Dierson, who worked alongside ARE Productions show producer Antony Randall and creative director Ted Lovett, and designer/programmer Davy Sherwin, created a multi-layered design, which carved up the stage with constantly moving, bold, sweeping looks that swung from the intimate to the epic. To achieve this diverse and exciting concept, the show designers turned to the cutting-edge SL Nitro 510C, which adds RGB & W LED capabilities to the original SL Nitro 510 luminaire, delivering intense bursts of coloured and white light and dynamic effects.
Inspired by the artwork of Tempah's latest album Demonstration, Dierson says, "Ted Lovett and I worked closely together to bring his initial vision to life. The conceptual direction of the design was meant to convey the positive aspects of demonstration and protest. Through this, we tasked ourselves with creating a performance venue for that type of display. We wanted something somewhat oppressive looking or monolithic; the starkness of a car park with its cement enclosures and fluorescent lamps.
"We also knew that we needed stark impact and versatility and that's where the SL Nitro510C came in. The SL Nitro 510C strobe luminaires were able to give us crowd-blinder effects and general eye candy that could help to augment subtle nuances in the tracks, as well as be blasting strobe lights that would serve to provide a 'visual violence' for the audience. In the end, I was extremely pleased with Davy Sherwin's choices in cueing the SL Nitro 510C strobe luminaires into each of the songs. They've proven to be a fantastic unit."
Lighting director Sherwin continues: "Tinie's artwork and branding relies heavily on straight lines. The 'Demonstration' album features a red line over his eyes that has become synonymous with the artist himself. We took inspiration from that in the lighting design, choosing the SL Nitro 510C to emulate the same look, with its versatility allowing it to pull off other colourful effects throughout the show."
Mike Oates, director of the tour lighting supplier, HSL, adds, "The colours of the SL NITRO 510C are super bright and extremely flexible as an effects light and extremely punchy as a strobe or wash effect. These colour versions are just as bright as the white ones, which HSL also stocks, and I have been hugely impressed to see how Davy has applied them in this show."
(Jim Evans)
