CHAUVET Professional lighting fixtures help illuminate the Kasteeltuinen Arcen garden complex, home to the Netherlands’ Enchanted Garden festival.
Designing this 17-day festival, which takes place at the 42-hectare plot near the border between Holland and Germany, is Dynamic Beeld, Licht & Geluid. These companies combine colourful lighting with a song written by Dutch recording artist, Stef Classens.
Key to creating this evocative colour scheme of graduated reds and greens, along with some bold blue aerial effects were six Maverick Storm 1 Spot fixtures from CHAUVET Professional. The design team positioned the 480W LED fixtures around the edge of a pond in the centre of Het Rosarium.
“Arranging the fixtures this way allowed us to create a 360˚ effect,” said Paul Winters of Dynamic Bleed, Licht & Geluid. “The music and the lights really intensified each other. The bold blue aerial effects brought the music to a higher dimension and vice versa.”
Positioned on elevated platforms so as not to obstruct viewing angles during daylight hours, the Maverick fixtures were also used to project gobo images on the water as well on the tops of trees at the back of the pond. Meanwhile, their intense output ensured that their light could be appreciated from all over the gardens, which are located on the grounds of a 17th Century castle.
Given that the festival took place outdoors in the Netherlands, the IP-65 rating of the Maverick Storm 1 Spot was critically important. “We wanted all fixtures to be outdoor rated,” said Winters. “Weather can be an issue in this environment.”
Winters is very familiar with the demands of lighting Enchanted Gardens, since Dynamic Beeld, Licht & Geluid has been providing technical support for the festival since 2015. He is also acquainted with the rewards of being involved with this beautiful festival, which combines art, technology and nature.
“The great thing about Enchanted Gardens is that they provide a stage for light artists from all over the world,” he said, adding that in addition showcasing the work of established designers, this year’s festival featured displays by local students.