four waterproof control boxes - three and a spare - that sit on the truss with the cannons, and designed a custom PCB to switch the valves and Kabuki releases. The boxes are a compact, user-friendly solution using tried-and-tested technology applied in a lateral fashion.
The Kinesys system includes a hard-wired safety system, going back to a 'Dead Man's Handle' and Emergency Stop switch by the operator - who has to have a finger physically on the button to make it work.
The system is currently being fired via an Avolites Pearl console programmed by the tour's lighting director Ethan Weber, and operated by the carpentry/set department backstage. The desk is supplied by the tour's main lighting contractors, PRG.
(Chris Henry)
