Photo: Todd Kaplan At some point early in his career, this highly acclaimed New York-based designer and programmer began putting a sign behind his FOH position that read simply “Stand Back.” A warning to bystanders not to look over his shoulder? Perhaps, but there was also an element of safety in the message, as he […]

Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Sara Bareilles, Train… the list of artists that this Chicago-based lighting designer has worked with is long, but as he is quick to point out, he’s never actually lit a tour. From the very beginning of his career, some 20 years ago, he has been focused on exhibit and event lighting. […]

It may well go down as one of the most moving live music moments never seen. At the conclusion of the We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, after a bountiful feast of big looks, New York’s own Paul Simon was to take the stage to sing “The Boxer,” lit only by a soft tungsten glow. […]

There is a magical feeling that every designer hopes to create when working an outdoor show. It arises when the stage and its surroundings are woven into a single all-encompassing experience that not only connects fans to the performance on stage, but also to the natural beauty all around them. Some venues make achieving this […]

Where does one go after working for U2 at age 14? For this Irish-born, and now Florida-based, designer, the answer is onto a storied career that as seen him light shows by stars like The Who, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Taylor Swift and Elton John, along with an array of major awards ceremonies, […]

PETERSBURG, FL – As stories on stage unfold, they are invariably carried on their journey by the ebb and flow of light. This is true of virtually every dramatic production, but there are some where lighting is so intricately woven into the story that it becomes part of the narrative itself. Pagliacci falls squarely into […]

Paris lies over 850 kilometers from Edinburgh, Scotland. Yet Jvan Morandi never came any closer to the city of lights when he lit a concert this summer by electronic music pioneer Jean Michel Jarre at Palais de L’Elysee. Relying on close collaboration with his on-the-ground partner Jordan Babev, he made extensive use of programming and […]

Falling in love with the Jumeirah Al Qasr in Dubai is easy. Stretching out for 40 hectares along the coat of the UAE, this glittering resort exudes luxury and style from every inch of its paradisial setting. But it’s much more than beauty and glamour that make the complex’s Madinat Arena special to Luke Bonner. […]

Automotive pioneer Henry Ford hated market research. When explaining why, he supposedly said, “if I asked customers what they wanted when I started, they would have said ‘a faster horse.’” More than a century after Ford launched his namesake company, his quip would lend its name to one of country music’s highest profile festivals. With […]

Asked how he’d like to be remembered as a designer, this Los Angles based video and VFX content creator didn’t point to any of his singular accomplishments, of which there are many; instead he suggested that perhaps it would be for some future project not yet started. Clever? Yes, but those familiar with the award-winning […]

Tungsten made its first appearance in an electric lamp in 1903. The grayish, white element has been captivating people with its warm, engaging glow ever since. Even as old school filament fixtures have been largely replaced by more efficient LED units, simulated tungsten-like looks are prominently featured in lighting designs. Julien Reux, of Black Lantern […]

Perched atop a worn and rugged 321 meter high mudstone hill, the ruins of Castell Dinas Brân have inspired a sense of awe, and a more than a bit of storytelling, over the past nine centuries. There was, legend has it, a Norman knight who upon learning that no one was brave enough to remain […]