Photo credit: Sean Smyth

Ireland- Irish lighting designer Conor Biddle, known for lighting some of the largest acts in dance and electronica, selected an array of Claypaky moving heads to illuminate the return of Ireland’s mega-rave, the Winterparty, at Dublin’s 14,500-capacity venue 3Arena.

Biddle employed 12 x Mythos, 12 x A.leda K20, 16 x A.leda K10 and 19 x Sharpy which were provided by Dublin-based sound and light specialist Session Hire.

“The key with Winterparty was to create a signature look that would photograph well and go towards building a strong visual brand on social media,” explains Biddle.

“I wanted to create an immersive show that detracted from the cavernous feel of the 3Arena by bringing the lighting right to the audience.”

One of the fixtures the designer most relied on to lead his effects was the Claypaky Mythos.

“Using Mythos I could create many different looks – from super wide, break-up scans to tight, frenetic beam chases,” says Biddle.

“The feature I find most impressive is Mythos’ ability to go from beam to spot so smoothly. It really is like having two separate fixtures – giving me so many tools to create a varied and evolving show. I will be putting Mythos fixtures into as many upcoming designs as possible.”

Mythos is one of the leading professional hybrid entertainment luminaires. It is an excellent 470 watt-lamp spotlight, producing an outstanding large light beam and featuring a zoom that ranges from 4° to 50° (1:12 ratio). It is also an extraordinary beam light, allowing lighting designers to switch to a minimum fixed-beam angle of just 2.5°. A large, very dense, 160 millimetre-diameter light beam leaves the Mythos’s front lens and remains parallel for its entire length, even at great distances.

Winterparty’s lighting rig also featured three ten-foot wide X-shaped trusses rigged with the Claypaky Sharpys and A.leda K10 and K20 washes. By using the three fixtures, Biddle created a web of diverse beam sizes and colours that captured the crowds.

The Sharpys’ super-fast laser-like beam cut into audiences and burst into prism effects using the fixtures 8-facet rotating prism and interchangeable gobo wheel. Whilst the A.leda K10’s and 20’s simultaneously weaved wider and perfectly parallel tubes of light. The fixtures drew on endless colour variations that were enabled by the light’s intelligent ‘pixelated’ front lens. The lens allows for a multitude of ‘mini beams’; each beam can act as an individual pixel for rippling eye-candy effects or join together to power stunning washes.

“I am always impressed with the fixtures designed and produced by Claypaky,” says Biddle. “The standard of the Sharpy, A.leda K10 and K20 and the new Mythos is fantastic.”

The high-output moving heads also ensured that Biddle’s design could hold its own the event’s video elements which were designed by Kev Freeney from digital video specialists, Algorithm.

“Kev and I work a lot together,” says Biddle. “We are used to creating cohesive designs in which lighting and visuals complement each other. I was really happy with the outcome of Winterparty – we created some great distinct looks and got some fantastic feedback from the client, artists and punters.”

Winterparty, which returned to the Irish club scene after a 12-year hiatus on Sunday 30^th October 2016, was organised by club promoter POD Presents.

Welcoming the event back in style was headliner Sven Väth, the godfather of techno and boss of Cocoon Records. The line-up also starred UK house producer Daley Padley – aka Hot Since 82 – the man behind the legendary Knee Deep label and parties and a rare DJ set from Ivor-Novello-nominated film score composer Jon Hopkins.