Robe Pointes, Spikies, Spiiders, LEDWash 300s and CycFX 8s proved themselves invaluable when lighting designer Wouter Vebeke had to squeeze a somewhat ambitious lighting rig into Mercardo, Antwerp, for the band Arsenal’s new album launch.
The Robe lighting fixtures he chose were all small and versatile – with 25 Robe Pointes, 6 Robe Spiiders, 20 Robe Spikies, 19 Robe LEDWash 300s and 8 Robe CycFX 8s, all supplied by rental company Splendit.
The flexibility of the Pointe meant he could use them as back-lights and the speed and their multi-functional characteristics allowed him to effectively get four different lights from the same units.
Robe 25 Robe Pointes were rigged on a mid truss, a back truss which was hidden by the foliage and situated on the floor. The Robe CycFX 8s were positioned on the floor left and right and illuminated the tangle of trees and plants.
Vebeke mapped the individual LED pixels in these and created an abundance of sparkly, twinkling effects on the foliage. The light from the Robe CycFX 8s also had to generally find its way through the density of the jungle, which produced some interesting and unexpected lighting effects.
The Robe LEDWash 300s proved perfect for front lighting. “Small enough not to disturb the sightlines, and well powerful enough to do the job,” stated Vebeke. LEDWash 300s also lit the jungle elements from the front, where he needed a tiny fixture with a large zoom.
The 20 Robe Spikies were rigged on 4 Totems in the side-stage boom positions, 5 Robe Spikies in a vertical line on each truss section. The tiny size of the fixture made it a perfect fit for ensconcing between the structural pillars of the building along the sides of the stage. Vebeke loves the Robe Spikie for its speed, the flower effect and the big front lens. Being in close proximity to the band, low heat emission was also a benefit.R
Robe Spiiders were installed above the glass roof outside the building and enabled him to colour the glass and throw lighting into the room from outside so as the sun set, he could compensate with artificial lighting. Some surprises for the audience included a strobing ceiling during the later stages of the set, although the one slight regret was he “could not run DMX to the sun!”