W-DMX by Wireless Solution Sweden AB made a beautiful
exhibition during the recent Closing Ceremony for the first European Games at
the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The inaugural event was
broadcast throughout Europe and beyond and featured almost 6,000 athletes from
50 countries competing in 20 sports. The newly built 225,000-square-meter Stadium
held a sold out audience of 68,000 for both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
The Closing
Ceremony was filled with a lineup of stunning performances, showcasing a blend
of Azeri customs and trends, both old and new, highlighted by the latest
technology in lighting, staging, video and pyrotechnics. But the most majestic
was the final act, which featured 900 lanterns carried onto the field of play
by individual performers. 230 were equipped with a W-DMX OEM chip receiver for
a custom LED pack inside each lantern. 180 of these were attached to a giant sphere
chandelier, which was raised by hoists to hang over the center of the field.
The other 50 were carried by volunteer children performing on the stage. A
single W-DMX F-1 G4 Transmitter delivered signal to all 230 lanterns. “Every
W-DMX chip was easy to install and worked perfectly,” said Duncan Turner,
Director of Carbon Lighting, “The system was reliable and we had no problems.”
The Closing
Ceremony was led by artistic director James Hadley with creative director Libby
Hyland and production designer Josh Zangen. Lighting Designer for Closing was
Ted Wells, assisted by lighting director Travis Hagenbuch. Assistant
lighting director was Charles Dabezias. Executive Producer was Scott Givens of
Five Currents. Nick Eltis was senior technical director and Ola Melzig was the
senior technical manager. Anders Karlsson was the technical production manager,
and Toomas Vann the senior production manager. W-DMX equipment was
supplied by PRG.
“The entire
Closing Ceremony was really so creative,” said Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of
Wireless Solution, “But the final act was special – after all the laterns were
brought out and the chandelier was raised, all the performers in the show joined
together on the field and had a giant dance party to the closing acts. All of
the lanterns worked perfectly even in such a high traffic wireless area. We
were proud to be part of this event.”
