The final of the 2021 Russian National Open Championship of Creative Competencies—ArtMasters—was staged at the iconic Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow to honor the best creative and technical talents working behind the scenes on shows and events—lighting designers, set designers, content creators, virtual worlds programmers, costume designers, make-up artists, and many more.
One of last year’s ArtMasters Champions, lighting designer Roma Robot, was invited to light this year’s gala ceremony, and he chose Astera Titan Tubes to be a major part of the production lighting design. Lighting challenges included facilitating super-quick changeovers. The Bolshoi’s stage was in use for classic theatrical performances the night before the event, so this had to be transformed into a show-space for all the different finale competition pieces, and then again for the razzmatazz of the awards’ gala presentation. Lighting also needed to be fine-tuned for TV broadcast, as ArtMasters was aired on Channel One Russia.
As a creative lighting tool that spans both broadcast and live event sectors, Astera’s Titan Tubes were perfect for solving the unique demands of the event in this venue. Each championship finale work comprised a short show with its own costumes, scenography, orchestra, etc., and dynamic lighting had to be created within a few minutes and suited to the mood of several dramatically different performances. The entire stage was then completely re-set for the Awards.
With 50 Titan Tubes at his disposal, Robot was confident in delivering the range of vibrant looks and atmospheric variety needed to suit all the competition pieces plus the glamour and glitz of the Awards element. Any conventional floor lighting positions e.g., for moving lights, were ruled out as the stage had to be kept clear for all the quick changeovers, but this was not a problem with the Titan Tubes as they are so incredibly portable.
Using the standard vertical mounting stands, he utilized the Asteras to decorate the orchestra, to create a series of beautiful backgrounds and as set pieces placing Titan Tubes around artists and musicians. Some Titan fixtures were used as hand-held kinetic light props by dancers who connected the output into spectacular glowing figures and shapes. “These fixtures were absolutely instrumental to being able to deliver memorable lighting for each finalist,” stated Robot.
He first used Titan Tubes for a recital by the Ukrainian singer and composer Svetlana Loboda at Crocus City Hall, when his initial reaction—in his own words—was “somewhat blasé… you know, I had seen an LED stick or two before!!!”
That quickly changed once they were fired up and he realized that Titan Tubes are unlike any other LED tube fixture. “They are so bright and having good battery-powered devices is so useful. Moreover, the colors are super cool—absolutely stunning!” he recalled from that first encounter.
He is currently Svetlana Loboda’s LD, and Titan Tubes are proudly on her tour rider. “The artist absolutely loves them as well,” Robot explained. “She definitely does not want to swap her Titans out to any other LED tube.”
Robot also likes Astera’s NYX Bulbs having recently used them to create a stylish vibe in a small room with no floorspace for lights and only white light bulbs in the ceiling! With no other realistic options for lighting, he remembered the NYX Bulb—launched in 2020, and everyone was delighted with the results. “We screwed the NYX Bulbs into the local fittings and set up the stage lighting via the AsteraApp achieving the objective swiftly, smoothly and with considerable flair.” Robot feels generally that wireless lighting control is very much the future. “Astera saw this trend and nailed it some years ago,” he concluded.
The 2021 ArtMasters was a massive success. There were over 17,559 original applications in total, all of whom invested great effort in presenting original work for this unique competition. The first two knockout stages took place online, with the finalists taking to the Bolshoi stage along with an array of Russian music stars and other celebrities.
Further information from Astera LED: https://astera-led.com/
Photos Courtesy of the National Open Championship of Creative Competencies ArtMasters
