Tag Archive: Dominic Yates

1. White Light Supplies Lighting Fixtures for Covent Garden Christmas Decorations

   3 December 2020 09:15 Leave a Comment

   

   As we move into December, many buildings and landmarks across the country are now being transformed as part of the festive season. One of these includes Covent Garden and, in particular, the iconic Covent Garden Christmas Tree. Having become a staple of London’s festive celebrations, the Tree has returned once again in 2020, situated in the Covent Garden Market’s Piazza. Having supplied the lights for the Tree since 2012, White Light (WL) was asked once again to supply all of the lighting fixtures, control and power distribution.

   The Covent Garden Christmas Tree is one of the most famous in the world, as well as annually being one of the most visited attractions in London. That said, this past year has been unlike any other and, following the outbreak of Covid-19, several similar festive-themed attractions were forced to cancel. WL’s Key Account Manager Dominic Yates comments: “As a company that works largely in live events and productions, we’ve learned not to take anything for granted this year! So we were absolutely delighted to hear that the Covent Garden Christmas Tree was still going ahead. As the technical supplier, we know we can deliver the project in the safest manner possible, without compromising on the visual wow factor it requires. We also know that seeing such a familiar emblem will hopefully put visitors in the festive spirit after what has been a challenging year for so many”.

   This year’s tree was a Norwegian Spruce, standing at 60ft tall and weighing two tonnes. Working closely with Sculptivate and Lighting Designer James Hamilton, WL provided the technical support to bring their vision to life. Dominic explains: “When you are working with a tree of this size, you are naturally going to need a lot of fixtures! In total, we drew on over 30,000 of them. Led by WL’s Senior Project Manager Martin Strods, we had a team of five working overnight on-site; each complying to strict health and safety guidelines and ensuring social distancing was maintained at all times. In total, the project took just over 300 hours to complete”.

   

   Alongside supplying the Tree, WL also provided lighting fixtures, control and power distribution across the Market Halls, Piazza, and Church Yard.

   The lights were switched on last month and, unlike the normal switch on which is attended by thousands, this year there was no public attendance due to the current lockdown.

   Dominic concludes: “We always knew working on this year’s Christmas Lights scheme would be different to previous ones. As a company, we were just delighted to once again play a part in bringing this now iconic festive experience to life. The Tree, along with the Market as a whole, looks incredible and I really cannot wait for visitors to come and enjoy it for themselves in December, when it is safe to do so”.
   

2. White Light is on trend again for London Fashion Week

   25 September 2019 15:33 Leave a Comment

   

   For the ninth consecutive year, White Light has worked closely with a range of agency clients to deliver the production solutions for multiple catwalk shows during September fashion week.

   The Spring/Summer 2020 collections for designers including Julien Macdonald, Simone Rocha, Preen, Roland Mouret and Zara Home were showcased across the capital, with WL providing lighting, audio and rigging support.  Venues ranging from The Mail Centre and National Centre for Circus Arts, to the Royal Academy of Arts and Southwark Cathedral were transformed for the shows.

   

   Dominic Yates, Senior Account Manager at WL, comments: “We always work on a diverse selection of events during London Fashion Week and this year was no exception. In conjunction with long-standing clients at My Beautiful City, Karla Otto, Pretty Bird and Gainsbury and Whiting, we delivered seven very different shows.”

   Kim Carbonari, Director of Event Production at Karla Otto, says: “Lighting is a crucially important element of successful catwalk shows and as we are working on behalf of internationally-acclaimed designers, this has to be executed seamlessly. We have worked with WL for many years now and always know that in their expert hands, we can achieve the perfect look to complement the designers’ creations.”

   Photos © alexei_bez and giampietrobaudo

3. The Boot Fits for White Light at adidas Powerleague Event

   17 January 2019 10:10 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light was recently called upon to provide the technical support for the latest adidas Tango League event held at the brand-new Powerleague Nine Elms site in South-West London.

   The event was produced by The Marketing Store who WL has worked with on several occasions, including the immersive adidas Retail Experience which is a finalist in the InAvation Awards. This particular event was led by WL’s Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates, who comments: “We’ve worked for both adidas and The Marketing Store numerous times already this year so are fully aware of their high expectations – especially with events such as this that are streamed to millions on social media”.

   WL’s brief on the project was to help recreate the format of a visual deck that was envisaged by the Scenic Designer. The deck would be used to promote both the Tango League as well as the new COPA boots. To achieve this, WL worked closely with The Marketing Store to suggest a specific range of equipment.

   Dominic comments: “We provided the lighting, audio, video and mains distribution so it was a complete, full service solution. Along with the Designer’s concept, we also had to take into consideration that the event was taking place outside. Thankfully, we have worked on several events similar to this, such as the adidas Red Limit Launch and adidas F2 First Never Follows so know exactly what is required”.

   WL’s team of 14 technicians spent one day on-site installing the technical set-up for what was a one-day show.

   Dominic states: “The response we received both in person and on social media for the event was fantastic and it was great working with The Marketing Store to deliver yet another high-profile event for one of the biggest sporting manufacturers in the world”.

   Chris Bennett, Business Director at The Marketing Store, comments: “Whenever we work with a client such as adidas, we need to know that the technical support we draw on is the best it can possibly be. We continue to work with WL due to their creativity, reliability and the access they have to the very latest technology”.

4. White Light Creates Party Atmosphere for Six Day London

   17 December 2018 10:26 Leave a Comment

   

   Six Day London is a cycling event like no other. Each year it welcomes some of the world’s best professional riders to take part in a variety of sprint and endurance disciplines yet does so within a party atmosphere. Six Day London 2018 took place at the Lee Valley VeloPark, East London, from 24-29^th October. Having worked on the event last year, WL was called on once again to supply the technical solutions to create an unforgettable party experience.

   For WL, the event was overseen by Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates and Senior Project Manager Martin Strods. Dominic comments: “Six Day is always a unique occasion and one which we were delighted to be asked to return to following a successful 2017. As with last year, we were tasked with supplying the lighting, rigging, audio and video support. As there is such an emphasis on creating a ‘party atmosphere’, we had to ensure all four disciplines worked in unison in order for us to provide attendees with an experience like no other”.

   

   For the lighting, WL worked closely with Lighting Designer Leo Woolcock to help bring his vision to life. The extensive lighting rig consisted of around 250 moving light fixtures which included the Martin MAC Viper Performance and Wash DXs, Clay Paky Mythos 2s, Martin MAC Aura XBs and Martin MAC 101s. The lighting control came from a pair of Grand MA 2 Lites. Due to there being no available rigging points, all the trusses had to be ground support solutions carefully integrated around the perimeter of the seating and in the main concourse areas.

   For the audio support, WL drew on the brand new d&b Y Series range which the company has recently invested in. The system was used to supplement the in-house PA system, providing even coverage across the track centre hospitality areas as well as additional coverage for the home straight side of the auditorium. The system utilised by WL consisted of d&b Y8 & Y12 line array, V Subs and Y10Ps. WL also supplied Shure ULXD radio microphones, controlled by a Yamaha CL5 console.

   

   For the video aspects, WL provided 63 x 4.8MM Gloshine video tiles that surrounded the triangular DJ booth to add to the overall party experience.

   Prior to the event, WL had two days on-site for the technical install with one day of rehearsals. Following the six live events, the company then had to de-rig everything overnight. The company deployed a team of 16 on-site technicians led by Lighting Crew Chief Daniel Large and Audio Crew Chief Harry Saxton-McCann.

   Dominic concludes: “This year’s Six Day London was bigger than ever before and it was fantastic to be asked to provide the technical solutions once again. The event drew on all of our previous experience working on similar high profile public events, along with our access to the very latest technology, and allowed us to offer the complete package and help create an unforgettable few nights”.

   Photos courtesy of Six Day London.

5. White Light Hits Right Notes for First Night of the Proms

   3 August 2018 14:41 Leave a Comment

   

   BBC’s signature First Night of the Proms recently took place at the Royal Albert Hall, opening with the world premiere of Five Telegrams by Anna Meredith and 59 Productions. This was commissioned by BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, in collaboration with the Royal Albert Hall.

   The First Night of the Proms was preceded by the Proms Free Curtain Raiser, a BBC Proms first that gave 5,000 people the opportunity to witness the Royal Albert Hall as it has never been seen before as 59 Productions’ extraordinary visuals were projected-mapped onto the external façade of the building whilst a brand new score by composer Anna Meredith was transmitted live from within the Hall. Following its previous work on similar projects, White Light was approached to the provide the production support.

   For WL, the project was overseen by Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates. Dominic comments: “We were contracted by the BBC and worked in conjunction with 59 Productions, who we have previously collaborated with on the Guggenheim 20^th Anniversary event in Bilbao along with the recent Barbican Tunnel project so have a great working relationship. During the pre-production stages, I worked closely with both 59 and the BBC in order to create something unforgettable which celebrated the opening of such an important occasion. The idea was to completely transform the exterior of the Royal Albert Hall through the use of lighting, projection and sound”.

   James Roxburgh, Production Manager at 59 Productions, comments: “Five Telegrams is an ambitious collaboration between Anna Meredith and 59 Productions, commissioned by the BBC, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18NOW. We presented it for the first time on the exterior of the Royal Albert Hall, then inside the Royal Albert Hall on two consecutive nights to open the BBC Proms 2018 season. We wanted to make sure as many different audiences got to see it as possible in person, broadcast and online. The big challenge was to load in the full site infrastructure, projector towers and video system in a single day, so I needed a trusted and experienced team to deliver the project on such an important site, in the Royal Park adjacent to the Albert Memorial. WL was my first choice as we had such productive collaborations in the past. Delivering a projection-mapping event with a live Symphony Orchestra, with only one show, is a high-risk project, so required special technical considerations throughout design and planning; something we knew WL could offer”.

   For the evening, WL supplied a range of technical services. Dominic explains: “One of our main roles was to supply the lighting, which was predominately Aqua Beams and Strobes on the Albert Hall roof. We also supplied rigging across the entire site, which included two custom designed projection and PA towers”.

   Alongside this, WL supplied site lighting across the whole site, mains distribution and generators and production site services including Portacabins, furniture, access equipment and forklifts. WL’s on-site team of 14 technicians were led by Senior Project Manager Martin Strods. The video equipment was supplied by Blue-i Theatre Technology and the audio by Delta Live.

   Dominic adds: “With an audience of 5,000 in attendance and millions watching across the globe, we knew we had to deliver something spectacular. By drawing on our previous experience, coupled with our expert teams alongside us, we were able to create an unforgettable First Night of the Proms – something we’re extremely proud of”.

   James comments: “Despite being a very time tight on site, the load in and load out were very smoothly managed. We hit every one of our critical deadlines, and the teams from BBC, Royal Parks and Westminster Council were complimentary of all of the site work completed. The event itself was the first time the Royal Albert Hall has been transformed in this way, and we were all thrilled with the result. The real pleasure for me was to be able to keep the creative team focused on making the show better, and to be able to trust the team from WL who were dealing with all of the practical production requirements on our behalf”.

   Following the First Night of the Proms, Five Telegrams will also open the Edinburgh International Festival this evening at 10:30pm in Festival Square, sponsored by Aberdeen Standard Investments.

   Five Telegrams is commissioned by BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW.

   More info: https://www.eif.co.uk/whats-on/2018/fivetelegrams

   Photography credit: 

   Five Telegrams by Anna Meredith and 59 Productions opens the BBC Proms 2018. Commissioned by BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and 14-18 NOW, in collaboration with the Royal Albert Hall. Photo by Justin Sutcliffe. 

    

6. White Light Supplies DELPOZO Catwalk Show at London Fashion Week

   19 March 2018 11:38 Comments Off on White Light Supplies DELPOZO Catwalk Show at London Fashion Week

   After five years of showing in New York, Spanish label Delpozo, known for its couture-like dresses, recently presented their latest collection at London Fashion Week. The move was aimed at activating the brand’s London boutique which opened last June on Sloane Street. Much of the collection was inspired by water lilies and lotus flowers found in an unpublished edition of National Geographic from the 1930s. The show took place at The Royal Institute of British Architects, a reflection of Creative Director Josep Font’s architectural background and the influence this has on the clothing he displays on the catwalk. White Light was asked by Producers OBO London to team up with lighting designer Alexandre Lebrun from LightLab to create an unforgettable event.

   Based in London and Paris, LightLab regularly works with OBO during the London and Paris Fashion weeks. Aurélie Nedjar, Studio LightLab’s Producer, comments: “We are always happy to work with WL and have done so on several occasions now. It’s a pleasure to deal with the same committed team through different events and shows. They know how we work and have always been available, reactive and accommodating”. With over 20 years’ experience within the live event industry, LightLab pushed the boundaries of creativity and imagination in order to create a fully immersive experience on this event.

   Aurélie explains: “I worked closely with Alexandre to establish his lighting concepts through lighting plots, 3D visualisation and equipment lists. I was responsible for following up OBO’s creative proposals and any updates from the first site visit to the final stage. Alexandre drove the focus and programming on site, making sure the brief was respected but also bringing his own ‘touch’ and look. One main concern for Alexandre was to achieve homogeneous lighting, removing the risk of any gaps in its intensity and providing the photographers and video teams with the lighting they required.”

   The client wanted a daylight wash and discreet rigging to highlight the beauty of the space and avoid any reflections of scaffolding in a mirrored box which was placed in the centre of the space. A team of nine was headed-up by WL’s Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates and Senior Project Manager Martin Strods who turned the design concept into reality. This included bringing in a range of rigged lighting; anticipating any footprint, weight or rigging point problems within the space. Working in collaboration with Studio LightLab’s team, they successfully overcame any venue technical constraints whilst, at the same time, delivering the event on time and on budget. They also provided a state-of-the-art sound system to support the show.

   Aurélie comments: “Our excellent relationship with WL always allows us to make even the trickiest lighting concepts possible”.

   Photos courtesy of Ben Broomfield.

    

7. White Light Delivers Fashion Hong Kong Show at Somerset House

   6 March 2018 15:20 Comments Off on White Light Delivers Fashion Hong Kong Show at Somerset House

   

   On the evening of 16^th February, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council organised the Fashion Hong Kong Show and Cocktail Reception at London’s Somerset House. With more than 600 people in attendance, this included several celebrities such as Mathew Anderson, CEO of British designer label Jenny Packham. Being an approved supplier at Somerset House, along with working on several shows across London Fashion Week, White Light was called upon to provide the technical solutions.

   The event was produced by My Beautiful City – a full service creative agency that offers end-to-end support across art direction, concept creation and event production. For over ten years, they have worked with some of the world’s most talented designers to bring their collections to life at numerous exhibitions. They have also worked closely with WL across several London Fashion Weeks.

   WL’s Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates comments: “We have a strong working relationship with My Beautiful City, which goes back many years, and they called upon us once again for this high-profile event”.

   The leading brands Heaven Please+, House of V, Methodology and Maison Vermillion were selected by the British Fashion Council to participate in the event, part of an ongoing initiative by the HKTDC to give international exposure to Hong Kong-based designers and brands. This was the first time the showcase took place in London, having previously travelled to New York, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore.

   Dominic explains: “As part of the technical support, we supplied uplighters, a sound system, bespoke lighting, along with mains distribution. We also had a crew of four technicians on site to ensure that the entire event ran smoothly”.

   Alongside its strong working relationship with My Beautiful City, another reason as to why WL was approached to work on the show was due to the company’s extensive knowledge and experience of working in Somerset House.

   Dominic comments: “As an approved supplier to the Unique Venues of London, we frequently work in Somerset House. Over the past year alone, we’ve worked on a variety of events there including the Matalan SS17 Launch, the Now Play Interactive Exhibition along with the Alison Brooks Architects 21^st birthday. Each one had its own unique brief, similar to the Fashion Hong Kong Show”.

   The Fashion Hong Kong Show took place in the River Rooms at Somerset House which are a versatile suite of rooms situated in the New Wing, with a creative and raw aesthetic. This open plan space retains some original features including dramatic original fireplaces and exposed brick archways, making the rooms perfectly suited for fashion events.

   Dominic concludes: “When you have such an intimate knowledge of the venue as we do, you are able to bring this experience to the client and ensure that each space is used as creatively as possible; allowing each event to achieve its potential”.

   Photos courtesy of Neil Mason Photography.

    

8. White Light Illuminates the Capital for London Lumiere Festival 2018

   5 February 2018 14:36 Comments Off on White Light Illuminates the Capital for London Lumiere Festival 2018

   The Lumiere Festival sees famous landmarks across London brought to life with innovative lighting displays. It recently returned to London for the second time following the success of the first edition in January 2016. Following its work on the previous Festival, White Light was called upon to provide its services once again for the free outdoor light festival in 2018.

   The London Lumiere Festival showcases the capital’s spectacular and iconic architecture and streets, through the vision and work of UK and international artists. In 2016, it attracted an estimated 1.3 million visits over four nights. The year’s edition had an expanded footprint extending north to south, from Kings Cross, through Fitzrovia, Mayfair, and London’s West End, to Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Victoria, South Bank and Waterloo.

   Following the success of 2016’s Festival, along with WL’s extensive experience in lighting some of London’s most iconic buildings, the company was once again called upon by Unusual Services on behalf of Artichoke (arts charity and the UK’s leading producer of art in the public realm) to support this world-class festival.

   WL provided lighting equipment and technical support to 11 projects across London.  The 11 individual installations were overseen by WL’s Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates and WL’s Senior Project Manager Martin Strods.

   Dominic comments: “We worked on the previous Lumiere Festival and were called upon to do so once again this year. This is largely due to our experience of working in a number of the iconic London venues where the Festival took place, along with our strong working relationship with the client and other suppliers involved”.

   The WL team spent two weeks at the company’s extensive pre-rig space in Wimbledon in order to prepare the equipment. Following this, the team moved into Central London where the on-site installation took six days.

   The installations that WL worked on included ‘Waterlicht’ at Kings Cross, by Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde.  ‘Waterlicht’ was inspired by people’s changing relationship to water and the risk faced if action is not taken to tackle global warming and rising sea levels. In Grosvenor Square. the public enjoyed interacting with ‘Northern Lights’ by Swedish Artist Aleksandra Stratimirovic. This was a dynamic light-art piece inspired by the enthralling experience of the Aurora Borealis.

   To bring each project to life, WL drew on a range of equipment including SGM P5 LED Floods, Elation Six Par 200s, ETC Source Fours, cabling and mains distribution infrastructure.

   Dominic concludes: “This year’s Lumiere Festival was the most ambitious yet and it was fantastic to play a role in bringing some of London’s most recognisable landmarks to life using the very latest lighting technology”.

   Photos courtesy of Caroline Banks, Matthew Andrews and Mishmash Media. 

9. White Light Reflects on Guggenheim Bilbao 20th Anniversary

   24 October 2017 09:43 Comments Off on White Light Reflects on Guggenheim Bilbao 20th Anniversary

   Last week, the iconic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was transformed into an impressive public artistic intervention. Created by Tony Award-winning artists 59 Productions, the Museum saw its distinctive titanium curves and soaring glass atrium used as a vast canvas which was project-mapped for an audience of more than 300,000 spectators over four nights. With a reputation for providing bespoke technical solutions within unique locations, White Light was called upon to supply the lighting, rigging and power distribution, along with the project management and crew.

   The lighting designer for the project was Benjamin Pearcy and his design, in-hand with director, Leo Warner, was inspired by the Museum’s rich history alongside Frank Gehry’s visionary design. The projections transformed his architectural masterwork by bringing it to life in an unmissable iridescent celebration of the people and city of Bilbao. The 20-minute animated artwork set to an original score by Nick Powell traced two decades of history and creativity in Bilbao.

   The project was overseen by WL for Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates, whereas the on-site team was led by WL’s Senior Project Manager Martin Strods who had a team of six supporting him. The WL team flew out to Spain where they spent five days building the technical set up.

   As part of their technical support, WL supplied 3 x custom-designed Prolyte H30V Truss Towers which housed the projectors on the opposite side of the river; all of which were then projected directly onto the Museum. Dominic adds: “With a project like this, it required a lot of intricate planning. We had to ensure that the projectors were in precise positions in order to encapsulate the shape of the building and ensure that the projection design was fully brought to life”.

   Alongside this, WL also supplied 30 x Clay Paky Sharpy Spots with outdoor domes, 14 x Philips VarLite 3500 Washes, 9 x SGM G-Spots, 7 x Clay Paky Mythos, 80 x Elation SixPars along with 12 x SGM P5 Floods. All of this was controlled via a Grand MA2 Fullsize and Lite Control System.

   James Roxburgh, Production Manager at 59 Productions, comments: “We are extremely proud to have conceived and delivered a project as ambitious as Reflections. We were able to transform the iconic Guggenheim Museum and share this moment of celebration with huge audiences in Bilbao as well as across the world. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without WL and really appreciate their brilliant efforts throughout the build right through to final delivery”.

   Dominic comments: “This was a hugely ambitious project that saw us working with an iconic venue. Collaborating closely with 59 Productions, we were able to create something that looked stunning and received global recognition”.

   Photos by Justin Sutcliffe.

10. White Light Returns to London Fashion Week 2017

    5 October 2017 13:26 Comments Off on White Light Returns to London Fashion Week 2017

    London Fashion Week made a triumphant return to the capital last month. Taking place between 15 – 19^th September, London Fashion Week showcases the very best in British design with catwalk shows, presentations, designer showrooms and a range of bespoke events. The Week was held in prestigious venues all across London and WL was called upon once again to provide the technical support on a range of events.

    WL has worked on London Fashion Week for more than ten years now. This year was one of the busiest yet, featuring more than 100 designers including Giorgio Armani, who was holding a catwalk event for the first time in London for more than ten years.

    WL worked on a variety of events across the week; all of which were overseen by Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates. He comments: “London Fashion Week is always a fantastic event to work on, due to the fact that it is so high-profile and the entire fashion world is watching. Working closely with WL’s Head of Production Stuart Crane and Senior Project Manager Martin Strods, we wanted to ensure that we provided the very best support possible and that each showcase achieved its potential.

    Dominic adds: “We worked with a range of lighting designers on a variety of shows; each of whom had a very particular feel that they were trying to achieve. Our role was to offer the equipment and technical advice both in the pre-rig stages and during the show’s themselves”.

    Some of the events that WL worked on included Joseph at Bloomsbury B1. The show was produced by OBO with a lighting design by Alexandre Lebrun. Alexandre drew on a large range of generic fixtures to achieve his design, including Selecon Fresnels and ETC Source 4 Profiles and Pars.

    Another includes the Simone Rocha showcase which took place at the historic Middle Temple Hall, where WL is an approved technical supplier. The iconic fashion label presented its new collection in a showcase produced by Karlo Otto and featuring a lighting design by Tupac Matir. Dominic adds: “With the Simone Rocha showcase, we supplied a combination of GLP Impression X4 RGBW LED, GLP Impression X4 Bar 20s and ETC Source Fours. We also supplied the audio for this show drawing on our range of EM Acoustics loud speakers, and a Yamaha QL1 for control.”

    Other events that WL worked on throughout London Fashion Week include Natasha Zinko at Somerset House, Alistair James at Fitzrovia Chapel, Gucci at 180 The Strand, DAKS at The Langham and the COS Party at the National Gallery.

    Dominic adds: “This year’s London Fashion Week was extremely busy and saw us working in multiple venues across the capital; a lot of the time simultaneously. That said, our extensive equipment inventory and technical staff ensured that every event we worked on ran extremely smooth and we look forward to returning once again next year”.

    It’s been an exciting few months for WL’s Production team, with the appointment of Caz Caddick as Crew Co-ordinator, Martin Strods as Senior Project Manager and Harry Greenfield and Steve Burnham as Account Managers. The team has also appointed Rachel Condon as a dedicated Account Handler to manage the department’s internal kit logistics. WL’s Head of Production Stuart Crane comments: “We’ve added five highly-skilled and passionate individuals to our already established team. We want to ensure our clients continue to receive the very best service possible and the growth of our Production team will ensure that this happens on every single project”.

    Photos courtesy of Martin Strods.