LONDON — Having played a key role in concert lighting over the years, it was perhaps fitting that Martin gear be used for the recently-opened British Music Experience (BME), which gives visitors a retrospective look at popular music in the U.K. The BME, a permanent interactive exhibition, appears within a 22,000-square-foot area on the top floor of the O2 bubble in London, with a lighting design by David Atkinson of David Atkinson Lighting Design Ltd (DALD).
The DALD design incorporates 26 Martin smartMAC™ color changing luminaires into the exhibit’s Pre Show and Exit Show areas. The gear was supplied by AC Lighting and installed by DES.
Pre Show
Before visitors access the main BME exhibit, they encounter a five-minute AV introduction about BME in the Pre Show area. This includes instructions on how to view the various areas with the exhibition’s interactive Smarticket system to delve into the areas with which they have the most interest.
The DALD design for the Pre Show area includes Martin smartMAC moving heads, suspended from a high level box truss, lighting visitors as they walk in and walkout. Stewart Parker served as the lighting programmer.
The smartMAC, a 150 W moving head profile luminaire with interchangeable dichroic colors and effects, is compact and bright enough to make it well suited to this kind of museum-type environment. The units feature a fanless cooling system, minimizing noise, energy bills and upkeep.
Exit Show
The music experience is rounded off with a virtual concert, splicing together some of the biggest acts to come out of the U.K.
The DALD design team worked closely with the media producers ISO & Land Design to add an immersive quality to the Exit Show video. Programming from Stewart Parker, lighting from the smartMACs, strobes and LED lights and haze effects all add to the experience.
“The small size of the smartMACs helped to pull the space into perspective when seen in conjunction with the complex video sequences,” Atkinson said.
The Pre Show and Exit Show areas have also been designed for special events, with the dividing wall opening the space up into a large multi-functional venue, and the lighting has been designed to enhance that functionality.
Along with the immersive experience, BME offers visitors the ability to download music, learn to play instruments and record their own songs. There is also a full educational program with workshops, lectures, master-classes and concerts.
CREW
Exhibition Design: Land Design Studio
Lighting Design: David Atkinson Lighting Design (DALD)
Lighting Programmer: Stewart Parker
M&E: ME Engineers
Software Designers: Clay Interactive, ISO Design & Studio Simple
Software Production: Sue Joly
Sound Design: Peter Key
AV installation: Sysco AV
Electrical Installation: DES Electrical
Photos: Mike Lethby / Sysco
For more information, please visit www.martin.com.
