Now a long-standing and well-respected classical music venue, St John's, Smith Square plays host to a varied programme of classical music throughout its concert season, ranging from choirs and symphony orchestras to solo instrumental recitals.
However, the existing fixed lighting grid and its rig of 25-year old CCT Starlet 1.2K fresnels - installed as state of the art in the early 80s - has long been due an upgrade to accommodate the increasing demands put upon them by the expanding remit of performances.
It was August 2002 when Roger Hennigan, technical sales manager of Robert Juliat's exclusive UK dealer, White Light, first met with Lighting Designer Mark Henderson to discuss the redesigning of the lighting system. The original intention was to replace the old fresnels with Strand Cantatas but the idea was shelved when these went out of production.
In the meantime, Robert Juliat introduced its 1000W Lutin spotlight which turned out to be a suitable, lower wattage, solution. The Lutins met all the requirements the new system at St John, Smith Square demanded, providing a brighter solution than the 1200W alternative and being versatile, easy to maintain and easy to control.
In total, 50 Lutins with Fresnel lenses and barndoor attachments were installed at St John's, Smith Square on a series of small lighting grids, each of which can be independently lowered with winches to allow easy access to the equipment at ground level.
"We chose the Robert Juliat Lutins because, despite replacing 1.2K fixtures, the 1K Lutin fresnels had an output that could cope with the long 10m throw distance and resulted in a rig that was brighter and better than the old scheme," says Hennigan. "Not only do they have a superb build quality, they are compact, versatile and flexible which makes them perfect for rigging on the moveable overhead trusses. The individually rotating barn-doors will also prove useful to mask any awkward angles created by the variable grid positions."
(Jim Evans)
