Lyon, France – Lyon’s municipal council chose to set the opening of the magnificent Schuman bridge on the river Saône to music and lights, and asked the event agency Tetro to deal with the artistic direction.
The lighting designer Yves Caizergues and musician Christophe Goutes produced an astounding show with a lighting system consisting of 30 Clay Paky Supersharpys provided by Magnum and expertly managed by the lighting designer himself.
The aim was to let all the citizens of Lyon know in no uncertain terms that there was a new bridge and strongly enhance the construction’s image.
Yves Caizergues and his Supersharpys were therefore there to “glorify the bridge by enhancing its architectural qualities and make sure the event was seen by the entire city.” He worked together with sound manager Christophe Goutes to make the most of the lights. Caizergues integrated the surrounding environment, the water and the sky into his design to give them a new dimension thanks to the light from the Supersharpys installed directly on the ground.
The lighting designer chose these powerful lights without hesitation, since they met his needs: he was looking for “light beams that could be clearly seen in the environment with extremely rapid movements.” Yves Caizergues emphasized their strengths: a remarkably intense beam with ultra-fast movements, and RGB mixing that “allows gradations between colours.“
All these qualities allowed the designer to make the mid-air illumination stand out, thanks to the Supersharpy’s ultra-powerful light beams aimed at the water in the river and into the sky. They formed waves and graphic images according to the beat of the music. The dynamism the choice of lights gave this new bridge to symbolize its impact beyond the Lyon urban area proved to be a success.