Visitors to the Palais de la Bourse can’t help but admire the white marble statue, near the stairs leading up to this Renaissance Revival structure. Graceful and flowing, the sculpture represents the Rivers Saône and Rhône, their arms joining together as they point confidently towards the future. It is the perfect allegory for a building that, since it opened on August 25, 1860, has brought together the forces of commerce, industry, education and art for the betterment of its community.
This heritage made the Palais de la Bourse the ideal setting for a recent event hosted by VINCI, SA, a company that has also pulled together diverse and vibrant influence to become a world leader in energy production, concessions and construction.
Lighting designer Romain Plantier, working with lighting technician Loïc Pollet, drew on the stunning architectural features of the building to endow the VINCI dinner gala with added elegance and style, while still conveying a welcoming sense of warmth and intimacy. Helping them accomplish this was a collection of CHAUVET Professional Maverick, Ovation and WELL Fit fixtures supplied by L&Db.
“The organizers of the dinner gala wanted to dazzle guests by bringing out the beauty of the building’s architecture,” said Romain Plantier. “We did this through light, immersing guests in a broad range of luminous decors with different atmospheres.”
From the Romanesque arches in its main dining area, to the elegant reception area with its vaulted domed ceiling, marble floor and Corinthian columns, the designers artfully wove every aesthetic element of the beautiful venue into an immersive visual panorama with light.
Drawing on the color rendering prowess of the Maverick MK2 Wash, they colorized the dining area with warm and vivid hues, primarily reds and blues. The richness and fullness of the colors warmed up the impressive 845 square meter space, which is topped by an imposing glass ceiling. Through their use of color washes, Romain Plantier and Loïc Pollet created a cozy environment for dining while still accentuating the grandeur of the surroundings.
Over the course of the gala the designers changed the overall look inside the room through subtle shifts in color. They also added captivating visual interest to the space by using their Maverick MK1 Spot fixtures to project gobo patterns on to the arches and balcony rails. Gobo patterns from the 350-watt LED spot fixture worked to compliment the decorative flourishes chiseled long ago onto the arches.
In addition to projecting patterns from its one static and one rotating gobo wheel, the Maverick MK1 Spot worked with the MK2 Wash fixtures to deepen the level of color in the dining area. It also was used to spot light the stage, where presentations, awards and speeches took place.
Providing front lighting on the stage were the rig’s Ovation E-260WW ellipsoidals. Their smooth, even field of light create a good viewing experience for those in the audience, as well as a camera-friendly setting “This fixture is ideal for downstage lighting thanks to its high output and well-designed shutter frames,” Romain Plantier said of the 230-watt LED unit.
In the reception lobby, WELL Fit fixtures enhanced the elegant atmosphere by uplighting columns and sections of the wall in reds and ambers. The throw distance of these battery powered units enabled them to cast their colorful light on the vaulted domed ceiling, giving it an even more dramatic touch.
Entering this reception area, surround by lavish colors, guests could feel that a glamorous evening awaited them. Stepping inside to the main hall, they were not disappointed.
