TEMPE, AZ – From April 9-25, designspace, a one-of-a-kind drive through experience presented by students at ASU in Tempe, will be presented to all. The project allows the students to display art, design, and production skills they have learned through their studies with the theater department over their tenure.
The display takes over the Packard Parking Structure on campus for three weeks, immersing the structure in a whole new light with scenic, video and lighting elements erected to stimulate the senses of all who drive through this sensory experience. Producers proclaim that this one mile long museum ride takes attendees on a journey from our world to outer space.
More details from designspace (www.asugammage.com/designspace):
The project is an accumulative effort of several parties after John Featherstone of Lightswitch came up with an idea to give the ASU students a way to get involved with a final theatrical project they could be proud of. The project would also serve as a feather in their resume upon graduation. With his company’s help along with aid from renowned structural artists HYYCOZO, rental company Video West and ASU’s own students enrolled in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, they plan to pull this show off over 17 days in April.
Featherstone has been familiar with the school’s theater department for ages, as both his daughters had graduated the program. John himself has been a guest lecturer at the school in the past. “Here’s the deal”, he explains. “Students enrolled in this theater arts studies generally work on the basics for their first two years, before getting the hands on experience so desperately needed during their final two. With the advent of Covid 19 ending the 2020 season prematurely we feared the same results could happen this year. So I kicked some ideas around of how we could engage the students in a project at a time when lots of lighting and video gear, as well as technicians, were sitting idle.”
The idea of this project was threefold. “The students are not just pushing cases and running cables, they’re immersed in all the skills that any gig requires.” John explains. “They get to display their art and work on their lighting and video programming skills. At the same time they learn how to set all the gear up, being taught by professionals already in the trade. This project also included executing the extensive amount of paperwork that goes along with an event.”
Lightswitch and Video West representatives will be available to oversee the work as the show starts load in on March 29th.. From plots to patch sheets to programming “tips”, a minimal crew will point the students in the right direction loading in and eventually help set up looks, when they veer astray while programming. The parking structure may have been a far cry from a stage, but this will be a classy event and not a project to take light heartedly.
A little help from some friends
Featherstone had approached Jake Pinholster, the Associate Professor of Performance Design at the college with an idea. Lightswitch had pulled off a couple of drive-through events this year when forced to pivot. What if they could do something similar on campus? They could take the students who would normally work in the Gammage Auditorium, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed structure on campus not applicable for a large scale production during Covid times – and place them in a semi outside ‘roomy” location. They put their heads together and the idea of the large parking garage sprang up.
Featherstone reached out to several people for advice as they started the design process and production layout of the garage. “The team at EAMOTION were quite helpful with tips and lessons they had learned with their Jingle Beat event at a Nashville speedway last winter.” Lightswitch had also designed other drive thru events while pivoting from the norm this year. The Morton Arboretum in Chicago for instance had a long run this winter. “ILC out of Chicago has a ton of IP65 rated movers we used at that show and needed for this event. While rain is not expected in Arizona, when it does come – it pours. They shipped us down any lights we would require which might be subject to inclement weather.”
Video West, an all inclusive production vendor located in nearby Phoenix was excited when asked to help the local students with this cause. Featherstone expands, “Owner Jack Waitlus and Senior Account Exec Donny Lodico have been a preferred vendor of Lightswitch for many years and when I contacted them for support they immediately rose to the occasion. Being local to the venue as well as a big supporter of the Arts, they were able to deliver the majority of the production needs allocated for this show.”
When we spoke with Donny Lodico about the project he was quite stoked to be involved, taking on the role of Production Manager/Technical Director for the show. “We have a ton of gear coming down including no less than 300 Martin 5mm video panels and too many lights to mention. The programming of all the elements will end up getting split about 50-50 but the idea is that all the students get to put their hands on actual gear and understand how the whole process of a show works, top to bottom. Once set up, they need to program and run it all. For us at Video West – to get a chance to give the future workers of our business some inside knowledge and the chance to excel at a show of this magnitude in the future, just makes us all feel good about what we do.”
“HYBYCOZO has always provided fascinating art structures to adorn events, they take light and emit it very well.” Says Featherstone. As soon as we approached them with the idea to engage the students they were all in. Once we had the scenic, video and lights in play, it was just a matter of engaging everyone to make it all work. The whole show is about involving the locals. We got a lot of help from the people that know how to do these event things as well, especially from the Gammage Auditorium staff. The marketing team, security, ticket takers etc. were all hired to engage their services in the project. I guarantee it will look amazing!”
If you are in the Phoenix area or driving through between April 9-25th this year PLSN highly suggests you drop in to “designspace” for an hour to indulge your senses in visual splendor. The event takes place at:
ASU Packard Parking Structure
555 S. Packard Dr.
Tempe, Az. 85287
Tickets can be purchased at https://www.asugammage.com/designspace
