Dutch DJ Martin Garrix launched his new ANIMA live performance concept with two hi-energy, hi-profile nights at Amsterdam’s RAI with the five-day 2018 Amsterdam Dance Event festival.
Garrix’s Lighting Designer, Gabe Fraboni created a spectacular new visual experience with the help of nearly 300 Robe moving lights – 80 Robe MegaPointes, 166 Robe Spikies and 52 Robe LEDBeam 150s.
Fraboni used Robe for all of his designs, and commented, “Robe is my default brand of moving light right now. The products are so versatile and the range so diverse that it fulfils everything I need.”
Fraboni worked closely with Scenic Designer, Bart Straver and VJ Video Content Creator, Lorenzo de Pascalis in a creative collaboration that rocked some breath-taking results and ensured that Garrix’ shows were entertaining and enjoyable for audiences.
While the show in 2017 had been all about asymmetry, the 2018 instalment saw Fraboni do something completely different but that also retained some threads of continuity with the industrial look and style. At the artist’s request, the central LED plus sign right behind the DJ booth remained. Fraboni again wanted to be able to echo this shape and form across the rig, but this time with the harmony and balance of symmetry.
In embracing this mindset, another important factor was involving the audience in the action – pulling them right into the show making it an immersive and fully four-dimensional experience, rather than a passive viewing equation. This was done through the introduction of automation to accentuate echoes and repeat patterns, a concept that required symmetry yet was totally dynamic.
The grid of Robe MegaPointe LED pods above the crowd was created utilising 30 of the Robe MegaPointes each rigged on an individual Cyberhoist motor for up and down movement. The automation system was supplied by Unlimited Productions sourced by Production Manager Bert Kelchtermans. The chain and cables for each Cyberhoist were enclosed in a custom-designed spun aluminium telescopic tube which expanded and contracted when the hoist lifted and dropped the MegaPointes in and out, just above the heads of the audience.
With the 30 fixtures distributed and dynamically moving, he turned it from a massive impersonal arena into an intimate clubby space almost instantaneously. It was an extremely powerful visual effect that shifted, twisted and bent the architecture of the space. MegaPointes were ideal for this specific task due to their light weight and compact dimensions.
Above and below the main section of this video wall were 10 Robe MegaPointes and 10 Robe strobes that silhouetted and accentuated the depth of the performance area. The Robe LEDBeam 150s were located between each of the LED, MegaPointe and Cyberhoist pods. They provided additional effects, fabulous beams, more crowd interaction and effectively lit the audience for an upcoming YouTube stream.
Fraboni operated the show using a two MA Lighting grandMA2 full-size consoles and the Pangolin laser systems. Pascalis operated a Resolume and Notch VFX Server for video content and camera control.
Fraboni and Pascalis worked closely on crafting the show’s live visuals, matching the colours, textures and movements between video and lighting into one seamless visual world, together with Garrix’s mixing which offered a truly intense audience experience.