There is no holding back when embarking on a creative quest under the banner of “Death or Glory.” The name makes it instantly clear that playing it safe is simply not an option. This daring attitude is very evident in the current North American Death or Glory tour by EDM stars Adventure Club, which began […]
When John Garberson designs a lightshow, he likes to push the creative envelope. Adding a new effect here, pixel mapping a fixture differently there, his goal is always the same: to come up with unique looks that support his client’s music. About ten times a year though, when Garberson puts together a festival rig, he […]
William Succoso’s list of favorite design tools includes one item that isn’t a lighting fixture at all, but a puffy fabric with vertical lines, aka The Austrian Drape. The New York-based designer, and former house LD at the legendary Bowery Ballroom, prizes the distinctive textile not just for its aesthetic appearance, but also (and more […]
The word “emotion” comes up often when this Connecticut-based production designer talks about the creative process that drives his work, whether it be on a Super Bowl Halftime Show (he’s been involved in every one since 2007), or a smaller, more intimate project. This is why hand-drawn sketches have always been a part of his […]
Can light exist without darkness? It is the sort of question that beguiles researchers at schools like MIT, where this New York-based designer once taught in the Theatre Arts Department. Although he never officially delved into the physics underlying this question during his time at the school, Goldman has made it his passion to study […]
What is your favorite memory of watching The Voice? Put this question to a random group of Belgians, and you’re likely to spur a long and animated conversation filled with a wide range of happy answers. Among the earliest and most successful shows in the famous global reality TV franchise, The Voice van Vlaanderen (The […]
It’s a dream shared by many lighting designers. You’re a huge fan of a band one day, and then find yourself creating its shows and running its boards the next. Such was the good fortune of Peter Therrien of JDI Productions a couple of years ago, when he was in Dallas working with another band […]
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s true creativity.” So said Charles Mingus. Although the late great jazz bassist never worked with lights (although he certainly played under plenty of them), his words pretty well sum up the philosophy that Steve Hubbard and his team at BigFish SRL Ltd. […]
“Who did you see?” Pose that question to a random sampling of the 230,000 who attended Insomniac’s Electric Daisy Carnival Mexico on Saturday and Sunday, February 23-24, and you likely won’t get the same answer. That’s not surprising, given that the two-day event featured over 120 artists from every corner of the earth, treating fans […]
Geometry has been described as a “meditation on the harmony of the cosmic order.” Looking at Mike St-Jean’s lighting and production design for the British progressive metal band TesseracT, we couldn’t help but recall this quote from long ago. Arranging an assortment of linear fixtures in angular patterns, St-Jean not only added depth and texture […]
The Old National Center in Indianapolis is indeed old. Built in 1910, it has hosted historic Broadway shows as well as the earliest stars of radio and television. Winston Churchill even gave a speech here in 1932. But although it’s marking its 110th birthday this year, this stately entertainment center is anything but tired. Its […]
It isn’t often that a lighting designer interviewed on these pages compliments us on our choice of words, the way this Prime-Time Emmy Award winner did when we asked him how he “translates” live tour designs into video productions. Translating does not involve merely replicating something, as Branton pointed out to us, but preserving its […]