The 2020 “Christmas at Eden” celebration in Cornwall, United Kingdom featured horticultural exhibits, including the world’s largest rainforest in captivity.
Glenn Gridley and Zak Nicholson had the unique form and function of the Eden Project in mind when working with the team from their company, GLX Productions, to create the color palette for its holiday lightshow. Helping the design team achieve this palette, in addition to creating an array of captivating looks throughout Eden Project was a collection of CHAUVET Professional fixtures, including the new Rogue Outcast 1 Hybrid.
The GLX team which included Catherine Walton, Embry Koehler, James Coxon, and Joe Bower, positioned four of the IP65 rate 400-watt moving fixtures on the floor in the Mediterranean biome. From this position, the sharp, intense beams from the Rogue units were directed at a massive mirror ball hung over the exhibit area.
“We were really very pleased with the way this worked,” said Zak, who was the lighting designer on the project, while Glenn served as crew chief. “Watching the biome glow with the light from the Rogues bouncing off the mirror ball was truly the icing on the cake as far as the lighting was concerned. It created a level of excitement and festiveness in the air that really fit the holiday season.”
In addition to the Rogue Outcast 1 Hybrid, the GLX team relied on 10x Ovation E-260WW IP ellipsoidals with GR-1 IP rotators, and four STRIKE 1 fixtures from their own inventory, as well as 10 COLORado Q40 panels (part of the venue’s rig), to work their holiday magic.
Helping to set an appropriately seasonal tone for visitors as they entered biomes were six of the Ovation ellipsoidals that were position on the ground along a zigzag path leading to the structures. These units were used to decorate the area with vivid snowflake and “Merry Christmas” gobo patterns. A pair of the ellipsoidal fixtures also covered the face of the Mediterranean biome with the holiday gobos, whilst two other units, positioned on a ship near the entrance to the tropical biome, were called on to create breakup patterns and add texture to the foliage.
Adding to the celebratory ambience, the STRIKE 1 fixtures created an inviting glow over the tropical biome. Positioned on gantries, they were used to direct bright light at the transparent roof of the structure.
The COLORado Q40 Panel fixtures filled a variety of roles in the holiday design, from lighting the tropical biome roof from the gantries, to uplighting around the venue’s orchid house which is surrounded with bamboo.
“This is the second year we’ve worked on the Eden Project’s Christmas celebration,” said Glenn, who notes that the response to the lightshow has been very positive.
