When light architects Cochavi & Klein were engaged by “The Tripping” production
group to create spectacularly different lighting for a special sunset party in the Gan
Haslaim (Rock Garden) of Tel Aviv’s famous Yarkon Park, they came up with the
concept of a giant “Electronic Sun’ – positioned 20m high in the air behind the
elevated DJ and VIP areas.

Based around a 3-ring circular truss, this huge eight-metre diameter backlight
structure carried 48 of Robe’s 19-segment Spiider LED fixtures together with 24 of
Robe’s fast, ultra-narrow Pointe fixtures, and two dozen 4-light mole-fays. The entire
structure was suspended at a pre-tilted angle from a 66m mobile crane.

The party started at noon, taking thousands of party lovers on a journey through the
sunset and into the night. The DJ booth was located in front of the rocky hill, with a
beautiful back scenery full of ancient stones. When the sun went down completely at
20:00, the Electronic Sun then rose behind the hill.

The Spiiders were run in their 122-channel extended mode, enabling pixel mapping
through an MA VPU media server as well as the creation of complex and subtle effects
and patterns. This was combined with output from eight fog machines resulting in
dynamic, varied and visually exciting lighting and effects.

Lighting was controlled using a grandMA2 system and was programmed by Omer
Israeli, the associate lighting designer and programmer at Cochavi & Klein. Additional
project credits include Dor Aichner, lighting crew chief and Itay Harpaz, stage
manager. Itamar Bar Shavit was the technical producer of the event. Lighting and
audio equipment was supplied by Argaman Systems, one of Israel’s leading rental
companies. Structures and trussing came from Stage Design, lasers from Saar Lasers
and the crane was provided by Dror Cranes.

For the passionate team at Cochavi & Klein, such a project is just not possible without
the assistance of wysiwyg lighting design and previsualization software.

In the words of the associate lighting designer and programmer, Omer Israeli:
“Beginning with the first sketches and lighting plots, through the 3D renders and
preprogramming of the show, wysiwyg let us bring our design to life.’

Eran Klein, lighting designer and co-owner of Cochavi & Klein added: “With wysiwyg,
we could give the customer the opportunity to see with their own eyes what exactly
was running through our imaginations. We have inspected and learned through
wysiwyg to look at different point of views and angles that helped us to determine
what would be the optimal angle and height for the Electronic Sun stage element.’

wysiwyg also saved the client money in crane hours due to preprogramming and
enabled the elimination of potential any windy weather problems.

“We truly believe that CAST and wysiwyg played a very important part in the process
that let this project come true,’ added Klein.