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| News & Events | Archive |
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| Blackout's Fairytale |
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April 2005
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The HCA stage
The giant 'iclcle' |
Drapes and rigging specialist Blackout was recently appointed by Endemol UK to supply all the soft goods for the stunning set at the opening event of HCA2005. This kicked off a host of ongoing celebrations for the bicentennial of Hans Christian Andersen's birth.
Staged in Denmark's national football stadium - Parken - in Copenhagen, 35,000 spectators attended, including a host of celebrity VIPs and members of the Danish Royal family. Six hundred artists interpreted and performed 13 Hans Christian Andersen fairytales, celebrating the life of the legendary storyteller and poet.
Blackout's Project Manager, Kevin Monks, collaborated with Nick Levitt, and set designer Bill Laslett to help transform Parken into a magical fairytale environment.
Working to Laslett's exacting specifications, Blackout supplied over 3000 metres of shimmering silver voile. Specified for its silky texture and semi-translucency, it played a major role in his design. The voile was used by Blackout to create four giant 'icicle' columns on stage.
Over 500 metres of fabric were deployed to create each column, which were manufactured by Blackout's team of experienced seamstresses under the guidance of Jenny Clarke and Sandra Flaxman at their south London base. The desired effect was achieved by creating 6 concentric circles of slashed fabric starting at 9m in diameter and 4m drop on the outer edge, leading to a central solid tube 3m wide by 18m drop. All suspended from a circular truss and rolled aluminium tubes, also supplied by Blackout.
Their effect was maximised by two large fans, each 4-x metres in diameter, supplied by HSL Productions via pryo specialists Machine Shop. The fans were focussed on the cloth to make it gyrate and swirl, spectacularly adding movement to the set.
The semi-opaque quality of the fabric ensured the "icicles" were used as props to evoke different scenes for the visually spectacular stage interpretations of Hans Christian Andersen's fairytales. Lit inside and out by lighting director, Al Gurdon, the columns set the scene; be it enormous trees in a forest, seaweed in the depths of the ocean or burning flames or icicles in a snow covered landscape.
Blackout also supplied another 500 metres of silver voile for two giant swags, which were suspended stage left and right to frame the set. Another 1000 metres were deployed as a stunning backdrop, which also acted as a glittering canvas for the myriad of lighting effects.
Set Designer Bill Laslett commented:
"Blackout's team did a phenomenal job. We were working in extremely cold temperatures to very tight deadlines. Blackout's can-do approach was inspiring, I'm very impressed."
For further information, please contact:
Katinka Allender
PR Consultant
Phone: +44 (0)1865 409977
Email: katinka@katinka.org.uk
Kevin Monks
Blackout Ltd
Phone: +44 (0)20 8687 8400
Email: kevin.monks@blackout-ltd.com
Anna Webb
Litmus Communications
Phone: +44 (0)20 7249 6226
Email: anna@litmuscomms.co.uk |
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