UK - Covering the vast Western Concourse, and spanning the full 150m length of King's Cross station, a new 20m-high tapered central 'funnel' made of a latticework of steel and glass, was unveiled last week.

The architects of the new extension, John McAslan and Partners, worked with Network Rail on the £500m project to create the largest single span structure in Europe, delivering a new station concourse with more than three times the space of its predecessor.

Network Rail brought in Unspun to produce the launch of the spectacular new extension. Unspun's creative team, consisting of Robert Alge as Creative/Executive Director, Glyn Peregrine as lighting designer and Julian Scott as the soundtrack composer, designed a show to highlight the dynamic meeting of the station's original 1852 brick façade, with the striking new curved steel lattice.

Peregrine worked with Dom Sh

Finland - LumenRadio was recently part of a new exciting lighting project called rubix xpress in Helsinki. This larger-than-life installation has for good reasons garnered a lot of attention and accolades from international media and the lighting design community.

The project was part of a free of charge city event Lux Helsinki that is organised by City of Helsinki. The event consists of a cluster of individual lighting installations ranging from the spectacle to minimalistic realizations as well as a number of fire circus performances in the centre of the Finnish capital. Energy efficiency and sustainability is a major theme and designers are also encouraged to utilize new and innovate technologies to catch the attention of the public.

Lighting designer Matti Jykylä has been fascinated by Rubik's Cube, the famous 3D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian scul

UK - Lighting and visuals rental company HSL are supplying lighting equipment, a 26-axes Kinesys automation system, all associated trussing and rigging plus crew to Snow Patrol as they embark on the first UK leg of their Fallen Empires world tour.

Lighting designer is Davy Sherwin, who has worked closely with Catalyst and live visuals programmer / visuals operator Robin Haddow and video director Blue Leach. The trio are collectively known as 'The Art Department' on the tour, and the ntelligently harmonised show is the result of some serious triumvirate creative chemistry.

HSL's project manager is Mike Oates. He says, "We love working with Davy and Robin and have seen the band's show and their designs take a real journey and evolution over the last few years. Each tour is always fresh in ideas and this is among the best yet."

Just as the band have explored ne

Italy - The 62nd Italian Song Festival did not disappoint the expectations of those who expected all round entertainment, including impressive stage design, abundant lighting effects and a production designed to exploit all the innovations specifically thought out and carried out on the stage of the Ariston Theatre in Sanremo.

Gaetano Castelli's set was immediately christened the 'ark of music'. It consisted of a large 'space ship' that dominated the stage with surprise effects as it moved and opened. The 20m long, 9m high scenic machine was so heavy (20 tons) that preparatory reinforcement work was necessary on the structure of the Ariston Theatre. The 'musical spaceship' took three months to put together and was entirely built in Rome. The work also involved the capital's TV Production Centre. It was then taken apart and reassembled piece by piece on the stage at Sanremo.

Th

UK - CAST of Toronto, Canada was recently in the fashion limelight during London Fashion Week (LFW). The runways showcased the 2012 autumn and winter collections of some of the world's top designers including Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and Alice Temperley and attracted visitors from over 25 countries including US, France, Italy, Russia, Middle East, China and UAE.

To ensure the designer clothing was shown at its best, lighting was given the utmost consideration. Tupac Martir, director of Satore Studio in London lit the runways at the Temperley, Björn Borg, House of Holland and Vivienne Westwood shows, amongst several others, doing all previsualization in wysiwyg.

"We use wysiwyg for all the shows, it helps tremendously when they occur so closely together," says Martir, "We actually run wysiwyg on a gaming machine at our studio with Alien Ware and two v

UK - PLASA Focus Leeds will see Highlite International present the UK launch of a brand new range of Pipe & Drape products from Wentex. Highlite International have an exclusive distribution deal with Wentex for the whole of Europe.

The new system uses a "revolutionary" and patented 4-way connector with an auto-lock system. The system guarantees solid connections of the uprights and drape supports, while they can still be adjusted to every conceivable direction. The cloths attach with Velcro onto the cross bars, making for easy rigging and adjusting. Cloths are available in black and white.

Highlite International will also be showing the new DMT P10 SMD Tour Pixelscreen. Each panel is 640 x 740 x 90mm, and weighs 18kg, making it easy to rig. The panels are IP65-rated and have a luminance output of 5500 Nits.

Also on display will be the new range of Showtec Spectral

UK / USA - If you haven't signed up yet for By Design Day, the annual fundraising day for Light Relief in the UK and Behind the Scenes in the US and Canada, don't worry - you still have time!

Taking place this year on Tuesday 24 April on both sides of the Atlantic, By Design Day focuses attention on the various ways that individuals can support the two organisations that are dedicated solely to helping entertainment technology professionals in need.

Whether you prefer to make a personal donation, hold a collection at your place of work or, if you are a designer, simply support the day by voluntarily giving a day's royalties to one or both of these charities, it's the action (not the thought) that counts.

Light Relief is there for those involved in the UK lighting industry while Behind the Scenes aids professionals based in the US and Canada working in any area of the enterta

USA - Philips Vari-Lite has introduced the new VL3015, VL3015LT, and VL3515 Spot luminaires to provide lighting professionals worldwide with the increased output of a 1500W lamp in the successful line of Vari*Lite spot luminaires.

"With the release of our 1500W VL3500 Wash luminaire, we began to hear from designers and dealers requesting a similar 1500W platform in our range of spot luminaires," said Bob Schacherl, Philips Vari-Lite vice president of sales and marketing. "So building upon the product features that have made the VL3000 Spot and VL3500 Spot two of the most in-demand luminaires in the history of automated lighting, we are very excited about the introduction of the new VL3015, VL3015LT and VL3515 Spot luminaires."

All using the double-ended 1500W lamp that has been so effective and reliable in their large format wash luminaires, the VL3015 and

The fifth annual Knight of Illumination Awards will be taking place in London this September, following the opening day of PLASA 2012. Recognising and celebrating the achievements in Lighting Design by UK based Lighting Designers; internationally respected lighting designer Richard Pilbrow has called the annual Knight of Illumination Awards, "the most valuable gift to the entire lighting profession".

British-born Pilbrow, who now lives in America, is joint founder of the Association of British Theatre Technicians, Society of Theatre Consultants, The Society of British Theatre Designers, and the Association of Lighting Designers. He has won countless awards, including the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award in Lighting Design from the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, Association of British Theatre Technicians Technician of the Year (2000), Lighting Designer

UK - The Schools' Theatre Support Group (STSG) held their third, and largest to date, conference last month, sponsored by White Light and Charcoalblue. The successful event was attended by technicians and managers from several schools around the country.

Starting with a backstage visit to the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford, the conference, held at Rugby School in Warwickshire, included workshops by White Light, Stage Electrics and Charcoalblue Theatre Consultants. Other exhibitors included AC Entertainment Technologies, Theatre-in-a-Box, and Tophex TheatreCom.

The STSG is a small, but established network of professional theatre technicians and managers working in UK school theatres. The biennial conference (with plans to become an annual event from next year) is the main focus of the Group, bringing together its members with suppliers and leading industry practitio

South Africa - With a carnival atmosphere and some 1 000 guests, the annual Tarsus Dealer Bash 2012 would not disappoint. This lavish party, with full technical supplied by MJ Event Gear, was held at Helderfontein, The Africa Room, on 8 March 2012. The gig used Robe fixtures and Sharpies.

Kevin Perkins portrayed his comedy act of Michael Naicker and Just Ginger added entertainment to the evening.

MJ Event Gear were commissioned by Idealist Event to cater for the technical aspect of the show. For the fourth consecutive year, Johnny Scholtz did the full design. "I used four fingers of truss extending over the stage," explained Scholtz. An additional circle truss was rigged in the centre of the room, utilised to hang draping to further add to the carnival festive atmosphere and there were also two satellite stages.

"Four Sharpies were flown and an additional two

USA - Rosco Laboratories and The ESTA Foundation have announce the presentation by Mark Engel, President of Rosco, of the fourth annual royalty payment to Behind the Scenes from sales of Roscolux #359 Medium Violet. Mark presented the check on the show floor at USITT in Long Beach, California, yesterday (29 March).

Engel commented: "When we donate the proceeds from Rosco 359 Medium Violet to Behind the Scenes each year, we are reminded of the tight bond within our industry. Designers choose this colour and in return, Rosco helps their colleagues in need. This year we are pleased to present $2,174 to The ESTA Foundation, bringing the total since inception to over $10,000."

Rick Rudolph, the Chair of the Behind the Scenes Committee and a member of The ESTA Foundation Board of Directors, commented: "Everyone has a Roscolux swatch book tucked away. There is a power

USA - Barco North America has teamed up with Austin, Texas-based FX Financial to offer a new Equipment Financing Program, created specifically for rental and staging companies wanting to purchase Barco's AV solutions at low, fixed rates including a limited-time deferred payment option, the company has announced.

The Barco Equipment Financing Program provides a range of financing options designed to meet the needs of the entertainment equipment rental industry. The 60-day Introductory program, available until May 1, offers two loan options: a Low Interest Rate Program and a special Deferred Payment Program, the first of its kind in the industry, Barco claims. The Deferred Payment Financing program permits equipment purchases of $150,000 and upwards, with minimal payments for the first six months of the loan period. Ongoing loan programs include a 5.99% Easy Application (one page)

UK - WirelessLED has chosen PLASA Focus to launch the full production model of SMARTe, its revolutionary compact wireless LED system.

It has been six months of hard work since the pre-production model was shown at PLASA last September but it has been worth the wait. Concentrating on feedback from individuals and companies across the entertainment industry WirelessLED has refined the original design.

A switch from Lithium Polymer to Lithium Ion battery technology has not only increased life but also shortened recharge time. New Osram OSLON LED emitters have increased brightness by around 15% and a new lens from Carclo Optics has significantly enhanced the colour mix.

Other refinements include a captive M10 for mounting via hook clamp or half coupler, two captive M6 which accept the RAM Mount ball system, two safety bond points and a general tweak and tidy up of the overall ca

Denmark - Lighting designer Kasper Christiansen of VisuaLies has used Clay Paky Shotlight Washes and Alpha Profile 1500s to delight the fans of pioneering punk band Sort Sol on its recent Danish tour.

"I prefer simple but powerful lighting solutions," says Christiansen. "The backbone of my rig comprised Clay Paky Shotlights and Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s and, for a relatively small lamp count, we achieved a really big outcome."

The Clay Paky luminaires were supplied by AED Rent, Belgium to local Denmark rental operation Victory Tour Productions, which then supplied these and the rest of the lighting equipment for the tour.

Christiansen's dynamic concept manipulates almost every characteristic of the Shotlight and Alpha Profile 1500 luminaires to deliver a hard hitting, dramatic design. The striking force of Christiansen's lighting works hand in glove w

UK - Black Light has helped commission the lighting for Bradford's City Park, the UK's largest urban water feature. The Park was designed by Gillespies and Arup on behalf of Bradford Council and was officially opened in March. It features a 4,000sq.m mirror pool and the UK's tallest urban fountain which reaches a spectacular 100ft. A wide range of lighting elements has been incorporated into the development to deliver a 'playful' night-time environment and to also aid navigation around the park.

"We were very excited to be involved in this nationally-important project," says Phil Haldane, Black Light's head of development, who explains that the company's technicians programmed the advanced eCue Lighting Control Engine that interfaces between the project's various elements. "This work shows our technical expertise at system programming and the way we can slot in as

UK - Robe LEDWash 600 moving lights were used by lighting designer Tom Kinane to highlight the set of the latest series of the BBC's popular quiz show Pointless, recorded in Studio 8 of the BBC TV Centre in west London, UK.

The 22 LEDWashes - supplied by Kent based rental company Automated - were all located on the floor at the back of the set, and illuminated an eye-catching collection of flown fabric sails, which were an integral part of Dominic Tolfts' set design. They shaped and defined the overall space in which the action took place. This consisted of four teams of two people striving to score the least points to win a daily cash prize!

Kinane switched to using Robe's Robin 600 LEDWash future for this show mid-way through the last series. The results were exactly what he wanted, so he stayed with the same winning formula for this one, which saw three episodes a da

Germany - Wireless Solution Sweden AB had one of its most successful Prolight + Sound shows in Frankfurt, showing both new products and some innovative advancements to their product range while signing new OEM partners and distributors.

Wireless Solution added to their growing OEM partners with the additions of Robert Juliat, Studio Due, and Ape Labs. Details of products offered with W-DMX will be released soon.

The company also appointed Acoustic & Lighting system as distributor for Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Eugene Yeo, MD for Acoustic & Lighting said, "W-DMX for is a the number one brand for wireless DMX, plus it's important for us to keep our brands harmonious as we also work with Clay Paky and PR Lighting that already use W-DMX inside their products."

Wireless Solution now has over 40 OEM partners and an ever-expanding network of distributors worldwide.

France - Located in the Natural Park of Vercors (France) at the foot of the high Presles cliffs, Grottes de Choranche owe their worldwide reputation to their renowned, extremely beautiful 'soda straws', a kind of very thin and fragile stalactite made of limestone, whose formation is caused by an exceptionally rare phenomenon.

Carved by hydro-chemical and hydraulic erosion, these beautiful caves were cut into a massive karst (limestone outcrop) by underground streams and now offer a breathtaking view made up of natural subterranean rivers and emerald lakes, cascades, caves and cavities, labyrinths of tunnels, primitive rock formations, serpentines and, of course, the many soda straws clusters. During the guided tour it is also possible to see the olm, an early form of amphibian survived since the age of the dinosaurs.

Discovered in 1871, the Chorance caves had been lit up with

UK - Avolites will be accompanied by Avolites Media at PLASA Focus: Leeds on stand RA-B10 to offer visitors a selection of lighting and video solutions. On show will be the Sapphire Touch with a preview of Titan Version 6 as well as Avolites Media's introduction of the Sapphire Media control surface and Ai Infinity Server.

The Sapphire Touch, Avolites top-of-the-range stage lighting control console, integrates Avolites comprehensive Titan V6 operating system as well as offering dual touch screen monitors for an enhanced workflow. Designed for large scale arena tours the Sapphire Touch has been developed for efficient and smooth automated playback operation with the introduction of 45 motorised faders and Tricolour optical trackball functionality and delivers a unique Saturn ring, giving X, Y, Z axis to ensure simultaneous control. This popular new console from Avolites Ltd. also

UAE - High End Systems has confirmed the appointment of TechnoPro LLC as its exclusive Middle East distribution partner. TechnoPro will provide sales, support, service and training for High End Systems' full range of Wholehog lighting consoles, automated and digital lighting products."We are planning for this year to launch a series of training seminars on the Wholehog series consoles, the Axon Media Server, and the new Technospot and intellaspot fixtures," said TechnoPro CEO Nabil Bourgeili. "Our goal is to help professionals and to create more certified technicians in the region as well as assisting customers to understand the finest details of High End Systems technologies."TechnoPro celebrated this year its 10th Anniversary of professional accomplishments in the world of audio, visual, lighting and technical events production. "We have High End System

UK - Ambersphere Solutions, the exclusive distributor for MA Lighting products into the UK, reports that it has been overwhelmed by demand for the recently launched MA onPC command wing.

The MA onPC command wing is the latest addition to the MA Lighting family and offers a powerful, efficient mobile option to operating the grandMA2 control system in even the most challenging environments.

"When we first saw the MA onPC command wing we knew it was going to be a hit, and we were thrilled by the opportunities it was going to open up for us' says Philip Norfolk, sales director for Ambersphere.

"Being able to gain access to the superior MA technology, but at an affordable price tag, allows us to speak to customers who previously thought MA was out of their reach. But it is absolutely not," continues Norfolk.

"This product is so versatile - it can act as a st

Germany - Following the success of the PL1 LED spot and PL3 LED wash lights in the TV and theatre markets; Selecon launched two new LED lighting products, in the same range, at Frankfurt Pro Light and Sound 2012 - The Studio Panel and the PLCyc.

The Studio Panel is an LED soft light featuring: variable colour temperature from 2700K up to 6000K using a mixture of amber and white LEDs. Drawing just 60W of power at any voltage the Studio Panel can be powered via a four pin XLR direct from the TV camera or via a powercon connector direct from the mains. This means that on location the luminaire can be powered from the camera alone. Three onboard buttons and a wheel enable the user to quickly adjust the colour temperature, dimming intensity and access a number of preset colour temperatures. Alternatively the luminaire can be controlled remotely via DMX. Available from April 2012.

T

USA - Mankin Media Systems (MMS) of Franklin, Tennessee helped Chattanooga's Silverdale Baptist Church find a cost-effective lighting solution for the renovation of existing space into a 2,000-seat auditorium, which includes integration of 15 Aledin 85-watt LED profile spots from Robert Juliat.

Initially, the church planned a new auditorium, but when funding shortfalls required significant budget cutbacks MMS was tasked with figuring out how to retrofit its lighting design into a room that could be renovated. MMS worked with structural engineers to design a catwalk to add lighting capabilities to the pre-existing space while lowering the ceiling for a more intimate feel. The main challenge remained, however: a limit on the electrical supply to the facility since the cost of increasing power capacity to the room would be enormous. Power consumption therefore became a major consid

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