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Corona: Clearsound and Robe support frontline workers

Dan Ridd and Steven Haynes of Clearsound Productions in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, UK, positioned eight Robe MegaPointes on the roof of their warehouse and beamed them around the town and up into the night sky, creating a piece of light art to connect the local community and show support for the incredible efforts of frontline and essential workers and the National Health Service (NHS) during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The action was inspired by the now weekly “Clap For Carers” initiative (started in the UK by Annemarie Plas) which united millions across the country who appeared in windows and doorways clapping and rattling or thumping percussive objects, the first of which had happened at 8.00 p.m. on the previous Thursday.

Dan Ridd participated in this and realised just how much you can actually hear. This prompted him and Steven Haynes to think about what you might be able to see, coupled with the effect that the medium of light can have in unifying people and environments.

Taking advantage of the warehouse being on one of Shipston’s highest spots, the following  night - carefully observing the social distancing rules - the pair experimented with a couple of different fixtures positioned on the warehouse roof, and hit on MegaPointe as the fixture of choice to shine bright and slice through the darkness.

When the time came on Sunday - luckily a dry, clear, cold night with perfect wind conditions - Ridd and Haynes fired up the eight MegaPointes using a ChamSys console, and ran through a special lightshow which included the signature ‘NHS blue’ look that they chose for the default beam formation. The light beams could be seen scanning across the whole town and were visible from up to 15 miles away in Banbury, Oxfordshire.

Shipston-on-Stour’s Mayor, Dan Scobie, acknowledged the devastating effect of Covid-19 on the events sector and posted in support, “Clearsound Productions have done so much for the town. Instead of rolling over, they have responded in the best possible way with a spectacle for the people.” Ridd and Haynes’s imagination also attracted national TV coverage including being interviewed for both the BBC and ITV channels.

In addition to this, Steven Haynes highlights another lighting-based initiative, #ourshininglight, which encourages people to light their houses - as, if and when possible - also in support to the NHS and the incredible job everyone in the organisation is doing.

(Photos: Clearsound Productions)

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