International News

ZEIST, The Netherlands — The Figi Hotel is using Anolis LED fixtures as a practical lighting solution for six multi-functional rooms, three conference rooms, the hotel’s restaurant and the separate espresso bar. The hotel’s management approached Arnhem-based lighting supplier Relight when they wanted a change of lights for the six multifunctional rooms that double as bedrooms and conference suites with the aid of a movable partition, foldaway beds, electric roll-down screen and beamers.

WASHINGTON, DC — With gigs aplenty in the nation’s capital, the inauguration provided more than a ray of hope to lighting and staging companies. In the span of eight days, for example, Atmosphere Inc. coordinated and executed lighting for 52 shows in 24 different venues across the city, including two of the largest — the Commander in Chief’s Ball for members of the military at the National Building Museum and the Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton & Towers.

CAMBRIDGE, U.K. — The first scholars at the University of Cambridge, who had split off from another group of scholars forming the University of Oxford in 1209, didn’t have the opportunity to learn about things like Christopher Columbus. It would be another 283 years before the New World explorer sailed the ocean blue.

BRATISLAVA, Slovak Republic —Slovakia, the latest EU country to accept the Euro as its national currency, staged a live, televised celebration lit by LD Martin Kubánka using Robe moving lights. Branislav Mišík directed the event, staged at the Slovak National Theatre, and Kubánka worked with DoP Vladimír ÄŽurčanský and set designer Daniel Šichman on the event, which was produced for STV1 by Red House.

WEXFORD, IRELAND—Robert Juliat has supplied a substantial quantity of its 1K and 1.2K fresnels and PC fixtures to Ireland’s first custom-built opera house, the Wexford, located in Wexford, in Southeast Ireland. The Wexford Opera House is a state-of-the-art venue concealed behind a re-instated street front in the town’s main street. Occupying 4.5 times the space of the old opera house it replaces, Wexford Opera House is a multi-purpose performance space capable of offering a varied, year-round program of opera, theatre and dance.

BEIJING — The launch of the Mercedes B Class in China, organized by the agency Munich One, revolved around the idea of a digital reveal. After an initial project meeting, the design team led by Andree Verleger and Guido Gesell approached coolux to explore possible uses of multiple projectors onto a full-sized car for this corporate event.

DUSSELDORF — On a scale of difficulty, supplying a safe rig might not rank up there with identifying your cows blindfolded, solely on the basis of the noise that they make while munching apples. Or as dangerous as pushing a car with a spear — the tip of which rests on your throat.

ENSCHEDE, The Netherlands — The Muziekkwartier, a new 80 million Euro venue, has opened with Robe moving lights installed in two of the multi-purpose spaces inside. After 18 months of construction, the new theatre replaced a previous building, with different venues inside run by several companies.

Nocturne Productions opted to include Medialon Manager for the Eagles’ Long Road Out of Eden world tour, and Medialon programming specialist Automation 4 Ltd. joined the production team to assist in programming the show control system — while allowing for band members to improvize.

BIRMINGHAM, U.K. — XL Events supplied five large LED screens, cameras, PPU, a Catalyst digital media server and crew for the Live Action Arena at the 2009 Autosports exhibition, staged at the National Exhibition Centre. The center screen was made from 75 square meters of Lighthouse R16 LED panels and was flanked by two 30 square meter Lighthouse R7 screens.