JOHANNESBURG – Robe CitySkape Xtreme LED fixtures were used to illuminate what's been officially declared by Guinness World Records as the world's biggest soccer ball. The 15-meter-high ball appeared at the Emperor's Palace Hotel, Casino Convention & Entertainment Resort, Johannesburg, South Africa as part of a promotion for Kia Motors and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Its sheer size isn't the only thing drawing attention to the inflatable sculpture. Hans Rooseboom of EVENT PRO Technical Services in Johannesburg used Robe CitySkape Xtremes to give the giant ball a color-changing glow.
Four CitySkape Xtremes are placed around the ball on 4 meter vertical truss sections, two of them at 15 meters away across the other side of the car park access road, and two to the back, positioned so they could also create reflections on nearby water features.
Rooseboom – who has worked with Kia on many events – selected the CitySkape Xtremes after a shoot out with other LED fixtures that was arranged by Robe's South African distributor, DWR.
With only two 15 Amp power sources, he needed a low power light, so LED was an obvious solution, also bringing environmental benefits. Rooseboom was also familiar with the Robe brand, having used their moving lights on many occasions, and was confident in their reliability.
The CitySkape Xtreme is an outdoor LED fixture featuring 188 High Power Luxeon K2 RGBW LEDs, densely populated for bright light output. The unit convection cooling system lets it operate silently, and its IP 65 rating makes it well-suited for exterior applications.
The installation required Rooseboom to bring attention to the ball without creating a distraction for nearby air traffic at Oliver Tambo International Airport or motorists on the R21 highway that runs right alongside the Emperor's Palace.
The lights were set on a slow fading chase, flowing through four basic color combinations.
"I really like the interchangeable lenses of the CityScape Xtreme and the fact that the heads are individually adjustable," said Rooseboom, a 20-year industry veteran. "Robe have really thought things through – as always – and produced a very flexible fixture."
Rooseboom also credited DWR for its customer service, a factor in his choice of fixtures. The sculpture is based on the Telstar ball of the 1970 FIFA World Cup, and its diameter is about 70 times bigger and weight is 1,500 times heavier than the official Jabulani Ball used in the 2010 tournament.
The ball needed to meet certain specifications to qualify for the Guinness rating – it had to be inflatable and deflatable and be able to roll and be kicked, and it also had to be an exact replica of a FIFA match ball.
Were it to be used on the field, however, all soccer matches would end in a 0-0 draw. International soccer regulations specify that goals provide only 7.32 meters by 2.44 meters clearance – a fraction of the giant ball's size.
For more information, please visit www.robe.cz.
