Belgian-based visual design studio Painting with Light (PWL) celebrated 20 years of utilising multiple media and luminescent sources – including lighting, video, lasers, projection – and content to create inspiring designs, breath-taking wow factors and dramatic immersive environments.
The journey has seen it grow from an ambitious dream to a leading international technical innovator and solutions provider.
The company was founded by Luc Peumans in 1999. His vision, imagination, focus and sense of adventure have driven PWL to become the imagineering powerhouse it is today, working across multiple entertainment and leisure industry platforms with a skilled team of dynamic multi and mixed media experts.
PWL’s core business started with designing lighting, video and scenic elements for music tours and festivals, television productions, a diversity of live events and theatre productions.
Luc’s eagerness to experiment with and try out new ideas helped his work become noticed, which prized open new opportunities and areas especially in ‘crossover’ disciplines like ‘architainment’ which require a broader approach, thinking ‘out-of-the-box’ and the adaptation of light and ‘luminosity’ in its various forms utilising different techniques and treatments.
PWL’s work is now an invigorating balance of projects in these original sectors, plus newer areas where lighting and media installations are integral to creating atmosphere and mood like theme parks, attractions, museums, venues from bars to live music and dance halls and buildings (from offices to big football arenas).
There’s also been several cool and more esoteric art installation work including ‘Protected Paradise’ created by Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen and lit by Luc for the 2017 Venice Biennale.
PWL constantly keeps abreast and ahead of emerging technologies and trends, developing relationships with a mix of technology leaders and manufacturers – all the time remaining completely independent. The key is always how relevant equipment and tools can be uniquely applied to the array of work.
Luc stated: “Reaching the 20-year mark is a huge achievement! It has been an amazing experience and is a tribute to the whole team and all those who have played a major part in the company over that time! Here’s to the next 20!”
As artistic director of Painting with Light, Luc maintained a creative overview of each project, working closely with a talented team of designers, programmers and technical and creative experts who ensure that PWL’s signature style and flair is delivered appropriately every time to the client, meeting the highest expectations.
A lot has happened in 20 years, and with the advances in various technologies embraced by the world of entertainment technology some of the things that Luc only dreamed about in 1999 are now possible!
Luc was always passionate about drama, music and performance and as a teenager became fascinated by the technical aspects of show production. He studied engineering at college which boosted his own practical perceptions of what was possible and satisfied some of his curiosity for technology and creative risk-taking. It also fed his desire to make Painting with Light a trailblazing phenomenon.
He always wanted to make a difference with the company, and in turn inspire future and upcoming young professionals. PWL has grown and been nurtured – carefully and steadily from his brainchild to a virtuoso team of 20 with inter-disciplinary skills plus some regular freelance collaborators working out of an amazing office and HQ space in Genk, which is a contemporary artwork in its own right.
The project to renovate the old stable block of the once flourishing deep seam coal mine, now popular visitor attraction C-MINE, took three years.
It now provides an interesting, comfortable and funky environment in which the collective synergies of PWL can thrive and produce creative visual strategies and schemes for any project and deliver them fully from conception to completion.
Recent projects have included lighting the new Popcorn Revenge interactive dark ride at Walibi, Belgium; lighting throughout the Majaland theme park area at the Kownaty Holiday Park in Poland; site-wide atmospheric lighting and the creation of light-art works for the Campo Solar festival plus several music and theatre tours.
