Syncrolite provided a system of ten 8000 watt XL xenon lighting fixtures to illuminate the 1 Arts Plaza, one of the highlighted locations for the multi-sensory and participatory experiences.
On the 18 October event day, Troy Eckerman programmed the XL fixtures, while a Syncrolite team - including Steve Washington, Jesus Vigueria, Pete Martinez, Arturo Ruiz, Shawn Rodney and Isaac Cantu - installed the system.
All of the XLs were positioned on the sidewalk, across the street directly opposite 1 Arts Plaza. The 10 fixtures were grouped into two banks with five XLs in each bank on either side of Flora Street - the main thoroughfare of the event. The XL xenon lighting fixtures were chosen to provide the punch needed for the 250ft high building. Each XL shined a mix of bright white light and changing colors onto 1 Arts Plaza building.
Work began on the project six months earlier. Syncrolite's Dave Keighley, executive vice president and chief operating officer, submitted to Aurora organizers his design for the system along with CAD renderings to show what the building would look like using Syncrolite's lights. "Aurora loved the design and we were officially accepted as one of the exhibits for the event," Keighley said.
"There were no real issues," he added. "We had a very slight sprinkle of rain around 6 pm an hour before the event opened. It was a relatively simple set up and between our Syncrolite team and the event organizers everything worked smoothly. It was a great success and seen by more than 30,000 people on the night."
Dallas Aurora was spearheaded by artists Shane Pennington and co-founders Joshua King and Veletta Forsythe Lill. The event is modelled after all-night events known as Nuit Blanche White Night" or Sleepless Night) that take place in some of the world's greatest cities. This year's theme, Light of Convergence, was designed to present artwork in unique and unexpected ways that interplay with the buildings, streets and surfaces of the Dallas Arts District.
(Jim Evans)
