The lighting needed to be sufficiently versatile to cater for an entertainment programme ranging from comedy to burlesque, contortionists and acrobats to high-octane dance within a multi-role venue targeted at a slightly older age demographic. At the same time guests needed to feel they were interacting within a TV reality-type set.
"I think this was one of the reasons Steve [Thomas]contacted us," noted Kirby. "We have worked extensively in TV studio lighting, and it's programmes like X-Factor that audiences these days are used to seeing. SGM heads are perfect because they are quiet running, fully featured and produce beams of saturated colour."
Leading the charge are 10 new SGM X-5 white LED strobes - a revolutionary break from the traditional power hungry xenon sources which have survived through generations. Cosmic have mounted two banks of five, firing across from the balcony pelmets at each end, putting out high intensity white light blinders in chase formation.
Mark Damon notes: "These X-5's are just so energy efficient; in fact it would have been impossible to power ten of the conventional strobes, and achieved this chase effect, which is now totally unique. The fixtures themselves are very architectural, neat, low profile, and with the wall plate it makes for a nice neat installation."
Fixed to the 6m diameter circular quad truss are eight of SGM's popular Idea Beam 300's. The beam can be coloured and shaped by applying the vast range of effects provided, including CMY colour mixing system, colour wheel with eight colours (plus white), eight rotary indexable and customizable gobos and rotary three-facet prism. These are joined by six Idea 250 Spots and eight IDEA 575 Wash lights, which also include an effects wheel with beam shaper and frost filter and CMY colour mixing.
Completing the beam action are 18 SGM Idea Par Leds - but these have an additional duty to perform. So impressed were Ian Kirby and Mark Damon by the monstrous wall coverings, with oversize flower decals designed by Dakota's interior designer, Terri Naylor, that the Par Leds are fitted with barndoors and focused onto these reflective vinyl wall backdrops to animate the graphics and give them extra depth. Different lighting templates are stored as preset scenes in ShowCAD - programmed by Greg McLennan.
(Jim Evans)
