On 16 September 1810, Roman Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang a church bell in Dolores, Mexico, heralding a call to arms that triggered the Mexican War of Independence. Re-enacted each year on the eve of Independence Day in the Zócalo square in the heart of Mexico City, this year the Cry of Independence ceremony (Grito de la Independencia) was bolstered with lighting effects from Elation Professional Proteus lighting fixtures.
Effects from IP65-rated Proteus Smarty Hybrid and Proteus Hybrid moving heads shone from atop the National Palace as part of a lighting design by Bolo Josaphat and Aaron Carrascoo for the largest Independence Day celebration in the capital. BlackLight Productions, the company in charge of production, proposed the Proteus series moving heads, taking into account the reliability they provide by guaranteeing operation regardless of the environmental conditions they face.
“In working with Elation equipment, I have found that it is 100% reliable. I like the power of the Proteus Hybrid and the tight beam that the Proteus Smarty Hybrid generates in addition to the colors they can achieve, but the main advantage of working with them is its IP65 protection,” commented lighting designer and programmer Josaphat Pérez, better known as ‘Bolo’.
In addition to the Proteus moving heads, 16 Elation Opto Branch 4 splitters were used to distribute the signal from the 16 DMX universes that were used for the show. Four Magma Prime hazers by Magmatic effects were also used on the event.
Mexican company KONA Integral Show Solutions, who have a large inventory of Elation equipment available for rent, supplied the Elation equipment.
