Poland – Lighting designer Michal Dobek has created a mind-bending light show featuring over a hundred Clay Paky fixtures on the 16th edition of one of Poland’s biggest techno music events Mayday festival.
Taking place across the three levels of Katowice’s Spodek Arena, Dobek employed 72 Clay Paky Sharpys and 32 Alpha Spot QWO 800 to shoot intense aerial effects over the audience at the event’s main stage. The festival lighting system was supplied by TSE, with the main stage operated by Michael Dobek and Marcin Kalużynski.
“The Sharpy is the ideal fixture for electronic dance music festivals, especially at this venue,” says Dobek. “It is incredibly fast with a precise and reliable beam and is very lightweight.”
Weighing just 19kg, the Sharpy produces a perfectly parallel, laser-like beam. The fixtures were spread across several automated truss structures. The construction of the Spodek arena means lighting and media equipment cannot be hung directly under the ceiling but instead must be pre-rigged.
The Alpha Spot QWO 800s were positioned between the set-up’s numerous LED screens, where Dobek employed their intense brightness and advanced optical system to complement the vibrant visuals.
“The Alpha Spot QWO 800 offers a range of great effects,” says Dobek. “The fixture has a fantastic selection of gobos and a very pure, sharp beam.”
Dobev specified 46 multi-functional Mythos fixtures for the festival’s second stage, operated by Piotr Lipińki and Alicja Reszpondek. Rigged on semi-circle structures, the Mythos performed as the workhorses of the light show delivering intense brightness and speed.
“We chose the Mythos as the main lighting because, like the Sharpy, they are the perfect compromise between weight, speed and power whilst also being rich in effects. It’s a highly versatile light,” says Dobek.
Mayday festival took place in early November and saw a line up of international DJs including chart-topping Robin Schulz and Richard Durand play to 10,000 revellers.