Entertainment engineering specialist WIcreations was asked to create an innovative solution for the current Massive Attack tour.
The video design, created by United Visual Artists (UVA), needed a full horizontal section in the middle of a 14.4 metre wide by six metre high flown Roe MC7 LED screen to protrude from the rest of the surface by half a metre.
PRG XL Video Project Managers Phil Mercer and James Morden contacted WIcreations to ask if they could find a practical and tourable solution for this requirement.
Led by Project Manager Koen Peeters, the Belgium-based WIcreations team came up with a design for adapting PRG’s existing LED screen touring frames – samples of which were sent over for them to work on.
The main parts of the screen are constructed from MC7T screen which is transparent, allowing lighting effects to bleed and blast through from behind, while the raised ‘letterbox’ section is made from MC7NT which is solid.
The strip is 10 panels wide by 1.2 metres high and the lines of content appearing on it resemble redacted text from government documents. The letterbox can also be outlined with MAC Vipers shooting through from behind.
WIcreations designed and fabricated internal sub-frames with additional hinging that attach to the front via special conical connection pieces and cantilevering at the back of the touring frames to keep the balance.
The protruding panel supports are practical, quick and easy to assemble, rig and de-rig, essential in a festival scenario.
The hinges are made out of aluminium so the weight is minimal and furthermore, they fold down flat and are stored and travel in the existing LED touring frame dollies.
Lighting for the tour is designed by Paul Normandale and being operated on the road by Hunter Firth. Video content was also produced by UVA. Peter van der Velde is the Production Manager and Tour Manager is Shaun Martin.