Robert Juliat has, this autumn, supplied a large amount of profiles, spotlights, follow spots and dimmers to the landmark venue of the Karen Demirchyan Sport & Cultural Complex (SCC) in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan.
The Robert Juliat lighting and dimming equipment was supplied by City Trade Holding LLC and installed by Business Center Arlekino LLC, Russia, as part of a major refurbishment of this historic, iconic venue.
Built in 1983 to host various sporting, concert, social and political events, the SCC has been one of Armenia's most famous symbols since Soviet Union times. Its auspicious history has seen it play host to performers which include Michelle Legrand, Ian Gillan, Boney M, Thomas Anders and the Symphony Orchestra of La Scala theatre, amongst many others.
Unique in its design, its architectural concepts include a turning tribune seating 1200, which can rapidly connect two halls to reveal additional seating – a concept for which the architects were awarded the State USSR Award – the highest of its kind - in 1987.
A full restoration programme to update the SCC (which was even without central heating for 20 years!) was started in 2005, culminating in a grand reopening on the 31st October 2008.
The rejuvenated SCC is comprised of a 10,000-seat sports hall, an ice arena, concert, panorama and conference halls, a press center, a 1300 sqm foyer, a restaurant with a panoramic view of Yerevan plus cafeterias and other halls for sporting games, entertainment and leisure.
The Robert Juliat equipment was purchased for the sports hall - which includes the ice arena - and concert hall installations and consists of 32 x RJ 329 HPC 2.5K PCs, 20 x RJ 329HF 2.5K Fresnels, 40 x RJ 714SX2 2000/2500W 15°/40° profiles, 24 x RJ 611SX 1000W 11°/26° profiles, plus award-winning follow spots in the form of 4 Robert Juliat Cyrano 2.5K follow spots (LDI Lighting Product of the Year 1999) and 4 Robert Juliat Super Korrigan 1.2K follow spots (LDI Lighting Product of the Year 2006). Dimming is supplied by ten Robert Juliat Tivoli 24 x 16A digital dimmers.
“Robert Juliat is known to be the most desired brand for theatre, arena and concert venue lighting, and it certainly has the best follow spots in the world,” says Alexander Davydkin, owner of City Trade Holding and BC Arlekino. “All of its products are ergonomically sound and functional. No one else on the market offers this number of options and has such multi-functional fixtures. The interchangeable lamp modules, for example, are very unusual in a conventional lighting fixture.”
The ice arena in the sports hall has already hosted shows since its opening this year which include the Ilya Overbukh ice-skating show and Evgeniy Plushenko and Edvin Marton's Ice Show The Stradivari Gold Ice, with participation from Olympic and World champions like Victor Petrenko, Elena Grushina, Ruslan Goncharov, Elena Berejnaya, Suria Bonali.
The refurbishment has given the SCC a new lease of life, making it not only the largest but the best technically equipped venue in the region. The Karen Demirchyan SCC now boasts the most modern lighting, sound, safety and communication systems provided by professional equipment of highest quality. This has secured its position as the leading centre for sport, culture and expo activities in the region and opened up new opportunities for the development and popularisation of sport in Armenia.
“We use Robert Juliat equipment in many of our installations in Russia, ” continues Mr Davydkin, “including culture, sport venues, theatres, clubs. We have also introduced them to a large number of hire companies here, which has made Robert Juliat very popular in Russia as technical specialists work with these products and see the benefits for themselves. BAMO (the owner of SCC) has been our partner for a long time, so when we worked on their project, we made sure we only installed the best and most reliable equipment at their site.”
About Robert Juliat
Robert Juliat is a three-generation, independent, family-run company dedicated to stage lighting. The current chairman's grandfather was, at the end of the 19th century, one of the pioneers in creating special effects for the fledgling motion picture industry in France. Robert Juliat lights are used by customers who include the Cirque du Soleil, Celine Dion, New York's Lincoln Center, LA's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Disney World, The Royal Shakespeare Company, the Comedie Francaise, the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, football's World Cup in Japan and Germany, plus theatres, schools and public venues around the world.
R&D, production and the company headquarters are based in the village of Fresnoy-en-Thelle, 50 km north of Paris. Robert Juliat USA is located in Wallingford, Connecticut. For more information, visit www.robertjuliatamerica.com.