Popular Danish R&B and pop singer
Burhan G is on the road with a brand new set and lighting design by Theis Wemuth
of Aarhus based creative visual practice, Create This, with Robe Spiiders,
BMFLs and Pointes right at the core of the aesthetic.
Theis started his lighting design
career 12 years ago and is well known in Denmark for his imagination and
thinking ‘out-of-the-box’. He was asked by the artist to produce a design for
the tour which promotes his latest album Pas på pigerne (Beware of Girls)
which features a big band sound and style bringing a new dimension to his diverse
repertoire.
This set the tone for the lighting
and scenic design proposed by Theis, for which he specified 18 Robe Spiiders
and 25 x BMFL Spots, which are being supplied to the tour by rental company
Comtech. There\’s no video on the tour, so it’s down to music and lighting to
enhance the mood, and in these days of visual expectation, that means the
lights have to work a lot harder!
Theis wanted a multi-level riser system
to accommodate the 15 musicians in different sections onstage. His ideas
included lots of warm colours, a cosy sumptuous feel and a rig that could also
be flipped into something rawer, meaner and more dangerous at times for the
more rap orientated elements.
The architecture of the rig is based
on two flown trusses and six vertical pre-rigged trussing towers upstage, with
Robe spec’d as the primary moving lights.
Theis was keen to used Spiiders as
they are the very latest technology and it’s always exciting to work with new
tech! He also thought they would be perfect for the job if producing a wide variety
of looks and effects, so three Spiiders are distributed on each tower giving a
total of 18 x fixtures that are absolutely fundamental to the rig.
He initially saw the Spiider at the PLASA
2016 expo in London where it was launched … and loved it! He likes the
tightness and hard edged nature of the beam which also softens as soon as the
zoom is pulled, revealing its powerful wash capabilities.
He thinks the LED flower in the
centre is super-cool… a bit like a hidden surprise with many more revelations
inside!
When it came to profile fixtures he
chose BMFL Spots, which are split between being rigged on the flown trusses and
sitting on flightcases on the floor used for side lights.
BMFL number 25 is used in follow
spot mode on the back truss operated from the console.
The 11 Pointes are all upstage on
the deck to give aerial beams and ACL patterning from that position, a visual
ruse that sits well with the big band ambience.
Catching up with Theis at production
rehearsals in Copenhagen, he was very happy so far with all of the fixtures!
\”The BMFL is great – very
bright and very useful as a profile with a nice fat beam!\” and he likes
the Spiiders for many reasons including the fact that they are completely
unique!
He\’s used Robe fixtures before over
the years but this is the most he\’s specified to date for a tour.
Anders Tinggaard – who also works
full time for Create This as technical Project Specialist – is on the tour with
Theis and is also a big Robe advocate. His positive comments centre around the
Spiiders being very quick to set up and use, small and lightweight with an
\”excellent quality of light\”.
On this tour they are visiting a mix
of venues so it is essential to be able to scale the rig and re-position and
re-work the stage looks. The smaller and more flexible the fixtures are, the
easier this task is!
Theis and Anders are working with a
technician from Comtech. The tour runs until May, then there’s a short break before
returning for the summer touring season.
In addition to Burhan G, Create This
is busy with a number of other clients including Jacob Dinesen for which they
have specified 12 x Spikies – among other fixtures – on the rig which are being
supplied by Vigsø Dry Hire. Theis comments, “I really love
having Spikies on the Jacob Dinesen tour as I can get both beam and wash
effects from one fixture. On top of that, the flower effect gives some amazing
breakup looks. It is a very compact but surprisingly powerful fixture.”
Lighting on this tour is being operated by Per Toft Hansen.
Show Photos: Jens Wognsen
