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Bandit with Sasic on REM
Lighting designer Susanne Sasic, one of the most innovative and original contemporary LDs, started working with REM four years ago. Her highly unique design is a provocative fusion of art and architectural elements, sculpted into a dynamic, perfectly timed show.
As with all Sasic’s shows, the core of the design features several one-off ‘specials’, created to give the show a series of memorable and unique visual elements. She has also been integrally involved in developing the show’s video look and content, working closely with video director Blue Leach.
Her imaginative starting point for this tour was 82 panels of 6ft x 2 ft polycarbonate ‘Polygal’ greenhouse/conservatory glazing material, manufactured by Pentaglass. This is double walled and has a honeycomb cell structure which both reflects and refracts the light. The panels are lit from front, rear and the floor creating an upstage wall of textured lighting. The panels are extremely lightweight and tough, and are suspended on a series of catenery wires devised by Bandit Lites in the US at the start of the tour.
Other ‘specials’ include 51 Color Kinetics iColor Accent low voltage exterior architectural tube fittings – a combination of 4 ft and 8 ft lengths. These are also suspended on catenaries of varying lengths, Bandit customised their hanging brackets, also allowing them to be rigged on caternary wires, which allows them to dangle randomly above the stage.
Bandit also built flightcases for the CK tubes and the Pentaglass panels, and wrote a fixture personality for the iColors so they could be controlled by Sasic via the Hog II console.
The third effect is a Starstrobe curtain, made from 30 American DJ Flash Ropes - strings containing tiny star-strobes. They are hung upstage of the panels, and one of their effects is to create a TV static look on the panels as they sparkle away.
The rig then consists of HES Studio Colors, Vari*Lite VL3000 Washes, Martin MAC 2k Profiles, Martin Atomic strobes with scrollers, 5k Fresnels with Wybron colour changers, Source Four profiles with 19 degree lenses, 2-lite Molefays, Lycian M2 truss spots and a Lycian 1290 FOH spot.
These are arranged across four trusses and the floor. Sasic uses her Hog II console with an extender wing, and makes full use of its Effects Engine, particularly in creating the looks and chases on the CK fittings. When devising the show, she worked closely with Michael Stipe, who has lots of visual ideas himself, and is very articulate and specific about expressing them. One of these was to make the show look futuristic.
Stipe also gives Sasic the artistic freedom and breadth to get on with what she does best, which is to create a visual feel and ambience appropriate for the show and the music. This encompasses a huge range of emotions from reflective and intense moments to huge, classic rocking REM anthems like ‘The One I Love’.
Sasic likes combining colours, directions and qualities of light. Her favourite song in the set is ‘High Speed Train’, about riding the bullet trains in Japan, where she creates a simple but highly effective fast, flashy neony ‘look’ that reminds her of Japan.
Sasic works alongside her Bandit crew of Roger Grybowicz, Rob Starksfield, Andy Cooper and Nigel Julian, and they are joined by Will Anglin from Bandit US, who has been with the tour throughout. Bandit as a company and the crew are all “Absolutely excellent” to work with confirms Sasic.
The European account is handled by Bandit Lites’ Lester Cobrin. REM is production managed by Dick Adams and tour managed by Bob Whittaker.
17th January 2005
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