The Morton Arboretum -is a great dandridge located in Lyle, Chicago. Founded in 1922, it occupies an area of 1700 acres!
John Fitstone, director of LightSwitch, has been working on the lighting of The Morton Arboretum for six years.
This year they decided to embody a unique idea. Which is completely different from the previous experience of illumination of Chicago holidays.
Moving lights illuminated the grounds and pedestrian path.
llumination showed the first beta testing of the new Elation Professional Proteus – presented in October on LDI, with a class of protection IP66.
Proteus devices shine from polished PCP tubes through an abstract bamboo forest.
We checked if it was incredibly strong and resistant to atmospheric influences (Fitstone).
In 2016 there was an IV lighting installation:
•11 different locations connected by highlighting pedestrian paths
•The project had two goals: to see the trees in another light and make them real stars of the show
•Lighting was the color of inclusionary, which goes beyond the traditional colors (red and green / blue and white)
Technological fairytale in colors
The park is open from November 18, 2016 till January 2, 2017. All through this time the lighting equipment was subjected to severe weather conditions in winter Illinois.
Lightswitch created a giant color map to route along the paths of the pedestrian paths.
Our idea was for the visitor, passing through the space, to see the palette of colors. From warm to cool tones, with soft colors changing in dynamics.
Almost 750 devices have been used
The entire installation covers 40 of the 1700 acres of The Morton Arboretum’s.
– 400 Elation Professional Level Q7 IP RGBW – Light-emitting diode devices were placed around the park, protected from atmospheric influences.
– Philips Color Kinetics Flex LMX has provided a better response to the site called “Tinsel Harmony”. Here, the guests sing in the trees that the light is reacting to.
– A range of devices from Claypaky, including Sharpy, Mythos, A.leda B-Eye K20 – are protected in accordance with weather conditions by protective domes.
– The collection of devices from Chauvet Professional, including COLORado 1 Solos, COLORado 2-Quad Zoom IPs and COLORado 2-Quad Zoom VW, covered key areas.
– The illumination used Elation Professional SixPAR 200 IPs, Martin By Harman MAC Auras, MAC Viper Profiles, Iluminarc Colorist Pod 1Qa and SGM G-Spot Profiles.
– The control is provided by two wireless networks from the MA Lighting grandMA2 light consoles, with the playback function on MA Lighting onPC.
– MA 3D makes pre-release for two functional areas: “Fantasy of Forest” and “Symphonic Forest”
5 interesting facts about location possibilities
1. Sound and lighting show are synchronized with a timecode, with soundtrack submitted by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
2. To portray the projection on Treemagination, artist Austin Shapley worked with possibilities of creating life alike projections by Adobe After Effects. The idea was reproduced on Apple Mac Mini by QuickTime. The projectors were Barco HDF-W30, powered by two d3 media servers and three MADRIX systems.
3. Guests could follow the location map. The level of activity is increased as they progress.
4. For the tulip flower beds “Descanso Gardens” Lightswitch created abstract tulip-like gadgets. Each flower was guided by E.L.M. Enttec LED Mapper with pixel display capabilities.
5. In the “Rainbow Sycamores” location sculptures were arranged with the usage of illuminated columns. The touch or hug led to the animation of the trees associated with the column. The palette changed from cold to warm, depending on the degree of touch.
An idea shaped with years
I had a vision to display the projection on trees and I experimented for several years (Fitstone)
Despite the harsh winter conditions, The Morton Arboretum has become a favorite destination for many Chicago visitors.
Interactivity brings warm and life alike experienceу
