Damien Lebrun and Nathalie Grassi from CYWEB, a France-based company specialized in multimedia tools and content development, were in charge of the design, production, and the installation of the audio/images/lighting system, as well as the programming of the Medialon show control system.
The Black Arch installation is about two visions of the world, of two cities - Mecca in Saudi Arabia and Venice in Italy. The work is a stage, set to project the artists' collective memory, with physical representation of black (i.e. black silhouettes of Saudi women), inspirational tales from Mecca, where the sisters grew up, and as a counter-point, the second part of the installation is a mirror image, reflecting the present.
When entering the room, the visitor is surrounded with sounds as if he was entering the Mecca, where souk, birds' market and wedding chants are all mixed. A polished steel oval, standing up like a dark looking glass, is captured on the ground by a surface of chrome marbles arranged of the same size. These two surfaces, one vertical, the other horizontal, each a projection of the other, are joined together by their reflections and images which evoke Mecca and Venice that each of them sheds.
"For The Black Arch, the artists wanted four audio and two video projections sources along with a sophisticated and lively lighting," states Damien Lebrun, sound engineer and developer at CYWEB. "Of course, the video, audio and lighting effects had to run simultaneously. We also absolutely had to find a nice and easy tool to create and synchronize the 30 spotlights with the audio and images in situ in Venice, knowing that we would have a limited time for the integration onsite", adds Damien Lebrun.
"It clearly appeared that two Medialon MIP HD media players to play the 30-minutes media content including audio and images files, associated with a Medialon Manager show control software for the DMX lighting control and the timeline with the Positrack (sync) functionality were the ideal solution for this project.", declares Lebrun.
"We also needed a true reliable audiovisual and lighting control system as the project had to operate autonomously for the 6-month duration of the Biennale exhibit. Medialon brought us this guarantee."
(Jim Evans)
