Vancouver, British Columba, July 21, 2017 — INTEGRAL and KASIAN with support from CDm2 LIGHTWORKS, LUMENPULSE and WESTERN PACIFIC ENTERPRISES have teamed up to produce a nightly music and light show “Light at Play – Pow Wow Carnival” at The Drum is Calling Festival. This nine-day festival is a celebration of Indigenous and diverse arts and culture as part of the year-long Canada 150+ cultural showcase by the City of Vancouver. The festival runs from July 22 to 30, 2017.
Light at Play – Pow Wow Carnival uses the façade of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre as a canvas. An important touchstone in Vancouver’s Cultural District, it is well positioned as a centerpiece of the celebration. A multicolour array of lights shines from and onto the building, highlighting the architectural elements of the theatre. It is a dynamic installation. Each of the 100 lights are responsive and choreographed to sync with the original composition “Pow Wow Carnival ft. Little Creek Singers” by DJ Shub. The fly tower and roof lighting responds to the voices calling while the columns respond to the bass, evoking the urban environment of Vancouver. The colours are drawn from the four elements: air, earth, water and fire with shades of white, green, blue and red. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre will come alive to the rhythm and beat of the music, closing the festival nightly for spectators in Larwill Park.
“Having collaborated with Indigenous community leaders in the past, we are very excited to contribute to the festival,” says Michael McDonald, Executive Vice President at KASIAN. “The varied forms and architectural expression of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre make it the perfect setting for this type of artistic installation as an accompaniment to the cultural celebration.”
The idea for the installation came together as Bruno Vahedi and Ellie Niakan of INTEGRAL approached Michael McDonald of KASIAN to create a lighting installation for Canada’s sesquicentennial. While deciding on the creative direction they would take, they set their sights high and approached Rob Hollingsworth of BRANDLIVE, who is orchestrating the Canada 150+ celebrations for the City of Vancouver. After seeing the list of remarkable and accomplished Indigenous artists and performers set to appear, the team knew that their vision would be a tremendous complement to the festival.
“Light addresses one of our senses, when it is combined with sound it becomes even more powerful. Together the show succeeds in replicating what we believe is one of the most important core values of our country – its ability to unite people from all cultures and backgrounds,” said Ellie Niakan, Associate and Head of Light Studio at INTEGRAL.
INTEGRAL is working closely with manufacturers, suppliers and contractors, creating a lighting plan for the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. DJ Shub’ composition acts as the catalyst for the sound and light experience. Dan Lenander and Anna Szczepaniak from KASIAN are connecting the two, designing the coloured light sequences that will bond the drum beat of Pow Wow Carnival ft. Little Creek Singers to the walls of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. In recognition of the importance of the Canada 150+ cultural showcase, all involved in Light at Play – Pow Wow Carnival have donated their time and equipment for this event.
“CDm2 LIGHTWORKS is excited to contribute our expertise and resources to the Canada 150+ nightly illumination of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre façade as dynamically envisioned and designed by Integral and Kasian as part of ‘The Drum is Calling’ festival.,” Darren Luce, Principal & Managing Director CDm2 LIGHTWORKS.
“LUMENPULSE is honoured to contribute to the lighting of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre façade and to participate in such a festival that honours Canada’s Indigenous art and culture,” says Andre Occhionero, Director of Sales in Canada. “We felt a great responsibility to make sure we provided an effective, sensible lighting solution that revealed the Theatre’s splendour in the nighttime city scape.”
“At WESTERN PACIFIC ENTERPRISES (“WPE”) we strive to be a leader in the electrical industry and are proud to have been a part of constructing several landmark facilities in the city; including the Vancouver Convention Centre, BC Place Stadium, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Upgrade, and more. We care about the people around us who are integral to our success, which is why we foster a corporate culture that encourages giving back to the community. WPE is proud to contribute its services to the Canada 150+ “The Drum is Calling” festival and to participate in this important celebration of Canada’s Indigenous community,” said Dave Fettback, President WESTERN PACIFIC ENTERPRISES LTD.
Light at Play – Pow Wow Carnival runs nightly at Larwill Park at 10pm from July 22 to 30, 2017.
Watercolour by Dan Lenander of KASIAN.
About Kasian
Since its founding in 1983, KASIAN has grown to become one of the world’s top 100 integrated design firms. With nearly 300 team members in offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, and Qatar, the firm engages with clients locally and abroad in all market sectors. KASIAN’S services include architecture, interior design, and planning, with specialization in the academic, science and technology; civic; commercial; health care; transportation and corporate workplace market sectors. Built on inspired thinking, design excellence and technical expertise, KASIAN has held a prominent position in the design community by consistently delivering high quality interior design and architecture for our clients, shaping communities across the globe. Visit us at kasian.com.
About Integral Light Studio
INTEGRAL LIGHT STUDIO provides expert consulting services around all aspects of the luminous environment. Our deep understanding of architecture, interior design, human needs, optics, and the physics of light equips us to design unique and innovative solutions which balance visual comfort, energy efficiency, health, and beauty. Whether the source be electric light or daylight, we understand the nuanced process of balancing and controlling illumination in the visual environment to enhance spaces and places with light. INTEGRAL LIGHT STUDIO provides user-centric, aesthetic, and harmonious, yet elegantly efficient and environmentally sound, solutions. Learn more at integralgroup.com.
About CDm2 LIGHTWORKS
CDm2 LIGHTWORKS is a representative agent, integrator and dealer for manufacturers of world class lighting products, specialty systems and control solutions. We are a leader in delivering innovative, fully integrated, cost effective and sustainable lighting solutions to our specification, construction and end-user customers located in British Columbia, Canada and their projects both local or global. CDm2 LIGHTWORKS has had the privilege to be part of extraordinary projects throughout our city, contributing to not only its beauty and aesthetic, but also it its vibrant culture and identity. In fact, they’ve partnered with creative professionals in realizing their vision for many iconic buildings in Vancouver including the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Science World, BC Place Stadium and Telus Gardens.
About Lumenpulse Group
Founded in 2006, the LUMENPULSE GROUP designs, develops, manufactures and sells a wide range of high performance and sustainable specification-grade LED lighting solutions for commercial, institutional and urban environments. The LUMENPULSE GROUP is a leading pure-play specification-grade LED lighting solutions provider and has earned many awards and recognitions, including several Product Innovation Awards (PIA), three Next Generation Luminaires Design Awards, two Red Dot Product Design Awards, a Lightfair Innovation Award, and an iF Design Award. The LUMENPULSE GROUP now has 670 employees worldwide, with corporate headquarters in Montreal, Canada, and offices in Vancouver, Québec City, Boston, Paris, Florence, London and Manchester. For more information, visit www.lumenpulsegroup.com.
About WPE
Since 1973, innovation and enthusiasm for challenging projects has made WESTERN PACIFIC ENTERPRISES (WPE) one of Western Canada’s largest electrical contractors. With experienced project managers, estimators, and tradespeople, WPE has the background needed to deliver a wide variety of electrical services. Our vast amount of experience working on complex projects, as well as our commitment to quality and integrity, has set us apart as being a leader in the electrical industry. No matter what your electrical needs are – from installing data networks – to supplying high voltage substations – you can trust that WPE has the experience required to deliver innovative and comprehensive solutions. For more information, visit www.wpe.ca.