Robe is working in close collaboration with its Australian distributor The ULA Group and leading Australian Robe rental partner Elite Sound & Lighting from Canberra to supply and coordinate the equipment for Simon's interactive installation which can be experienced live between 23 May and 9 June.
Sky Flower is one of two installations at a new site for the festival in Martin Place, right at the core of Sydney's buzzing CBD, adjacent to the Cenotaph and also near to Channel 7's downtown TV studio, so it will attract a huge amount of attention.
The equipment being utilised by Simon includes one Robe MMX Blade, four 600E Beams, four LEDWash 1200s, eight LEDBeam 100s and eight Pointes - all from Robe's Robin Series, plus four CitySkape Xtremes.
The Pointes are right at the heart of the work. Simon was inspired after using Pointes on a rooftop installation in Shoreditch, London, at the end of last year. He was super-impressed by their aerial impact, and this triggered his idea for Sky Flower where the eight Pointes form the petals of the flower ... and the MMX Blade is the stamen in the middle.
The installation will have an 80 sq.m artificial grass floor and will be set to several consecutive music tracks - with the lights effectively being the performers on the stage. It is designed to trigger a sense of anticipation and interest when seen from afar ... and a sense of fascination with the different textures, colours, qualities and layering of lights which are appreciated with closer viewing.
Robe first became involved in Vivid Sydney last year when they provided a student bursary for Simon to take an assistant to the event where he presented The Nocturnal Pianola. This year, Sky Flower is specifically designed around Robe's equipment.
Robe s.r.o's CEO Josef Valchar comments, "We're delighted to be assisting Simon's creativity again. It is really important to see individuals using the medium of lighting in fresh, different and exciting ways to communicate and engage with others. This is also a dynamic aspect of 'art' which can appeal to absolutely everyone."
Cuono Biviano, MD of the ULA Group comments, "It is with great pleasure and anticipation that we can support Simon and his unique vision and initiative of transforming light into art and excite new senses in the many millions who will experience Vivid from all over the globe. It is an amazing event that shows the world how powerful creative lighting can be. I would like to thank Darren and all of his team at Elite for partnering with ULA and Robe in supporting Simon and his endeavors."
Elite Sound & Lighting were the first rental company in Australia to purchase Pointes from ULA after the product was launched last year, so it is fitting that they are proactively contributing to this project.
(Jim Evans)
