With an LED vision in mind, NorthSide's production manager, Jesper Philbert, approached SGM to discuss his ideas. Says Philbert, "Being neighbours with SGM [in Aarhus], it was obvious for us to present our initial ideas and outline sketches to SGM CEO, Peter Johansen. He immediately replied 'Yes' ... such is his innovative personality."
The cooperation caused much media coverage, as one of the outline ideas brought to reality consisted of an impressive 18m wide NorthSide sign (inspired by the famous Hollywood sign) designed for the main entrance, which was made from no fewer than 820 LD-5 LED domes. Philbert comments, "We were looking for the 'wow-factor' in terms of the scale of our sign," while another objective was to create the right atmosphere, giving the audience the feeling that a major effort had been made in making the site look nice, cosy and stylish.
Installation was also carried out in positive collaboration by NorthSide's LD, Jacob Baekmand, Jesper Philbert, two product managers from SGM and a small team of six volunteers from the festival. According to Baekmand, the entire process - from idea to reality - was dynamic. "From the very first meeting, we were met with enthusiasm and professionalism from everyone involved, making this project proceed smoothly and resulting in a finished installation well ahead of schedule", he adds.
Besides the effect-rich LD-5 installation, SGM also supplied 45 bright P-5 wash lights and 140 SixPack halogen emulation blinders for entrance areas and tents. "Of the more than one thousand SGM products being put to use, not a single one buckled in the face of, at times, violent rain, the sizzling direct sunlight or the large volumes of dust we experienced on the site. There was not a single faulty unit, which I find extremely impressive", Baekmand appraises.
(Jim Evans)
