Lumière is an audiovisual composition for lasers and sound. The building blocks of the piece are a new type of events, a compound of visual shapes and a sonic counterparts. The work is based on hundreds of these audiovisual 'notes', to create a previously unseen and highly synchronized immersive experience. The lasers project on a large screen, partially obscured by a wall of fog, which also makes the intensive beams of light visible in the air, connecting the lasers in the back of the room with the front, forming fragile temporary objects above the audience. The special quality of the laser light allows to combine complete darkness with moments of extreme brightness, pure white with intense saturated colors and precise movements with complex organic shapes. Lumière is a long term artistic research project, exploring syntax, meaning and narration within a newly developed audiovisual language (see also Early Laser Tests).
Working as the onsite Production Manager for Robert Henke's Lumiere II was a job that required international planning and collaboration. From the start of the project, I was required to liaise with Robert, Christian and Susanne, in order to create the perfect set-up ahead of their arrival in Johannesburg.
For this project, we worked months prior to the event to ensure that all the technical aspects were met. The lasers had to be hung at a specific height, in a specific location, all of which was predetermined via email and programmed into the performance off site. When the team then arrived in Johannesburg, we simply had to hang the lasers and tweak the programme to match.
Part of my role was to arrange the riggers, set the stage prior the laser installation, manage the crew and artists and manage the front of house team. The performance was for a single evening, which meant that the installation, technical run, performance and strike took place over a 24 hour period. Through this project, I learnt how to manage a technical performance, budgets and large crews.