Panamarenko is the single name of an artist who has been exhibited widely in the US, Europe, and Japan; calling himself an artist-technologist, he creates works that contain real working motors and mechanical parts. His work was recently seen in a three-month retrospective exhibition at Belguim's Museum of Contemporary Art (located in Ghent); the event kicked off with a one-night-only event titled Panamarenko by Night.
In this event, architectural lighting specialist Duncan Verstraeten, of the local lighting distributor EVDV, incorporated Martin Professional effects lighting units into the exhibit, working with lighting specialist Lode van Pee of the firm City-Lights, who worked out a complete light scenario to guide visitors through each piece of art.
Twenty Atomic 300 strobes, from Martin, were used in the show, along with nine Exterior 600s, two MAC 300s, and 13 CX-4 color changers, some of which had custom-made lenses, and a MAC 2000 profile spot. The light show was programmed on a Martin LightJockey and replayed on a DMX recorder. A Jem 6500 Heavy Fog machine was employed to heighten the atmosphere. The rigging was also supplied by City-Lights.
Guests attending the event walked over a specially constructed 130m-long by 5m-high (430'×16.5') walkway, from which they viewed the illuminated works of art. (Three pieces were installed in an adjacent hall because of their great size.) A 17-minute light show used all kinds of effects, giving the artworks a highly dramatic presentation. Lights were installed in certain pieces of art to add to the theatricality.
Under Verstraeten's design, the artist's objects, many of which look like UFOs of the sort of you might find in the last reel of the new film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, took on an eerie life of their own. The Panamarenko exhibit ran in Ghent through the end of June.