has supplied installers Chris Gunton Associates (CGA) with LDR Suono profile theatrical lighting fixtures and LightProcessor dimmers and control to realize an interesting projection concept in the Cavendish Arcade, the main shopping center in the historic spa town of Buxton, England. This permanent installation is one element of a campaign to boost the evening shopping trade.
The supply and demo was managed for Lightfactor by Peter Coles, who was approached by CGA in his search for an inventive solution to project images up a blank wall in the shopping center on which they could not mount anything, as the building is landmarked.
The Arcade building contains Buxton’s famous spring, and originally served as the old bathing house buildings, so they are architecturally spectacular listed landmarks. In the mid 1980s, a large arched stained glass roof was added along one section of the arcade. At the time, it was the largest continuous stretch of stained glass in Europe. Below and at one end of this barrel-vaulted stained glass section, is a flat and dull expanse of stone wall.
Following extensive discussions with English Heritage, the arcade’s owner, Willowlake Properties, was allowed to install a white PVC banner in front of the wall. They then decided that they wanted something more and approached various companies inviting suggestions about livening up the surface. CGA was selected for the project, as they came up with a cost-effective solution and could deliver what the customer required.
Gunton's solution was projection. He discussed the project with Peter Coles, who arranged an on-site demo to find the most suitable fixtures for the job. The arcade needed something small, powerful, and good-looking that could be installed with minimum impact on the building. The discharge version of the LDR Suono profile fixture proved ideal for the main projection--a colored glass gobo of the Cavendish Arcade logo. This is permanently beamed across one half of the 14x7m arch.
The images projected across the other half of the arch change throughout the day, using four more LDR Suono profiles rigged to a small gutter along the wall edge. These units contain halogen light sources and are finished in white to blend in with the architecture. They project four different slides depicting scenes from the history of the building.
All the gobos were commissioned by Lightfactor and CGA for the client. CGA also used the new LightProcessor Dimension 610 dimmers on the project, chosen for their tough build quality, cost-effective price, and pre-heat facility, which helps reduce damage and enhances the longevity of the lamp. The show is run by a LightProcessor QReplica replay unit. The four left-hand images crossfade between each other, and the system is activated by a time clock and light sensor system.