Top Slovenian lighting designer Andrej Hajdinjak approached Robe's distributor MK Light Sound to assist in providing lighting for an exhibition of costumes by the country's leading costume designer Alan Hranitelj, staged at the National Museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana.
Hranitelj has been chosen to design costumes for the upcoming Cirque du Soleil show, Macao 2, scheduled to premier in 2010 preceding the grand opening of the synonymous hotel.
The exhibition featured 12 creations from Hranitelj's stunning “Autumn, Winter 2008/09” collection.
“We were delighted to be asked to be involved,” says MK Light Sound's Dean Karov, explaining that they have worked on many previous projects with Hajdinjak a leading practitioner in the world of Slovenian theatre and professional lighting design.
The exhibition was lit with a combination of carefully positioned Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs, ColorSpot 700E ATs, ColorWash 575E AT Zooms and XT Spot 575s. The requirement was to light the exhibition theatrically rather than clinically, recreating the drama and magic of stage lighting, whilst also helping illuminate the exhibits.
The big challenge was the limited installation options, as there were no flying facilities, and a ground supported structure could not be fitted into the space. Hajdinjak and the MK Light Sound team instead took full advantage of the available windows and balconies on which to rig the fixtures.
Hajdinjak was particularly keen on using Robe for its reliability – as with any installed situation, it's important that the hardware keeps running. He also wanted high output fixtures, and particularly likes the 700 Series for this attribute, plus the fact that you can use combinations of the zoom and the animation wheels to create mood and the more unusual effects that are ideal for a theatrical and stage environment.
He's used Robes on many shows and events, including extensively during the period when he was lighting director at the Cankarjev Dom Congress and Cultural Centre in Ljubljana. He thinks the brand represents excellent value for money as well as being bright, dynamic and well engineered.