Over 100 axes of Kinesys automation were used to move a host of spectacular scenic and visual elements for Dutch megastar Marco Borsato’s recent all-action 3Dimensies (3Dimensions) shows. He played to over 210,000 people during a 2 week period across multiple nights at the Gelredome stadium in Arnhem, The Netherlands, and the Sportpalais in Antwerp, Belgium. Apparently, the total count of 107 Kinesys motion controlled elements on this production beats the previously held record of 80 by the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest final in Oslo.
WImotion – part of the Belgium based WIcreations Group – were asked to co-ordinate and engineer all the automation design and specify the system. They used two Kinesys top-of-the-range K2 control systems for the show, one positioned at front-of-house controlling elements above the audience, and one at side stage, dealing with all the over-stage elements including moving video pods and tracking screens.
A major show ‘gag’ was an 18 x 10 metre box truss with an LED video wall rigged on its front side, which tilted backwards, turned, moved up and down and at some stages formed a ceiling above the forestage area. This weighed 8 tonnes and was moved by four 5 tonne Liftket motors all running Kinesys Elevation 1+ vari speed controllers.
Three active tracking dollies with 3Kw WI-Drives were used to move parts of a massive video wall behind the lifting screen, and a WI-Nch 100-40 with a 7.5Kw WI-drive was used for the Bulb effect. A 2Kw lighting bulb came down out of the ceiling to start the show and to light up Marco at his start.
A further eight half tonne Liftkets with Kinesys Elevation 1+s were used to move a series of lighting pods around the stage while four CM JJ half tonne high speed Lodestar hoists lifted the onstage follow spot trusses – which were also rigged with additional lighting – into different positions throughout the performance.
The vast majority of the Kinesys hoists – 72 in total – were used to fly and move three massive jointed horizontal scenic structures – dubbed “flying carpets” – above the audience.
These covered an area of 80 by 60 metres in Arnhem, and 44 x 26 metres in Antwerp, and were clad with LED tubes. Using the fast and seamless simultaneous control offered by K2 over the 72 individual hoists, these were moved ‘organically’ in a series of elaborate eye-catching effects, including rippling in time to the music, which delighted the crowd, drawing them into the performance.
Another 3 Kinesys fixed speed hoists running on a Kinesys Elevation Smart 8 controller were used to fly a truss rigged with 3 video projectors in and out into the roof when the projection section was finished.
Another six fixed speed hoists on a separate Elevation Smart 8 controller were used to fly the FOH follow spot bridge above the auditorium.
