LONDON – XL Video supplied its newest products to Robbie Williams’ three nights at London’s O2 Arena recently, using more than 2000 new Pixled FX-200 LED spheres. The set and stage architecture was designed by Production Designer Mark Fisher with Creative Director Willie Williams and overseen by Executive Producer, Lee Lodge.
LOS ANGELES — On his recent three-month tour, Meat Loaf turned to the PixelFLEX LED video screen for part of his stage design. Flexible and lightweight, PixelFLEX LED Curtains are able to bend and shape around structures for a more creative display effect. Meat Loaf apparently wants to wrap up the whole stage with the LED Curtain when he returns to the road in 2013.
LONDON – Tait Technologies was awarded a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest landscape video display. Consisting of 634,500 individual pixels, Tait’s pixel tablet debuted July 27 at the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics and was used for memorable visuals for the other major Olympics ceremonies as well.
WASHINGTON, DC – Visitors to “Pure Land: Inside the Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang” at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington will witness a technological immersive application. The 3D 360-degree panoramic journey uses projectiondesign F10 AS3D to reproduce imagery of paintings and sculptures in the ancient rock cave’s 722 ft north wall known as Bhaisajyaguru’s Eastern Paradise in China.
LONDON — Oli Metcalfe’s design for Muse’s current tour, Second Law, which moves from Europe to North America in early 2013, features a fusion of lighting, video and automation effects with a transformable pyramid-shaped array of overhead video panels. They hang inverted above the stage, and can also descend to conceal the band. Collaborators include lighting, video and staging suppliers Neg Earth, XL Video and Brilliant Stages, with a Kinesys system and Hog 4 from High End Systems used for control.
LONDON — Brilliant Stages has designed and constructed the staging and suspended pyramid feature made from LED video panels for Muse’s current tour, Second Law, which tours Europe until Christmas before moving to North America in January 2013. Brilliant has worked on several stages for Muse including the 2009 Resistance tour and subsequent 2010 stadium tour, and the band’s inspirational stage design for their Reading and Leeds anniversary shows in 2011.
BRUSSELS – The NOXX² Antwerp night club recently redesigned its Main Room with two ArKaos Stage servers driving video on a 30 sq. meter 3D sculpture (323 sq. ft) and a 300 sq. meter (3,229 sq ft) LED ceiling. A home to DJs and events, NOXX² is also a stylish venue which can accommodate up to 2,500 clubbers in five different areas.
NEW YORK and ST. LOUIS, MO — Kelso & Company, the corporate parent to PSAV Presentation Services, reported that its acquisition of Swank Audio Visuals, announced in October, is now complete. Although key personnel from Swank have been retained from the 75-year-old firm, including Greg Diekemper, Swank’s former president and CEO, the Swank name has been dropped in favor of PSAV.
TORONTO — Two NanoLumens displays were used on the black carpet to welcome guests to the after-party of an advanced charity screening of “Skyfall,” the new James Bond movie. The after-party took place at Toronto’s Spoke Club. Nanolumens’ NanoFlex 112 displays were used to show Skyfall’s theatrical trailer and promotional ads for the new 007-themed cologne.
CHICAGO – CNN supplemented its wall-to-wall election night coverage by hosting viewing events in Chicago and Boston, the respective home bases of President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney. The network hired Texas-based GoVision, a supplier of customized modular LED walls and turnkey mobile LED units, to provide and install its giant screens at both free public viewing events.