At Vulcan Gas Company, which revives a classic Austin, TX nightspot’s name, but delivers a new vision for the space, Wes Lane, lead designer and founder of Lightfaktor, says “good lighting is all about setting the mood and getting the correct emotional response. Most people don’t notice lighting, but they can feel it when it doesn’t feel right. Sometimes places feel flat and boring. They don’t know it was the lighting that caused it.” At the Vulcan, the idea is to make the space “come alive. There are pixels embedded in the walls, and the place lives and breathes. When it is pumping in there, you feel the vibe, not just from the bass but from the columns in the walls, which are audio responsive. It is interactive. We used a suite of High End Systems products including DLV digital moving projectors to add an extra dimension to the user experience. We are able to project onto the stage, crowd and walls allowing us to use the whole venue as a palette. There’s camera feedback, sensors, especially on the dance floor – people love to see themselves dance, but if you can add cool features that give people that feeling and it looks cool for everyone else, we like that kind of stuff.”
—From “Focus on Design” by Debi Moen, PLSN, Sept. 2015, page 72.
