Chauvet reflects Tesla Cyber Rodeo spirit
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It was all part of Cyber Rodeo, a signature event for 15,000 guests celebrating the opening of Tesla’s new 10 million square feet Giga plant outside the Texas capital of Austin. Rob Ross and the team at Rob Ross Design created the visual by lighting 25 unpainted Tesla vehicles in an array of vibrant colours to coordinate with a thematic soundscape developed by the Tesla media team.
The collaboration resulted in a 10-minute music and light show that captivated visitors at the ceremony. “We called this the ‘Body in White’ section,” says Ross. “It was one of my favourite points in the event. Seeing these vehicles accented by different colours and patterns in coordination with the music was a lot of fun, and it conveyed a nice upbeat mood.”
There were plenty of other impressive visuals at the event, as Ross and his team, working with their Tesla counterparts, transformed the sprawling facility into a visual wonderland. At the heart of their design was a 2,000ft long tour through the cavernous plant’s production area lined with robots, sensors, casting space, and a collection of exotic looking equipment.
Ross’ design made the space come alive through changing colours and light angles, while at the same time using brightness and shadows to accentuate distinctive architectural features. “We were very happy with how this turned out,” he said. “A lot of credit goes to my team: Aidan Marshall, Jiajing Qi, Dan Schreckengost, Eric Schoenberger, and Jordyn Goins.”
Helping them achieve these looks were 230 Chauvet Professional fixtures supplied by The Design Oasis and 4Wall Entertainment. Included in this collection were 120 COLORado 1QS, 80 COLORado 2-Quad Zoom, and 30 COLORado 2 Solo units.
“The COLORado fixtures were mostly used on the factory tour,” said Ross. “Along this route we showcased the assembly process from casting to paint. In these locations we set the fixtures to our desired colours and didn’t need to worry about control. They were also great because they gave us a lot of punch without using much power.
“Being able to achieve large fields of colour with not that many lights was critically important,” added Ross. “We used the zoom feature of the 2-Quad Zoom to add some movement to the light. The 2-Quad Zooms were also used in the ‘Body in White’ display.”
Ross credits the Tesla team with helping the designers manage the massive scale of the project, which covered an area roughly 15-city blocks long and five wide. “Working with them to get power and data distribution throughout the building was critical,” he said. “This was especially true given the equipment shortages we’re seeing nowadays.”
Looking back on Cyber Rodeo, Ross is happy with the reaction to his design by Tesla employees at the event. “It was cool to see their reaction,” he said, noting that their enthusiasm was especially meaningful given the respect he has for their “outstanding creative capabilities.”
