With the Papers Committee continuing to sift through a swathe of submissions, details of the first speakers for Showlight 2017 in Florence are coming to light. The programme promises to be as fascinating as ever with the following international lighting specialists the first to sign up:
Aldo Visentin will share some of his experiences over many years of touring with, and lighting for, Maestro Andrea Bocelli.
Lighting designer Colin Ball will show how he uses theatre and film lighting techniques to light many buildings, including the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster.
Declan Randall will tell of his experience of acting as set and projection designer, in addition to lighting designer, for an original production of Sister Act in Johannesburg.
Amy Mae Smith made her West End début as the lighting designer for the critically acclaimed Sweeney Todd on Shaftesbury Avenue, winning the 2016 Knight of Illumination Award in the Musicals category.
Henk van den Geest will explain the problems of using LED to light fragile works of art, such as Van Gogh paintings, in art galleries, whilst dealing with decision makers who are without technical experience whose main focus is in energy savings and limiting investment budgets.
Jeff Ravitz will talk about lighting the current Bruce Springsteen/E Street Band tour, and the challenges of designing a live show that must also work for TV.
Mikki Kunttu will speak of his adventures lighting the Danish Royal Ballet.
Philip Norfolk will explain how the Sun works, how heavy a dustbin of sun is and why the sky is blue, whilst also covering Nuclear Fusion and other Photon facts...and will somehow manage to incorporate a picture of Albert Einstein!
Simon Corde has been summoned to Singapore to relight his original design in the world's first Night Zoo. Expect tales of tigers and elephants in a tropical forest - and how they react to LEDs!
Luc Peumans specializes in lighting large-scale productions and will present a paper entitled Painting with Light.
Al Gurdon also specialises in lighting large-scale spectaculars such as the MTV Awards and the Super Bowl half time performances, and will give us an insight into the work that goes into them.
Rob Halliday - Always entertaining, the Papers Committee is still wading through the variety of subjects Rob has been suggesting.....
The first of Showlight 2017's Panel Presentations has also been announced, with the subject of Programming as its focus: what is the relationship between the lighting designer and the programmer; what should it be, and how will it develop? An experienced panel from all the lighting genres will disagree!
For the first time, Showlight 2017 will be offering a simultaneous translation of papers into Italian. Traditionally an all English-speaking event, Showlight has decided to offer this service, generously sponsored by Osram, to encourage local attendance and promote the new Papers Only one-day tickets. Day tickets for Papers Only can be bought online in advance or at the door on the day.
Exhibitor spaces are always in demand and are selling out fast. To secure your opportunity to be part of this unique event - only 40 places exist - contact Jane Cockburn or Derek Gilbert on exhibit@showlight.org without delay.
Showlight is grateful to Clay Paky as the main sponsor for Showlight 2017, and also to Diamond sponsor, Oasis, Gold sponsor, Osram, and to ETC for their generous support. More opportunities for sponsorship of Showlight 2017 are available - for details contact Jane or Derek on exhibit@showlight.org
Showlight will have a presence (Stand V15, Upper Level) at PLASA London 2016 in its new venue at Olympia. To register to attend PLASA, please click here.
(Jim Evans)
