Robe was a proud sponsor of the 2016 Signal Festival of Light, staged over four
days in and around the beautiful and magical city of Prague in the Czech Republic.
Twenty-three original and innovative pieces of light art drew estimated crowds of
up to 400,000 into the city to enjoy the event which started in 2013, and is now
recognised as one of the biggest as well as one of Europe’s foremost festivals of
light.
Robe provided 80 of their Pointe multi-functional moving lights and 40 ColorStrobes
for an installation by Russian based collective TUNDRA.
“Epicentre v2′ was staged at the Palac Narodni, a retail and residential development
which is currently still under construction and features with a large cylindrical two
storey void right in the centre.
The work was designed especially to fit this space and create an extreme
psychological experience with pulsating, flashing and exploding hotspots of light
accompanied by disorientating and unnerving sounds, drawing viewers into an
entirely unknown and mysterious environment.
In this surreal installation, light plays the main role, revealing all that it hides
within. From a swirl of fireflies to a futuristic landscape formed from a tight cone of
light or a flickering flame blossoming forth … all reaching a crescendo in a
thunderous dance of lightning.
The idea was that participants gain access “like uninvited witnesses’ to the
epicentre of a rare natural or even supernatural ritual … being performed with light.
This interventionist concept was to challenge and surprise those who might be
expecting a more standard ’light show’.
The Pointes were positioned on the ground floor and shot multiple beams and
effects up and on to the 7 metre high ceiling of the space which was two floors
above. They were selected as a good fixture to give a wide range of turbulent
effects and arbitrary patterns.
The white Robe Strobes, covered with a special diffuser, were positioned around the
inside of the first floor balcony – and the audience – limited to 200 per show – also
stood at this level a few metres back.
TUNDRA has worked with Robe products for some time. “The technical
specifications of the Pointe gave us the simplicity and purity we needed in the light
source as well as total freedom to achieve multiple effects,’ said Alexander Lezius
from Tundra.
Random algorithms and noises were applied to the different parameters of the
Pointes to create a more organic feel to the movement, it was important that this
didn’t seem robotic or predictable.
The venue was the biggest challenge for the TUNDRA team comprising Klim
Sukhanov, Semyon Perevoschikov and Alexander Lezius with their producer Juliette
Bibasse plus the onsite support of Pavel Zmunchila who assisted with the custom
diffusers.
The fact that Palac Narodni is still an active construction site meant they had to
adapt the initial setup, which was a productive exercise in itself as it allowed them
to create a completely new iteration of Epicentre.
