LONDON — The fifth annual Knight of Illumination Awards (KOI), organized by Clay Paky, the Association of Lighting Designers (ALD) and the Society of Television & Lighting Design (STLD), honored the U.K. LDs who created the most distinctive looks for live events and TV.
The Enrico Caironi Award for Lifetime Achievement went to Bryan Leitch. LD Cate Carter (a previous KOI winner and Leitch protégé), who presented the award, credited Leitch for his “incredible talent” and also for taking the time to nurture so many less-experienced designers.
Live event honors included awards for Theatre (musicals, drama, opera and dance) and Rock (Arena and Stage). The winning LDs included Neil Austin (Company), Howard Harrison (Anna Christie), DM Wood (Suor Angelica), David Finn (Sweet Violets) and, for Rock, Davy Sherwin (Snow Patrol) and Neil Carson (Chase & Status).
TV production honors included Drama, Light Entertainment, Small Studio and Live Event award categories, won by Roger Simonsz (Antigone 34), Mark Kenyon (Strictly Come Dancing from Wembley), Rob Mansfield (Masterchef) and Nigel Catmur (The Royal Variety Performance).
Each winner receives the traditional Knight of Illumination trophy, a hand-made sword modeled on those used for medieval battles.
Following the awards, there was a short ceremony during which Clay Paky president Pasquale Quadri presented funds raised for Light Relief, which helps entertainment industry professionals in times of extreme hardship.
For more information, please visit www.knight-of-illumination.com.
