One of the most popular and well-attended events during the biennial
Mediatech Africa 2015, held in July, were the Lighting Designer Sessions,
sponsored and organised by Italian lighting manufacturer Clay Paky.
Presented by multi award winning theatre and opera designer Paule
Constable and large-scale arena spectacular lighting designer Durham Marenghi,
both sessions were quickly over subscribed from the moment they were announced
and two further sessions were quickly scheduled to absorb the overflow.
Staged at The Dome at Northgate, Johannesburg, the
biennial Mediatech is the largest media and entertainment technology trade show
for southern Africa. The exhibition was therefore the ideal platform for the
two well-known international lighting designers to discuss their respective
experiences and knowledge with their South African counterparts.
Constable, who is also Associate Director of the
National Theatre, London, talked passionately about her preferred collaborative
approach to the design process and illustrated this with images of her recent
designs for shows including the award winning ‘Warhorse’ and ‘The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’.
In contrast Marenghi focused on the challenges and
joys in delivering theatrical style lighting designs for huge stadium events. He
drew on his experiences at the Olympic Opening and Closing ceremonies, along
with other large scale sporting events in Turin, Beijing and Sochi, to
exemplify the techniques he employs.
Blessing Mudehwe, Lighting
Designer for Celebration Ministries International said: “I have been searching
for mentors like Durham and Paule to provide such invaluable advice so thank
you.”
Jade Manicom, who recently
completed an honours course specialising in lighting design, also enthused
about the sessions:
“It was fascinating for me to
hear about lighting design on two very different scales. It was interesting to
see how these established and well-respected industry professionals approach
the job and I will definitely be using some of their techniques in my own work.”
Both Constable and Marenghi enjoyed the opportunity to
meet local designers Tim Dunn of Gearhouse South Africa, a leading technical
supplier, and lighting designer and theatre consultant Denis Hutchinson. Both
designers joined the first session to share some industry insights.
Constable comments; “I loved meeting and listening to Tim and Denis.
There was a prevailing sense of a new and fresh movement happening which was
very energising.”
Marenghi agrees: “Tim gave us a fascinating understanding into the
lighting of many of South Africa’s recent historical moments and also stressed
how important Gearhouse considers training to be for young LDs, programmers and
technicians alike.
“It was also good to listen to a top SA LD like Denis talk about his
work in theatre as LD, associate and programmer. It’s quite a rare thing to
find such a multi-disciplined individual in the UK and Denis is
a good example that, as the ladder is climbed, egos should be left firmly on
the stage!”
Denis Hutchinson said: “Economic reality means that most designers in South Africa
seldom (if ever) get to see shows in the rest of the world. Sessions like these
create contact with the world at large, which I believe is very healthy.
Theatre is an international form and we can all benefit from a
cross pollination of ideas. Any opportunity for people to learn from
others has to be encouraged not just at the conceptual level of design, but
also at a more pragmatic level; I’d love to see some input from really
good production electricians and programmers as well.”
Both Constable and Marenghi
expressed their pleasure to have been sponsored by Clay Paky and each commented
that they derived a great deal of satisfaction from the visit:
“It was an amazing trip – full of
extraordinary, life affirming moments,” states Constable. “It was a real
privilege to meet our colleagues who work in and support the lighting industry
of South Africa. I enjoyed hearing about the challenges they face and the
projects they’re working on. I would therefore like to say thank you to
everyone who made this possible.”
Marenghi echoes the sentiment,
saying: \”I would like to say a big
thank you to Clay Paky for affording Paule and myself the opportunity to visit
and speak to the South African lighting community. It was wonderful to have a
chance to pass on some of our collective experiences from the work we have done
internationally and also hear from designers working in SA. I was hugely
humbled to discover that the trip was truly worthwhile, when I received an
email from one of the attendees that said: \’Thank you for the awesome
presentation and insights you gave us at Mediatech 2015. You have touched my
life, shaped my future and ignited my passion in lighting design.’”
Pio Nahum, CEO of Clay Paky said: “We are delighted to be able to
sponsor such a popular and well attended event during southern Africa’s important industry event – Mediatech. The show is a one-stop hub for media and
entertainment technology and we are tremendously grateful to both Paule
Constable and Durham Marenghi for making time in their busy schedules to attend
the show and share their wealth of skills and knowledge with our valued friends
in southern Africa.”
Simon Robinson owner and event director for Mediatech concurred: “The
programme offered attendees a fascinating insight into two very different
lighting disciplines but also very clearly demonstrated the commonality in the
issues faced by lighting designers working across all disciplines the world
over. This made it extremely relevant for the Mediatech audience and we are
extremely grateful to both Paule and Durham for adding in the extra sessions at
short notice.”
Mediatech Africa brings together professionals
involved in broadcast, film and AV; production and post-production; animation and
new media; studio and recording; pro DJ and more for three days of networking,
updates and new technology discovery.
DWR, Leading Supplier of Stage Lighting Equipment, is
the Clay Paky distributor in South Africa.
