UK – Excelling in gymnastics requires a high level of adroitness and flexibility, two qualities that the Q-Wash 560Z-LED moving RGBWA wash from Chauvet Professional has in abundance. Perhaps that’s why the fixture proved to be so popular at the 2015 Men’s and Women’s British Artistic Gymnastics Championships held at Echo Arena.

Lighting designer Stephen Jolly arranged eight Q-Wash 560Z-LED fixtures provided by Novum AV on either side of the podium, where Olympians and other top gymnasts from throughout the world participated in an array of competitions covering the power horse, rings and floor exercises. Spaced approximately 7m apart, the wash fixtures filled an important dual role during the event, serving as colour washes at some points, then working with high output aerial beam effects at other points.

“The Q-Washes enabled us to create some simple colour across the podium, light parts of the arena seating and then bounce colour off the roof of the arena,” said Tim Jacques, commercial director of Novum AV. “What made the Q-Washes so well suited for this project was their combination of a wide zoom and tight beam angle. When these fixtures were in a tight 6° beam, they did not look out of place at all with the bigger beam fixtures we used for some of our looks. At the same time, the Q-Washes were equally suited for washing the arena in large blocks of colour.”

Jacques notes that the light weight of the Q-Wash fixtures also helped during set-up at the arena when time was of the essence. “Our time frame was quite tight,” he said. “As well as lighting, we also supplied staging, sound, pyro, video and cameras.

“Our entire production kit needed to be rigged within 12 hours,” he continued. “There were some 250-plus stage decks being installed at the same time as the load-in, so detailed planning was required from all involved. We controlled our lights with an Avolites Tiger Touch Pro. The whole show was preprogrammed using Polar Capture software, so we walked in with a fully programmed show, which helped things go smoothly.”

The production kit also included six Geyser RGB water-based foggers from Chauvet Professional’s sister company Chauvet DJ. Shooting fog 7.62m (25’) in the air, the effect lights the plume with its RGB LEDs, creating a sensational and colourful image. At the gymnastics championship, four of the Geysers were arranged around the performance platform in the centre of the arena and two were positioned under grills at the venue’s entrance.

“As gymnasts walked in, the Geysers under the stage would fire, as if coloured smoke was appearing from nowhere on the stage,” said Jacques. “The Geysers around the floor were used more during the medal ceremonies as the gymnasts took their awards.”

Everyone involved in the event, from its organizers to its audience, was impressed by the colourful fog as well as the entire light show. “The client commented that this year’s event was the best yet – and we were over the moon,” said Jacques. “The reaction from the audience was great; people really engaged with the presentation.” Indeed, if they gave out awards for fixtures during this event, the Q-Wash 560Z-LED and Geyser RGB might well have won gold medals.