A contemporary arts centre in Bristol has become the first venue in Europe to install the new ETC ColorSource ThruPower system, which launched at the beginning of the year.

The Arnolfini, which is located in a former tea warehouse dating from the 1830s, hosts regular live theatre events, as well as film, dance and university shows, and is also used by drama students at the University of the West of England. So it was important to future-proof the venue when their previous dimmers came to the end of their life.

Nick Ewins, managing director at ETC dealer Push the Button, explains: “We had been working with ETC’s Graham Parker and Jeremy Roberts to install a beta test site for ColorSource ThruPower, so we knew it would soon be available for the Arnolfini.”

During a three week shutdown at the end of last year, Push the Button installed six 24-channel power control racks, giving them, as Nick points out, functionalities that they never thought they’d be able to afford. Every channel of ColorSource ThruPower is able to operate in either switched or dim mode, perfect for a rig which at the moment is entirely tungsten, but which is likely soon to be upgraded to include intelligent and LED fixtures.

The product family was developed for tight budgets, and also includes the ColorSource consoles, ColorSource® PAR and Spot luminaires, as well as the ColorSource Relay products, which enable power control for hard to reach fixtures.

Buildings & Facilities Manager Nick Dixon says: “We realise we’re a small customer with our 210 seat auditorium, so were pleased that ETC could achieve the right match of product to the right end user: future-proofing is the right way to go, giving us increased flexibility for the months and years to come.

“The whole system looks fantastic, and all the products arrived on time, fitted easily and look smart. The new power system takes much less physical space than before, and even the new ETC Element control desk takes up less room than we used to need.”

ETC ColorSource ThruPower circuits are able to instantly switch between relay and dimming either by using the front button panel, or using Remote Device Management (RDM) on the control desk. Extra functionality can be achieved by connecting the ColorSource ThruPower rack to other control devices, such as ETC Unison Mosaic® or Unison Echo® control.

Dixon concludes: “Our technician took to using the new kit so quickly that we didn’t need any down time in the schedule at all – events, conferences, lectures and drama performances have all gone without a hitch.”

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