ares

The Tree of Hope is an eye-catching temporary icon, which brings life and color to a former grey area of Amsterdam. At a time, when normally the festival season would be in full swing it functions as a symbol of hope. Initiated and created by the unsung heroes of the Dutch festival industry.

The Tree of Hope is made up of two intertwined hands of 30 meters high. When opening up, a swarm of birds-of-paradise become visible. Each bird-of-paradise in the tree represents a different organisation or maker, flying around the festival industry. Together they represent the event industry in which the Netherlands plays Champions League on a global level.

Lighting designer Robbert-Jan Vernooij chose CLF Odin outdoor zoom fixtures to illuminate the birds-of-paradise. CLF Ares LEDwashes were included to lighten up the Tree itself. Both packed in a reliable IP65 housing, they challenge various weather conditions during the 3 months period of the project. In addition, the RGB+Lime LED engine of the CLF Odin offers a wide variety of colors which was decisive. All fixtures are supplied by Focus Amsterdam.

Credits:
Design – Dennis van Harten (Q-Dance) & Marc Adema
Spoken word – Typhoon
Soundtrack Tree of Hope – Nootweer
Graphic Identity – Machine
Technical production – Backbone
Decor production – Brok Decor
Material & shape search hands of hope – ATM
Scaffolding – Coreworks
Lighting design – Robbert-Jan Vernooij
Light & technology – Focus Amsterdam
Concept, overall project management & content – WINK
Photos: Ben Houdijk & Bart Heemskerk

Elaborating on last year’s extensive CLF setup LD Maurice Verbeek included the brand new CLF LEDbar PRO in his design.

Maurice Verbeek used the LEDbar PRO to illuminate the lower part of the stage. During previous editions conventional striplights were used for this purpose. Verbeek: ‘We didn’t have a powerful linear RGBW LED fixture who could keep up with the rest of the rig that time. Therefore I was very happy when I saw the LEDbar PRO for the first time. The output is impressive, the color mixing is beautiful and the 24° beam angle is useful.’

Verbeek continued: ‘Andre Rieu wants to create an interactive experience in which everything is illuminated.’ In order to establish a unique atmosphere, everything on the 2200sqm Vrijthof area needs to be illuminated. ‘Additionally, camera registration makes it also necessary to have everything lightened up equally, including audience and the monuments surrounding the area. By using different colors and nuances I try to create an ambience that seamlessly matches the music.’

Following last year’s concerts, all surrounding monuments were illuminated by the CLF Ares. Also, the on-stage decoration was taken care off by the powerful and narrow beams of the CLF Yara. ‘CLF fixtures are the most powerful on the market. I’m satisfied with their performance, just like the DVD registration team’, concludes Verbeek.

Maurice Verbeek has been working as LD for more than 24 years and has its own company: www.verbeeklichtontwerp.com. Since 22 years Verbeek has been working for André Rieu. The first designs were made in 1996, the year of Rieu’s breakthrough with the ‘Second Waltz’. Since then the concerts were getting bigger and the orchestra grew from 12 to 50 musicians. Verbeek evolved with this growth and got the change to keep up with the fast development of entertainment lighting.

The LEDbar PRO is a multifunctional linear RGBW LED batten. Because of the 24° beam angle it can be used as cyclorama as well as pixel controlled effect machine. 10 Big individually controllable high power RGBW LEDs deliver a rich color set and smooth HD dimming.

All fixtures were supplied by leading Dutch dry-hire company Rent-All.

Fixtures:
232 x CLF Ares
68 x CLF LEDbar PRO
56 x CLF Yara

Dutch LD Maurice Verbeek incorporated an impressive amount of CLF Ares, Ares XS and Yara in his design. A large quantity was used to lighten up the 38 national monuments which are surrounding the area of the Vrijthof, in Maastricht, Netherlands.

The design is based on creating a total experience for the audience. ‘André wants to give the audience an unforgettable evening. He wants people to laugh, enjoy and dance’, says Maurice Verbeek. ‘By not only lighting the stage, but also the audience and the scenery an interaction occurs between all attendees. Light is, just like music, a way of communicating. I try to create an atmosphere which matches the music by using colors and nuances.’

Verbeek used to design with discharge fixtures because of their white balance. At the same time these fixtures do not provide enough output when using saturated colors which was a problem for TV registrations. ‘The CLF Ares became a very good replacement because of the high output. Besides that, the 21° beam angle is very suitable for long distances. Furthermore I like the Smart Filter System, which gives me the opportunity to change lenses on site. I also use the barndoors, in order to prevent the audience being blinded.’

During the 2017 concerts all surrounding monuments were illuminated by the CLF Ares. Also, the on-stage decoration was taken care off by the powerful and narrow beams of the CLF Yara. Both fixtures were chosen after an extensive shootout by Verbeek. ‘The CLF fixtures are the most powerful on the market, but extra features like the filter system and the included barndoors were decisive.’

Maurice Verbeek has been working as LD for more than 24 years. Since 21 years Verbeek has been working for André Rieu. The first designs were made in 1996, the year of Rieu’s breakthrough with the ‘Second Waltz’. Since then the concerts were getting bigger and the orchestra grew from 12 to 50 musicians. Verbeek evolved with this growth and got the change to keep up with the fast development of entertainment lighting.

Supplier: Rent-All