Bisoü is an upscale club in Monterrey, Mexico, that operates not only as the cosmopolitan city’s newest nighttime destination but also as a showcase of modern club lighting technology. Opened in spring 2016, Bisoü boasts a stylish design accentuated by a state-of-the-art lighting package of Elation Professional luminaires supplied and installed by Elation’s Mexican partner, Adimsa.
Adimsa owner Edson Rivera was involved in the installation from the beginning, a project that he describes as the interpretation of architect Filipao Nunez and the fulfillment of a longtime dream of club owners and brothers Victor and Emilio Califa.
“They wanted to create an elegant venue with a modern, technological atmosphere,” says Rivera, who completed the lighting design for the space. “We chose Elation fixtures for the dance floor light show and Elation and ADJ fixtures to fulfill the more decorative architectural aspects of the lighting design.” Club manager Alejandro Galvez was also key in the project.
Unique Visual Design
The contemporary, high-tech brief and avant-garde look called for a large cutting-edge lighting package, which Adimsa delivered with a fully-immersive design that covers the entire club. As an example of the distinctive look, occupying a wall at one end of the club, in the stage/dance floor area, is an eight-by-four matrix made up of Elation ACL 360i beam effects. Each compact single-beam light houses a single 60W RGBW LED and projects a thin beam out into the space. With the ability to rotate continuously, the matrix of 32 beam fixtures makes for a creative and eye-catching show of ever-changing rays of light.
Another special look is a kinetic sculpture matrix that serves as one of the main features of the club. “When we began to design the lighting for the club, we wanted to light the dance floor area using various fixture types so that we could create a variety of special ambiances,” Rivera says. “One of those fixtures was a custom-made adjustable RGB ball that we placed in a 12-by-10 matrix in order to create a kinetic sculpture above the central dance floor.”
This fixture is a 20cm diameter ball with a 45-watt RGB LED and is attached to a lifting system that can be extended to a maximum of 2.5 meters from its initial position in the ceiling. The lifting system’s fast up and down movement (around 0.5m per second) adds more dynamism to the space and makes for a variety of appealing looks.
“The challenge was to create the show on the Hog 4 PC software, from designing the profile to programming the RGB balls, but thanks to the very advanced system, we could create a beautiful show,” Rivera continues. “It is possible to create various 3D and matrix effects that can be integrated with the ACL 360i matrix on the wall or any other fixture in the club.”
Lining the edge of the dance floor are effects from Elation ACL 360 Rollers — new four-bar LED moving battens that can cast an 360° array of multi-colored effects onto the dance floor and around the club. Along with their bright output, the full 360° pan and tilt rotation and individual pixel control provide yet another unique array of looks. Joining the ACL 360 Rollers on the edge of the dance floor are Elation Protron 3K LED strobes — 80,000-lumen lights that pack a punch with high-energy bursts of light.
Elation’s ultra-fast Sniper 2R multi-effect lights are mounted in each corner of the club in groups of three. There, they can splay scanner and laser-like effects mid-air across the space, making use of an ultra-narrow 3° beam along with a barrage of color and gobo possibilities. Working from the dance floor’s perimeter are Rayzor Beam 2Rs, small and fast color- and gobo-changing moving heads with more than enough power to cut through the other lighting. Also working from the perimeter and flooding the space in shadow-free colored light are Cuepix Battens, 1.1-meter-long pixel-controllable LED strip lights with RGB COB LEDs.
Adimsa installed Flex Pixel WP tape, a thin and flexible pixel tape with RGB LEDs at 40mm centers, throughout the club for decorative effect. The Flex Pixel WP tape works together with the other lighting in the room in a coordinated dance of dynamic color, pattern and chase effects. It’s designed to be easily incorporated into a variety of décor styles, and along with its ability to be customizable to any length, the pixel tape serves as a cost effective wy to achieve simple color washing and effects. It can also be easily pixel-mapped for complete design integration. A Madrix LED lighting controller handles control of the 1,200 feet of LED tape used with this project.
Bisoü owners Victor and Emilio Califa have been using the dynamic lighting system to create a vibe for nightclub patrons that can range from a high-energy night of EDM to a more laid back evening out for patrons. Along with their ability to draw crowds with a state-of-the-art lighting system to complement the club’s modern design, they have also benefitted from an energy-efficient system that, going forward, offers substantial savings on power bills and maintenance costs.
Bisoü Club, Monterrey, Mexico
Crew
- Club Owners: Victor and Emilio Califa
- Club Manager: Alejandro Galvez
- Club Architect: Filipao Nunez
- Lighting/Installation Company: Adimsa
- Adimsa Owner: Edson Rivera
Gear
- 1 HES Hoglet 4 control wing
- 32 Elation ACL 360i fixtures
- 24 Elation Rayzor Beam 2Rs
- 12 Elation Sniper 2Rs
- 12 Elation Cuepix Battens
- 6 Elation ACL 360 Rollers
- 6 Elation Protron 3K LED strobes
- 120 Elation Flex Pixel WP fixtures
- 20 ADJ Ultra Bar 12
- 6 ADJ M-2020 mirror ball
- 4 Opto Branch units
- 2 Elation eNode8 Pro units
- 1 Elation Midicon
