Lightswitch and Elation create nocturnal magic
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This year marked the second year Lightswitch has designed Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens and the fifth year of Illumination at Morton Arboretum, creating visually stunning and memorable experiences using a bevy of Elation Professional fixtures, including the company’s award-winning IP65 -rated Proteus arc-source moving heads.
Lightswitch was responsible for lighting design and creative direction for Enchanted Forest of Light and Lightswitch principal Chris Medvitz, who is based in the LA area, was instrumental on the project. “Descanso Gardens was drawn to what [Lightswitch Principal] John Featherstone had created for Illumination. “Enchanted’ was inspired by it and we had a similar creative objective,” he said.
4Wall served as the preferred lighting vendor for Enchanted Forest of Light, providing all rentals, sales, systems integration and production management, labour and support services, all working under the direction and supervision of Chris Medvitz and Lightswitch.
Although Southern California is a wholly different animal than Chicago in the winter months, Lightswitch still had to meet the challenge of an outdoor installation with the potential weather that goes along with it. “The major difference for us between Descanso and Morton Arboretum is the environment,” Medvitz said. “Southern California is very different than the Chicago area, which is obviously much colder and therefore more challenging. At Descanso, we had to deal with rain and fog however and the Proteus handled it well.”
Both last year and this year, Lightswitch used Elation’s weatherproof IP65 Proteus Beam moving head in the harsh outdoor environment at Morton Arboretum and because of that positive experience turned to the multi-functional IP65 Proteus Hybrid spot/beam/wash light on Descanso.
“It wasn’t freezing like at the Morton Arboretum but the fixtures were open to the elements so they had to be IP65,” Medvitz says. “It was also a long duration installation; the fixtures were outside for three months, so they had to be able to withstand the outdoors for a long period. The Proteus fixtures did that. It was a great benefit to use automated lights without having to use enclosures and they were a great addition to the installation.”
Descanso Gardens is successfully creating a wintertime tradition on the US West Coast. Tickets for the 2018 event were sold out and for the second year running Enchanted Forest of Light has received widespread acclaim.
(Jim Evans)
