The Box: FARGO

Working with the site owners and operators we were asked to design the required lighting, sound, projection and staging for a unique Coventry venue. The Box is a 400 capacity venue in the Far Gosford area of the City. At the heart of a developing retail and recreation village, “FARGO” is used during the day for retail, conference and exhibition and by night as an entertainment space.

To enhance flexibility and maximise efficiency - both of capital budget and operational costs, we have implemented emerging technologies that rely solely on data networking to function. This has given the space the ability to flip between purposes at the touch of a button. We worked initially to establish and fully represent the remit of AV installation, both within the main space and in the supporting dressing rooms, green room and foyer area. We then drove the procurement process and managed the successful supplier install and hand over. We were also lucky to be asked to provide technical support for the inaugural events in the venue.

Enclosed competely in OSB this is THE BOX prior to out installation. Below: images of some of the configurations and uses so far

Mandala

Large scale projection onto a historical landmark is a rare spectacle, especially outside of London. Those that include live music and dance are rarer still and a piece that is to be staged in two separate cities in the same week are unheard of.

Mandala spanned 2 cities in 7 days

So when we were approached to both manage the required resources and provide lighting, sound and stage design for such a unique opportunity - we were both honoured and thrilled.

A Mandala is a geometric configuration of symbols to establish a sacred place for meditation and worship and this piece created exactly that for an hour in both Birmingham’s Victoria Square and Nottingham’s Old Market Square on four evenings.

Music and dance were performed on a 10m stage at the foot of the building, designed and constructed specifically for the event, with the opening moments happening on the peristyles of each building. We managed technical resource, health and safety along with all the necessary site considerations such as removal of ambient light, security and build staffing for both cities.

Magic Lantern Festival

Through a process of commercial tender we were appointed to act as production managers for the inaugural Chinese Lantern festival in Birmingham. Hosted at Birmingham’s prestigious Botanical Gardens, over a period of 6 weeks we worked with Chinese artists flown in to create over 100 sculptures that were distributed around the site. Our role spanned from stakeholder negotiations, safety advisory group satisfaction, traffic management and power planning. We handed over a fully working site to the operational managers for the 3 month run that saw over a million visitors to the attraction, returning at the close of the run to manage removal and site restoration.

2 of the unique scultpures crafted on site

City Parade - Part of Birmingham Weekender

We have been part of each iteration of Birmingham Weekender in its evolution from its starting point in Arts Fest. In 2017 our role was production management, technical resource suppliers and event staffing for SAMPAD’s “City Parade”. The parade was a celebration of cultures in the form of a procession that spanned a route from one side of the City Centre to the other.

During the same weekend we supported other elements through hires and staffing including an exhibiton launch at BMAG for MBE awardee Mohammed Ali.

Working directly with the artists involved we shaped the content and route to ensure maximum exposure whilst working with the numerous stakeholders who’s land and facilities we would pass through. Our approach ensured a smooth event that was enjoyed by a capacity crowd that segued perfectly into the opening of the festival as a whole in Victoria Square.