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Satmoko Ball Choose Lighting Effects Distribution for Umbaba
Lighting Effects Distribution have provided project architects Satmoko Ball with a complete lighting solution to set the mood in new chic London West End nightclub Umbaba.
Cara Satmoko and Adrian Ball, partners in the practice, were introduced to LED’s Ian Kirby by Umbaba director Jeremy Hartley, and between them they have evolved a series of changing scenes and moods to highlight the West African theme of the adobe/earth-style architecture.
In total, the Kent-based distributors supplied three Alkalite Octopod 80’s; 35 Solar MR16 3W high-power Luxeon RGB lamps and eight metres of Coemar Linea flexible RGB Strip, along with four Geni Mojo Spinmaster 3Y barrel-effect scanners for the dancefloor. Control gear consists of a 256-channel Sirocco desk for the LED effects, working under Mode programmable control, and a Geni PC Brain for the dancefloor lighting.
The owners had wanted to achieve a slow colour-changing ambience — particularly in the niches and alcoves. “Because of the environment, we chose warmer colours such as red, yellow and orange,” said Cara. “Used indirectly by bouncing the light off the walls, it proved to be really effective with the blacked out ceiling.”
Satmoko Ball had selected LED from the very beginning as they wanted a compact dimmable colour changing light with low maintenance and easy control, mindful of the fact that while Umbaba was essentially a themed club they didn’t want it to look like “a tourist attraction”.
Cara explained: “We were already familiar with the Solar MR16 lamps and used these in the niches. At the same time we wanted to achieve a smooth colour change so we went for the Octopod 80’s for the general wall lighting.”
At the central bar Satmoko Ball used the Coemar Linea strips — uplighting the circular pyramid of bottles (with diffuser shelf) — as well as the DJ ‘cooking pot’.
“We divided this into three zones, so that each colour change had its own cycle — starting really slowly between the 8pm and 10pm period and then becoming faster later on.”
Four different lighting states were programmed onto the Mode environmental controller and operated from the Sirocco 256 channel desk.
Finally, the four Mojo Spinmasters provide the perfect antidote to the low ceiling, and deliver a dynamic, cost-effective lightshow.
Satmoko Ball are delighted with the overall result. “We have achieved what we hoped for, and the use of the MR16’s in the niches is particularly effective,” said Cara.
Her company have also worked on other projects involving Jeremy Hartley, most notably the original Chinawhite in Piccadilly, as well as those in Istanbul and Ibiza — plus the restaurant Taman Gang in Mayfair.
5th April 2005
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