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A Tall Order: Lighting the Burj Khalifa; Quick Cues

Burj Khalifa New Years 2013 light show, photo by Ralph Larmann, The New Year's show recurred throughout January

A Tall Order: Lighting the Burj Khalifa; Quick Cues

Sydney-based Mandylights lighting designers Richard Neville and Alex Grierson were part of the international creative team that designed Dubai’s 2013 New Year’s Eve celebrations. And it was a tall order — instead of focusing on, say, the 141-foot descent of an elaborate ball in Times Square, the 25-minute show took place in front of, and included, the Burj Khalifa skyscraper — officially the world’s tallest building at 2,722 feet high. The pair illuminated the Burj, lake and surrounding area with 15 individual performer stages and a 689-foot-long (210 meter) seamless projection screen.

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Illustration by Andy Au

Set in a Bag

Each year I get a few calls from bands looking for a set or lighting design for their tour. It’s always an exciting process as I let my imagination run for a few days before I start putting pencil to paper. Last month, I got a call from a booking agent looking to hook me up with one of her new acts. So I contacted the management company and they emailed me a response. “Before we chat, take a listen to this music and let us know if this is something you would be interested in.” Nobody has ever approached me in this manner before. I had not thought I heard the band’s name previously.

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Nisha Suthar

Kinesys Adds to Marketing Team

LONDON – Automation specialist Kinesys strengthens its marketing team with the appointment of Nisha Suthar as marketing & communications assistant. She previously worked as a marketer for a leading publication, MoneyWeek Ltd. and prior to that has a journalistic background which includes working at the BBC Local London News.

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PL Profile1 LED

PLProfile1, PLFresnel1 LED Now Shipping

DALLAS – Philips Strand Lighting is now shipping the Philips Selecon PLProfile1 and PLFresnel1 LED luminaires across North and South America. The PLProfile1 LED luminaire is a variable beam profile that produces precise beam control and pattern projection from a high output beam. The PLFresnel1 is a general purpose luminaire for theatre, small studio and display lighting applications with a quick selection of color presets.

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Art IO

Acclaim Lighting Art IO

LOS ANGELES – Acclaim Lighting is offering ART SSC users the added flexibility of being able to control larger, more demanding projects that require a greater number of inputs and outputs, with the new Art IO digital/analog expansion module. Designed for use with the ART SSC, the ART IO is an input/output interface module that is equipped with 8 digital/analog switchable inputs and 8 relay-switched digital outputs. For versatility, it supports a number of different protocols including DMX, RS-232, OSC, UDP and Art-Net.

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Barry Rackover

In Memoriam: Barry Rackover, 66

Barry Rackover, a longtime live event professional who recently retired from PRG, died on March 25, 2013. He was 66. He provided lighting and production support for rock concerts and other live events around the world during his long career. But it was with the corporate event market where he made his mark.

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Ruby Falls

Alcorn McBride Makes a Splash at Ruby Falls

CHATTANOOGA, TN – Alcorn McBride equipment helped entertainment production company Full Spectrum enhance the natural beauty of Ruby Falls, a 145-foot high underground waterfall within Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, TN.  The Digital Audio Machine and Digital Video Machine HD were selected for playback to create a sound and light show deep below the surface of the earth.

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US Open Opening Ceremony

US Open Ceremony Includes Video Mapped to Tennis Court

FLUSHING, NY – The US Open tennis classic at Arthur Asche Stadium hit a grand slam the first night of the tournament with an opening night ceremony that set a new standard. For the first time at the U.S. Open, the center court was turned into a giant video board with images of past champions flashing across the court during a high-energy music and light show. The grandMA2 consoles, Clay Paky Sharpy lighting fixtures and MDG hazers played key roles in the show.

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