A large complement of Claypaky Sharpy and Tambora Batten Square fixtures illuminated the final qualifying event for Finland’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.
The finale of UMK (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu), or New Music Competition, was held at the Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland on February 8 when broadcaster Yle treated viewers to six performances to determine who would represent Finland at Eurovision in Basel, Switzerland in May.
Lighting Designer Pekka Martti and Ari Levelä, Creative Director/Founder of MOBB Helsinki Oy, designed the stage for UMK 2025. Martti chose 68 Sharpys and 46 Tambora Batten squares to light the two-hour show.
“Sharpys were used as audience ‘extras,’ for songs with 360º shots and when performers went out on the catwalk,” explains Martti. “Sharpys still give punch for those big aerial flyout effects and reverse shots.”
He chose the Tambora Battens largely for one performance featuring semi-transparent drapes. “We used them to project dancers’ shadows and some fast-running chases for that song,” he says. “Tambora Battens with the square lens create really sharp and punchy shadows, even with one pixel.”
The Tambora Battens also played major parts in other songs. “We had them on the upstage floor acting as light bars under [the] screen,” Martti reports. “We used them in every song, sometimes [acting as a] sharp light bar with chases, sometimes acting as a strobe. Tambora Battens have really nice colors, and the light output is super good compared to another brand of bars we previously used.”
Claypaky’s distributor for Finland is Msonic Oy. The rental company was Creative Technology Finland.