The light show accompanied the traditional annual Quatorze Juillet fireworks spectacle in the Trocadero square, located on the right bank of the River Seine facing the Eiffel Tower on the left bank. All lighting equipment for the event was supplied by Paris based rental house, Impact Evénement.
Preparations and rigging started nine days in advance and involved approximately 50 technicians who rigged lights and pyro onto three trussing circles - one with a 20m diameter and two with 6m diameters - placed in the centre of the Trocadero. These were then hoisted 60m into the air by cranes.
A combination of 94 Robe ColorSpot 2500E ATs and ColorSpot and Wash 1200E ATs were rigged onto the three circles, along the ground in front of the Trocadero's fountains and water features and on the roof of the Palace de Chaillot, which itself was architecturally lit for the first time in a Quatorze Juillet event.
Twelve out of 60 ColorSpot 2500E ATs were rigged onto the main circle, with the other 48 positioned on the roofs and terraces of the Palace de Chaillot. Of the 34 ColorSpot and ColorWash 1200E ATs, 12 were rigged onto the two 6m circles, with the remaining 22 deployed around the Trocadero Gardens to uplight buildings and generally help with foreground lighting.
Robe fixtures were chosen for this design because of their high power and brightness in a situation where they had to hold their own amidst the intense spectacle of the fireworks. Working with the smoke generated by the show, they proved the perfect compliment for the pyrotechnics. Lighting was programmed onto three grandMA consoles.
The project coordinator was François Fleury from Impact Evénement and the Pyrotechnic designer was Fabrice Chouiller, with the pyrotechnic production and equipment provided by Prestatech Artifices.
(Jim Evans)
