WOODEND, Australia – Frontier Touring lit an open-air stage for a performance by Leonard Cohen recently, but didn't stop there. The crew also lit up a distinctive natural volcanic rock feature, Hanging Rock, using CitySkape Xtreme and CitySource 96 LED wash lights from Robe. The CitySkape Xtreme fixtures met the criteria for the project, which included the need for a high-powered lightsource requiring minimal power with low environmental impact on the surrounding flora and fauna. The fixtures also were recommended by Robe's Australian distributor, ULA.
The six CitySkape Xtremes were positioned in the bushland behind the stage, approximately 50 meters apart, with the longest throw distance being another 105 meters to the rocks.
Rigging the fixtures was a real challenge in itself due to the terrain and limited vehicular access. Frontier Touring also had to satisfy all the relevant authorities – including the Parks and Fire Departments.
The CitySkape is equipped with 188 LEDs, providing an output comparable to a 650W incandescent source, but consuming considerably less power and generating far less heat.
The smaller Robe CitySource 96 units were chosen for a specific section of the rock lighting scheme, and to further limit the power needed, which was provided by a generator. The CitySource 96 fixtures were fitted with barn doors for precise shuttering and were also matched to the same color mixes as the Xtremes.
The Xtremes were fitted with 24 degree lenses on the bottom panel and 8 degrees on the top, which allowed for a precise focus and the washing effect to cover the exposed rock face.
The stage was approximately 600 meters away from the rocks, and separated by a large lake and a race course.
The Robe fixtures were controlled via e:cue software running on a standard laptop, complete with full battery backup at the control position. An e:cue excite dongle was plugged in to a WDMX indoor transmitter and fed to WDMX micro-transceivers fitted to each of the lights.
The control station was located in a car parked beneath the rock, and a WDMX "ugly" box was used to monitor the local frequencies.
The event, attended by about 15,000 people, was the first time a concert has been staged and lit at Hanging Rock. It "brought a new spatial dimension to the event and highlighted how eco-friendly technology can really help enhance an already magical setting," noted Marcel Takac from ULA Group.
For more information, please visit www.robe.cz.
