Spotlight News
Page: 1
Philips Entertainment in Australia
Posted March 2010
When Royal Philips Electronics acquired Selecon last year, the company joined Vari-Lite and Strand Lighting in the newly formed Philips Entertainment sector of the world’s largest lighting company sharing the collective goal to meet the specific needs of our entertainment community.
The Philips Entertainment group is investing heavily in new product and market support to meet the demands of our lighting designers, technicians and audiences while delivering on our environmental responsibilities. Some of the resulting technologies demand a high level of system engineering design; installation and support.
Recognising this demand Philips Entertainment is pleased to announce the appointment of Bytecraft Entertainment, with offices in Melbourne and Sydney, as their Project Partner. They will be responsible for our Strand Control project solutions and have access to all the Philips Selecon entertainment and display lighting lines to best meet the needs of our customers. Our current long-standing Philips Selecon Dealers also now have access to much of the Strand Lighting product ranges.
Jeremy Collins, GM for Philips Entertainment comments, ‘This reorganisation recognises the long association that Bytecraft has with our Strand Lighting business. They provide the skilled engineering support required to deliver the more advanced stage and studio systems for which Strand has had a long and successful worldwide reputation, such as the current multi-million dollar Doha Convention Centre currently being installed in Qatar.
Now as Philips Entertainment partners the existing Selecon network have access to a whole new range of products with which to support their customers. As we look forward to delivering exciting new solutions under the Strand and Selecon brand through 2010 our customers will be well served by these knowledgeable and dedicated entertainment lighting professionals.’
The first of these new products will be previewed at this month Pro Light and Sound in Frankfurt and include high output LED display, theatre and studio luminaires; a 21st century high efficiency tungsten halogen ellipsoidal profile range; choke less, quiet IGBT dimming solutions and new console software.
The Vari-Lite range of moving lights continues to be distributed in Australia by Jands Pty. Limited.
To help manage this business growth, Peter McKenzie, Philips Entertainment Australia Market Manager has been scouring the country for a new team member to join him and we can now announce the success of this search with the appointment of Paul Lewis as technical sales specialist based in Sydney.
Peter comments, “After searching the continent Paul Lewis came to our attention via one of our valued clients and, in fact Paul was a client himself several years ago when the Martin Place Studios for Channel 7 were established. As the lighting director on the Sunrise morning program Paul was instrumental in the fit out of this studio complex. So, after his name came up, we touched base and he decided to take on the new challenges that this position presents.
Paul brings with him a wealth of experience, a thirst for knowledge and a passion for lighting and design, all of which will hold him in good stead to service the Philips Entertainment dealer network, with special expertise in the Strand control, network and dimming markets.”
Blue Water Black Magic – A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake
Posted March 2010
The official tribute honouring an iconic New Zealand mariner was officially opened on Saturday 12 December 2009 at Voyager New Zealand Maritime Museum located at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. Blue Water Black Magic – A Tribute to Sir Peter Blake provides a world class and engaging museum experience where notions of teamwork, leadership, global thinking and responsibility are explored in simple, interactive ways. The tribute explores these characteristics as well as profiling many other key players, innovative designers and thinkers in New Zealand’s boating industry.
Centred on NZL32 Black Magic, the boat on which Team New Zealand led by Sir Peter won the America’s Cup in 1995 suspended by its own rigging from the near seven storey high central atrium the exhibition winds up over three levels in a superb Pete Bossley Architects-designed wing of the Museum.
Renowned exhibition designers Workshop e were responsible for the building and installation of the exhibition content specifying only Selecon luminaires for the exhibition lighting: 75 x Selecon Wing Wall Washers with barndoors and UV filters, 202 Aureol BeamSpots with UV filters, 30x Aureol BeamSpots and 46 x tungsten halogen Selecon Display Profiles.
Workshop e director, Az James, who as overall Project Manager for the exhibition, is well placed to comment on how the Selecon luminaires enhanced the exhibition, “I was extremely pleased with the way the selected Selecon fittings worked with the aesthetics of the exhibition and the architecture. The Selecon Wing Wall Washers, Aureol BeamSpots and BeamShapers worked extremely well with the new Selecon Display Profile units, providing us with the flexibility we needed within such a complex exhibition situation which combined areas of both controlled and uncontrolled natural light. The colour and form of the luminaires fitted well with the general exhibition spaces, while the black finish of the new SDPs blended flawlessly with the imposing centrepiece – NZL32.
The advice and technical support provided by the Phillips Selecon team was also invaluable throughout the design and installation processes.”
For one of the Workshop e team, this exhibition could not have been a more personal experience. Sarah-Jane Blake was a teenager when her father was shot and killed by pirates on 6 December 2001 while he was on an environmental exploration trip in South America, monitoring global warming and pollution for the United Nations. Each and every item on display at Blue Water Black Magic is of deep significance to her and she was instrumental in mounting and focusing the lighting for all of them.
“In the huge space that was to be BWBM I spent weeks up and down the ladder arranging the lights. Assembling the lights was very simple as I had never used them before but every step was logical and clear. The lights then fitted into the tracks with ease and could be switched with no hardship to the particular circuit and wattage they had to run on. I am a petite female (slightly lacking in muscle) but did not have a problem when hanging the lights. The three different types of lights we used performed to my high expectations in focusing on different objects and creating various washes of light. In the exhibition which was formed of sculptural objects of many sizes (lots of boats), small objects in acrylic cases and writing and images on wall panels and I found the Selecon Lights could be manipulated easily to lighting all of these,” comments Sarah-Jane.
Philips Selecon is extremely proud to have been involved in this epic acknowledgement for one of New Zealand’s greatest heroes.
Photography: Michael Woods
Philips appoints first Chief Design Officer for Lighting
Posted March 2010
Philips has taken a further step in elevating the role of design in the company. Recognizing that design is a key factor of brand differentiation and a significant source of competitive advantage, Philips will appoint Rogier van der Heide in the newly created position of Chief Design Officer for Philips Lighting. The role of Chief Design Officer has already been established within the Philips Consumer Lifestyle and Healthcare Sectors.
“Lighting design can explore new and unique ways that lighting can meet people’s needs and aspirations through form, function and emotion. Rogier’s work has shown that he truly understands how to simply enhance people’s lives with light. By bringing Rogier into the design leadership of the company we are strengthening our commitment to the field of lighting design and becoming a better partner for our customers,” says Stefano Marzano, CEO Philips Design and Chief Design Officer for Philips.
Follow this link for more information: http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/news/press/2010/20100224_cdo.wpd
