Premiere: Lux Partum controlled interactively via the internet with the help of MA Lighting

When Chris Moylan created Lux Partum, it was his intention to create something special to be enjoyed by everyone affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The idea behind the project was to realize an interactive light installation in the Motorwerk Berlin that, for the period of ten days, could be controlled by visitors to the website lighting.stream. The local control was done by a grandMA2. Paul van Dyk delivered the soundtrack for the installation and also performed a live session on Sunday evening at the Motorwerk. The video of the event can be found here.

Visitors to the lighting.stream website could select the beam positions as well as various video animations starting at specific musical event points and thus created patterns to the music of Paul von Dyk. Furthermore, different colour combinations could be created to tint the Motorwerk in different moods.

Lighting designer Chris Moylan worked together with friends, colleagues and partnering technology companies to bring this project to life. Matthias Schöffmann (Depot-Zwei) took over programming all the “Web-Magic” and backend technology necessary to make the installation controllable for every user via browser. Andreas Schindler (Grosses Tennis) focused on the development of the generative visual content, while Lars Murasch (Murasch And Sons) supported the team with equipment and took care of the technical implementation.

“Thanks to the open nature of the grandMA2 infrastructure, we were able to develop a modular and dynamic system where the users can bring their imagination to life. Anyone can choose their favourite colour and pattern combinations and see them performed live in the installation. This was done by a combination of timeline, lots of macros, and some clever preset manipulation. It’s this open programming philosophy which makes the grandMA2 such an important creative tool for so many lighting designers around the world”, says Chris Moylan.

The crew developed an interactive show sequence, which is constantly reinvented by the parameters set by the users. For the geometric patterns and structures of Lux Partum, the Motorwerk Berlin was the perfect location. The installation was realized by technical service provider TLT EVENT, who with Robe sponsored some of the equipment.