Three LED effects are particularly prominent: two SGM LED ceiling starbursts, each measuring 5 meters in diameter and comprised of 866 34mm white LED balls, and a 750-pixel LED media display behind the rear tinted glass wall at the back that is screened off by a track-mounted semi-transparent gauze curtain.
“Our objective was to flood the venue with LED color and have the gauze curtain at the back part like a theatre reveal,” said Shaun Doyle, who worked with the venue’s operations director, Adam Roberts, and TMC installation crew led by Martin Tarpy.
In all, close to 2,500 LED balls have been strung along four-core cable, vertically and horizontally. Each pixel can be mapped and addressed individually. With a pitch of 120mm (vertically and horizontally), the displays can be used for low-res video along with color washing.
The original concept for the look of the space came from interior designers/architects Jestico + Whiles. Club consultants Marc Merran and Dan Ferris, also played a key role in the evolution of the design ideas for the space.
“They were adamant that they didn’t want any conventional disco-style moving heads — and in any case, the low ceiling height wouldn’t permit it,” noted Doyle.
Tarpy and Doyle heard of the SGM LED balls, which had been previewed at Prolight+Sound, from SGM’s U.K. reseller, Ian Kirby. The product proved flexible enough to handle design challenges that started with the low ceiling height and included the need to work around CCTV and sprinklers that had been already installed.
“It could be set flush to the ceiling, and the fact that each finger on the two classic Starbursts could be cut to length meant we could design the bursts without intruding on the other services,” Tarpy said. “With so many balls, it was quite time-consuming, but it couldn’t have been more straightforward to install.” TMC has also provided the club with a library of scene sets, all accessible by a touch screen interface in the DJ booth.
Along with Doyle, Bob Turley of Emeny Turley Partnership Ltd (ETP) oversaw the installation. Phelan Construction Ltd served as the main building contractors. Hensall Mechanical Services Ltd handled the mechanical installation, and DES Electrical Contractors looked after the electrical installation.
For more information, please visit www.sgm.it.
