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Avab in Avignon Reaps Rewards for ETC
Jean Louis Pernette, managing director of Avab Transtechnik France, has a big personal commitment to the Avignon Festival in the south of France: he’s been connected with it for the past 25 years, and each year the amount of technology gets bigger and better.
The Festival, which has been running for over 60 years and runs throughout the whole of July, showcases French and foreign contemporary drama as well as dance creations and stage performances to an audience which also grows each year – in 2006, around 100,000 people attended the 20 somewhat unusual venues dotted around the walled city. In addition to the official festival venues, some 900 performances by 300 troupes are held as part of the Off – or fringe – Festival. The 20 permanent staff in the technical office swells to some 600 during the festival, about half of whom are registered under the French unemployment benefits system as occasional arts workers.
The centre of the festival, as far as Jean Louis is concerned, is the Cour d’Honneur (Courtyard of Honour) at the historic Palais des Papes – the Palace of the Popes. The residence of seven 14th century popes, the palace has walls up to 5.5m (18 ft) thick, which explains why it is in such a good state of repair – it was virtually impregnable to attack. It also explains why one of the pieces of technology which lighting director Philippe Catalano chose – wireless DMX – proved troublesome: the signals had trouble penetrating the walls.
“My relationship with the festival is like a partnership,” explains Jean Louis. “The festival is a place of artistic creation and Avab has been working for years to make the artistic dreams technically possible. In Avignon our equipment faces the most gruelling conditions: equipment is frequently moved around, there can be lots of dust, or it gets rained on, and we have to respond to variable demanding requests from lighting designers. We supply lighting and control to several venues, and see it as a laboratory where technology is constantly developing and evolving.”
At the Palais des Papes, special care needs to be taken to ensure that the fabric of the building is not damaged and also that the lighting can be used regardless of weather conditions. An ingenious solution has been developed by Philippe Berthomé, lighting designer for King Lear, whereby some of the 14 ETC Source Four Revolution moving lights are mounted on ‘arms’, which are tracked, so the luminaires can be rolled in and out of the windows above the outdoor stage. When not needed, they are rolled back out of sight. The idea was then developed further, so that four different luminaires were mounted on a hélicoptère, four rotating arms; a technician turns the system to select the arm with the fixture they need before rolling it forward.
As Jean Louis explains, attention to detail can make the biggest difference in such a venue: “The luminaires need to be carried up a large number of steps to reach what is almost the highest point in Avignon. The Revolution has a locking mechanism which stops it moving around when being carried, avoiding possible injuries.”
The Palais des Papes also has an ETC Congo lighting control console, originally designed by Avab, and its little brother, Congo jr. ETC’s newest networking technology, Net3 – featuring ACN streaming – as well as IES Matrix Mk II SineWave dimming are also in use.
Meanwhile, at the Cour du Lycée Saint-Joseph, Source Fours have been specifically requested for the first time. Some 35 Source Four Zooms have been installed at the request of Polish director Kyzysztof Warlikowski for the five and a half hour long Angels in America, lit by Felice Ross. Not only are they lights he has worked with before, but they also weigh less than half that of equivalent condenser steel profiles – a key issue, given that they are rigged on 19m long truss. The French prefer zoom profiles with sharp edged shutters, even though most of the time they use them shutters with soft edges.
“Source Fours have a number of significant advantages over the dominant fixture on the French market: they’re cheaper, lighter and have no condenser to break. Moreover, aluminium construction is better for outdoor use. France is a unique and very exciting market, and to have so many people in the same town for a whole month is wonderful.”
Each show is performed for a few days, then is replaced with a different one. Lighting may be changed but the technical staff will remain.
In charge of servicing the Avignon Festival venues, the volante lumière – the ‘flying squad’ group of lighting technicians provided by the festival management can go and deal with issues on site as they arise, whether they be lighting, dimming, networking, wiring or even water damage caused by rain.
Avab boards used by Off Festival venues also benefit from a service and training resource centre at the College de la Salle, a high school in the town and one of the largest performance venues. Technicians can be assisted and trained in the use of ETC’s SmartFade or Avab Presto lighting control boards, and it is a level one service and repair centre for Avab desks. This is in addition to the services provided by the local dealer or Avab in Saint Denis if needed.
Says Jean Louis: “The French are extremely loyal when it comes to lighting – they prefer to work with lighting manufacturers that they know and are used to working with. So the Avignon Festival, for me, is a great opportunity to meet many of my customers and get feedback from them.”
In picture: ETC Source Four Revolution moving lights are mounted on ‘arms’, which are tracked, so the luminaires can be rolled in and out of the windows above the outdoor stage at the Palais des Papes. The stage at the 2,000-seat Cour d’Honneur at the Palais des Papes.
10th August 2007
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