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ShowCAD and Award Winner
The annual Lighting Design Award for Exterior Lighting has been won by a 15 minute piece based around the world's largest mirror ball; more formally known as 'They Shoot Horses Don't They', a sculpture by Michael Trainor on Blackpool promenade. The piece was controlled by a ShowCAD Artist system.
The challenge was to create a new icon for the Blackpool Illuminations that reflected the regeneration of the promenade within the Blackpool master plan. The Mirror Ball, a sculpture entitled ‘They Shoot Horses Don’t They’ by artist Michael Trainor, was seen as the perfect canvas for a lighting show. Given the nature of the installation, designer Greg McLenahan and the Blackpool Illuminations Department opted for a dynamic, club style approach that lit not just the mirror ball but also the surrounding pedestrian areas. The shows last approximately 15 minutes to encourage people to visit rather than simply drive past and a wow factor has been achieved using moving head lights, mounted on customised 5m-high posts with weather-protecting domes. The domes are force-air cooled to remove heat from the fixtures. Though the programme can be changed, the current show includes lighting directly on to the ball, wandering onto the arena surrounding it with colour changes, effects and gobos phased in and out. The judges said simply: “You couldn’t light it better” and added that it “invited a high level of interaction with the public”.
7th April 2006
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