SYDNEY — “Immersion,” a light sculpture designed by Martin Bevz and Kathryn Clifton, was part of this year’s Vivid Sydney outdoor light festival. Consisting of LED tubes in a semi-circle, the sculpture invited viewers to “play” with them by reflecting their movement through the installation via a live video relay of still and dynamic images. The tubes are pixel-mapped to form what is essentially a very low-res video screen measuring 18 by 2 meters.
Bevz used a Jands Vista M1 to control the Catalyst media server for a number of reasons, including its compact size. “Not requiring a full sized console to fit in a 12RU rack for three weeks – three very wet weeks – was a major plus,” he said. “Also, having physical faders allowed for easy programming and playback testing. The Jands Vista M1 works on a Mac alongside the Catalyst software, and that reduces hardware requirements.”
Bevz credited the Vista M1’s “visual timeline-based playback” and the “easy-to-use date/time events so an operator was not required to power up and down each day.” He also commended the Vista’s reliability.
“It’s visual, easy to use and Jands have a great support network,” Bevz added. “As a final touch to the installation, we programmed a start up sequence featuring a countdown timer and static, which slotted in with the rest of the programming. It’s important to be able to work visually with media servers as they are inherently visual instruments – you need to be able to ‘see’ what the desk is telling the server in order to enable seamless crossfades and visual effects.”
First held in 2009, Vivid Sydney has become a major event, lighting up landmarks and well-known features throughout the city, including the Sydney Opera House, the Museum of Contemporary Art to Circular Quay and The Rocks. The festival attracted more than 200,000 visitors this year.
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