EU – The Europe-based Knight of Illumination Awards, which celebrates outstanding achievements in lighting design, is expanding internationally with the launch of ‘KOI South Africa’ in 2015.
More details from Knight of Illumination Awards (www.knight-of-illumination.com)
EU – The Europe-based Knight of Illumination Awards, which celebrates outstanding achievements in lighting design, is expanding internationally with the launch of ‘KOI South Africa’ in 2015.
Knight of Illumination Awards organisers Pio Nahum and Davide Barbetta from Clay Paky, Jennie and Durham Marenghi, and The Fifth Estate’s Sarah Rushton-Read announced that work is already in progress for next year’s debut South Africa KOI Awards, which will run alongside the trade event Mediatech in Johannesburg.
Mediatech is scheduled for 15-17 July 2015 and the southern hemisphere event will run in addition to the existing London awards.
“Clay Paky is proud to have been at the forefront of creating the hugely successful Knight of Illumination Awards, which is now in its 7th year and ever growing,” says Pio Nahum. “We feel the time is now right to launch a sister KOI, and we are delighted to be doing so in South Africa. Clay Paky is committed to supporting the emerging markets worldwide, and has made many great friends in Africa over the years. We look forward to announcing more details of KOI South Africa very soon.”
The announcement comes hot on the heels of the launch of the European KOI Awards 2014, which will take place this autumn in the UK.
Durham Marenghi, an award winning lighting designer in his own right and coordinator for the Knight of Illumination Awards “The lighting industry increasingly receives huge support from companies across South Africa. We are keen to celebrate great lighting design wherever in the world that it is happening and we’re looking forward to working closely with our friends and colleagues in the region to create a KOI South Africa we can all be proud of.”
The Fifth Estate’s Sarah Rushton-Read, who serves as chairman of the Concert Touring and Events category in the UK, adds: “Having visited South Africa on numerous occasions over the past few years, I’ve been inspired by the passion that exists there not only for lighting design, but for the industry as a whole. This makes it the ideal place to launch the sister event to the KOI Awards and I am delighted to be involved.”
Details of the location, categories and date for the 2015 event will be revealed later in the year.
Duncan Riley, from South Africa’s Clay Paky dealer, DWR Distribution, concludes: “We’re thrilled that the international community will be able to celebrate the outstanding achievements of African lighting designers with the launch of KOI South Africa. DWR has long been a passionate supporter of lighting, and we’re proud to be a part of this fast developing industry in our country. KOI South Africa is a fantastic step forward for all of us working in the industry.”
Call for Entries
It’s that time of the year again – the 7th Knight of Illumination (KOI) Awards has launched and already the entries are flying in for Television and Concert Touring and Events. 2014 will see yet another celebration of talented international lighting and digital content designers that have worked in the UK in the sectors of TV, Theatre and Concert Touring and Events.
Not only that, the guest list is open to all who might wish to attend, ensuring that KOI continues to establish itself as a pan industry event. Durham Marenghi, an award winning lighting designer in his own right and coordinator for the Knight of Illumination Awards, explains: “In just seven years KOI has established itself as a much coveted lighting and video industry award, respected for truly celebrating the art and creativity of lighting, video and show design. In fact so successful has the event been that it was recently referred to in the Guardian newspaper, in an article that detailed the creative value a lighting designer can bring to the overall production process.”
The KOI Awards was conceived and is organised by lighting manufacturer Clay Paky, along with the STLD (Society of Television Lighting Designers) which focuses on Television; the ALD (Association of Lighting Designers) whose emphasis is on Theatre; and The Fifth Estate, which concentrates on Concert Touring and Events. Today, the KOI Awards continues to forge ever-closer ties between lighting and video designers – at all stages of their careers – and the lighting and digital content design industry as a whole.
Each sector is assessed by its own panel of industry experts and submissions can now be made for lighting and digital content designers for the TV and Concert Touring and Events categories by visiting the KOI Website. The shortlists will be announced in early September.
By contrast the Theatre Awards are judged by a respected panel of professional arts critics and journalists from a selection of shows that they have seen throughout the year. Any show that the critics have seen in that time is eligible for inclusion and is discussed at judging time. It is from this discussion that the final shortlist of nominees is collated.
Each sector breaks down into the following categories:
THEATRE
Musicals | Dance | Opera | Play I Projection Design
TELEVISION
Light Entertainment | Small Studio | Drama | Events I Graphic Display
CONCERT TOURING AND EVENTS
Arena | Stage | Live Event I Video Electronic Content
In addition, The Enrico Caironi Lifetime Recognition Award will be presented to an individual whose passion for the industry has been seen to benefit their colleagues, the industry and the wider world.
2014’s ultimate winners will join an acclaimed list of respected designers including the 2013 winners as follows: Television: Gurdip Mahal and Ross Williams, Colin Case, Ashley Rowe, Nick Collier and Dave Newton, for Theatre and Dance: Fabiana Piccioli, Paule Constable, Jean Kalman, Charles Balfour, Lysander Ashton and for Concert Touring and Events: Baz Halpin, Bruno Poet, Patrick Woodroffe, Sarah Hopper and Damian Hale. Ian Dow was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award.
For more information and to make a submission for Concert Touring and Events or Television please visit the KOI website and social media sites at:
Website: www.knight-of-illumination.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/knight.of.illumination
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KOIAwards
