UK – No building reaches as high as a Ferris Wheel. Technically true? Of course not, but certainly so in the imaginations of children and dreamers of all ages. “I see nothing in space as promising as the view from a Ferris Wheel,” wrote the beloved children’s author EB White.
Visitors who take the 10-minute flight of imagination on “The Giant Wheel” at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which runs through January 1st, would readily agree with that, so too would anyone who gazes upon the 70-meter high structure at this magical holiday event in central London. Outlined against the night sky, the impressive structure awes visitors not only with its classic design but also through the colorful beams of light emanating from the 24 CHAUVET Professional Maverick Storm 1 Flex fixtures mounted on the wheel’s outer ring.
“The lights create a real WOW effect with a monumental visual,” said Janik Hensen of Dekor-Event (Kevelaer, Germany) who designed the stunning light display. “For many visitors, it seems to be a completely new dimension and really captivates them. Even during the first tests, many curious onlookers from across the entire Winter Wonderland crew gathered to watch.”
Precise beam control and bold realistic color rendering were key to the Ferris wheel lights exerting their powerful spell on visitors to the holiday event. “The rotation of the Ferris wheel is an enormous help— even static lighting states turn into impressive effects that you rarely see at this scale,” explained Hensen. “It was important for us to create emotional images and effects that match the overall show. Thank to this fixture’s fast CMY system we could create precise color bumps.
“Also, we had to meet several programming challenges in order to avoid unnecessary light emissions affecting nature and nearby residents,” added Hensen. “In the end, the fixture made this extremely easy because there were no variations between units, and they delivered their positions and looks with precision and reliability without hitting protected areas.”
Mounting the 28.8 kg Maverick Storm 1 Flex on the 70-meter wheel’s outer rig in the winter was also challenging, especially given the short time frame the production team had to work within. A customized mounting solution was required, and Hensen credits CHAUVET Professional with developing a mounting flexible bracket that lent itself to quick installation.
“Overall, it was an exciting project with some fun challenges,” said Hensen. “There were not many previous reference points for this specific application. After all, no one had ever mounted such a large number of fixtures on such a large Ferris wheel for a two-month winter project. Our challenge was made easier by the Maverick Storm 1 Flex.”
Describing the fixture as “almost impossible to overlook,” Hensen believes it can take any event like the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland to new heights… even without the magic of a Ferris wheel!
