Taking
its inspiration from the 2013 Pukkelpop
Festival in Belgium, which saw the first deployment of Blueprint Events’
SGM LT-200 3D mappable LED pixel tubes, Chris Morgan’s company has now
delivered what he believes to be the largest SGM tube matrix ever seen in the
UK — at the high profile Creamfields 2014
in the north of England, over August Bank Holiday weekend
Working
for The Events Company UK, who handled the rigging and design, Blueprint
decorated Size Records’ Size Matters
10-pole big top with 400 x LT-200 SGM tubes and 130 x ILD controllers — spread
over three separate grids.
The
pixel-mappable 2m-long graphic tubes, loaded with RGB LEDs at 35mm pixel
pitch, was specifically designed for Saturday night headliner, the
Greek-Swedish DJ/producer, Steve Angello (of Swedish House Mafia fame) and his
‘Size Records’ family.
Reports
Chris Morgan, “The Events Company UK were looking for something a little
different to make Steve Angello’s set really stand out and designed these
moving grids, populating them with 3D mapped tubes.”
Events
Company UK selected Madrix as the optimum control platform for the tubes due to
the flexibility in creating content and the unique ability to map the tubes in
3D.
Blueprint’s
Toby Shipway programmed and operated the tubes, requiring 140 DMX universes to
create effects that were mapped individually on the three grids, before
combining the maps to fill the room in a single continuous grid.
These
grids themselves were raised up to the roof so that the LT-200s went unnoticed
during the preceding acts, before being dramatically lowered for the main set.
Via
the Kinesys motion control, the three grids could then be raised and lowered
over the heads of the audience independently during the show to the amazement
of all.
The
entire show was conceived and implemented in around two weeks, with the Kinesys
control and rigging designed and programmed by The Events Company UK’s Mike
Smith.
The
installation itself was carried out through the night so that the LT-200 pixel
tubes were only in situ for the Saturday night and gone by the next day.
Looking
back at the event, Chris Morgan said, “Although it was a tight deadline the
planning by The Events Company UK made implementation a breeze. Having such a
large stock of SGM products is essential in order to put these designs into
practice, and allow for any last minute developments.”
