Award winning event production company Maestra Dubai has invested in 100 square metres of new 3.9 mm flex:led LED screen, a product specially developed for them in conjunction with an Asian manufacturer for indoor use.
As the ‘flex’ part of the name implies, the high resolution surface can be used curved up to 10 degrees - either concaved, convexed or twisted - so it is truly multifunctional and ideal for more creative and interesting shapes and scenic applications as well as standard IMAG displays and backdrops.
Maestra Dubai’s Tom Clements commented, "We had been looking for a premium quality LED screen product for some time to offer continuity and cost-effectivity to all our clients. After a lot of research ... we concluded that the best option was to develop our own, working directly with a manufacturing partner!”
Maestra already owns other products made by the same manufacturer, and knew first-hand the excellent quality of the components and service, so they collaborated closely to build exactly the right screen, giving 65,536 high quality pixels per square metre of surface
The flex:led has black faced LEDS for the best image quality and contrast. It can display HD and ultra HD content with very dense black levels, and the 3.9 pitch offers impressive clarity, even when in really close proximity to an audience
Each LED panel weighs just 7.5Kg and has a quick-lock mechanism for fast assembly and rigging, which also allows panels to easily be replaced as required. Panels can be flown or ground stacked for convenience.
Increasing the stock of flex:led in both the UK and Middle East enables Maestra to offer inventive, cost-effective options and realise a diversity of designs and creative demands.
For Maestra, this represents phase one of a substantial investment and expansion of its video departments planned for this year in both Dubai and London bases. Both operations will shortly be purchasing eight 14K Christie projectors, several additional Dataton Watchout 6 servers and an Analog Way Ascender 32 switcher.
Maestra’s additional video services include the production of content in-house, and the provision of camera / PPU packages, media servers / control and projection systems
The debut show for the new flex:led was during Art Dubai 2017 - one of the most global international arts fairs with work from 94 galleries representing 43 countries - for which Maestra was the primary AV supplier. flex:led was used in two locations in Madinat Jumeirah.
The first was a 4m by 2.5m screen that showcased a time-lapse video of ‘Coloured Glass Panels’, the 2017 Abraaj Group Art Prize winning commission created by Bangladeshi-British artist Rana Begum, an installation inspired by the interplay between light and colour. The screen was built into custom set panels and secured using its ground-stacking system.
The second flex:led screen was used as a stage backdrop for the 11th Global Art Forum, a major conference staged in a custom built tent structure on Fort Island, featuring talks, presentations, discussions and videos. A diverse line-up of over 30 speakers included some leading minds from the fields of art, history, economics, philosophy, urbanism and more, this year focusing on exploring the trade of goods and ideas that can potentially shape and re-shape the world.
flex:led provided the perfect screen display solution in both environments. It offered a large, crisp, clear viewing area for the intricate works and presentations to be seen in detail by the audiences … and was compact enough to fit within the exhibition spaces.
flex:led is already booked for several large conferences in the UAE over the coming months as well as high-profile events in Europe during the summer.
Photo courtesy of Maestra Dubai