Outdoor LED installations to help rejuvenate the economy

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

The team from Illumidy work on their Hop Lane installation

Famed for its role in the Australian gold rush of the 1850s, the Victorian city of Ballarat has long been associated with the glint of precious metal. In 2022, however, it’s a series of dazzling LED light shows that have become the talk of the town.

To assist with economic recovery in the face of the global coronavirus pandemic, the City of Ballarat – via its arts arm Creative Ballarat – conceived and funded Summer in Ballarat: a series of creative outdoor performances and installations to draw residents back into its CBD.

To add to the hyperlocal nature of this project, two of these artworks would be the brainchild of Ballarat lighting and interactive experience specialists Illumidy.

“The City of Ballarat is excited to deliver this event for our community, immersing locals in a uniquely Ballarat experience – empowering our creative community through fun activations for the whole family.”

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Daniel Moloney

Dancing in the streets

As part of their work with the City of Ballarat, Illumidy were commissioned to bring light art to the Ballarat Boom Box DJ booth on Sturt Street.

A large, glass-walled, pop-up container for artists to perform in, the installation was built in the central reservation park area of the city’s main thoroughfare, providing a lively location for local bands and DJs to pump out tunes from 5pm-8pm every Thursday/Friday/Saturday.

“Ballarat can be quite temperamental with its weather. If it was pouring rain and cold, you could still have this band in a glass box playing music. Cars going by could hear it too. And when it’s dry, the whole box can open up so people can sit on the lawn and listen to the music as it’s being played. It can work in any weather.”

Kate Berry ~ Boom Box creator
Ballarat DJ duo Sweat Dreams were among many to rock the box with their set.

Ingredients:

  • ENTTEC S-Play: Revolutionary smart show controller for hassle-free, professional light shows and automated projects.
  • ENTTEC Pixelator Mini: installation-grade Ethernet-to-pixel converter designed to make control of LED pixel fixtures simple.
  • ENTTEC PLink Injectors for a fast, easy and affordable method to control LED pixel strips or pixel dots over long distances.

Illumidy equipped the Boom Box with an array of fully pixel-mapped 12V LED bars which were custom-made by ENTTEC on a 2-day turnaround to meet the required timeline. The kit included a control system made up of a Pixelator Mini and PLink Injectors with Mean Well power supplies to drive the pixel bars.

An S-Play show controller tied the system together, storing and scheduling the required shows. Also, having the capability to program the lights to change with the beat gave them endless possibilities on how to wow the crowd.

Home of hidden laneway bar Hop Temple, the historic stable buildings of Hop Lane form an iconic local landmark that experiences many transformations throughout the year, hosting a multitude of art displays.

The team at Illumidy were brought in to inject new life into the space with an array of LED lights to create exceptional after-dark effects and ambience.

To create their ‘roof of lights’ installation (officially entitled ‘Thris’), they chose to put together a system of catenary lighting using ENTTEC’s individually-controllable Smart PXL40 LED pixel dots, alongside strips of neon perspex to add contrast and colour during the daytime.

Lighting control is provided by ENTTEC’s DIN Pixies, all tied back to an ENTTEC S-Play where the shows are stored and ready to play back on schedule.

Ingredients:

  • ENTTEC S-Play: Revolutionary smart show controller for hassle-free, professional light shows and automated projects.
  • ENTTEC DIN Pixie: 2-Universe DMX to SPI pixel converter/controller & standalone player.
  • ENTTEC Smart PXL 40 LED pixel dots: 125mm pitch with 10 dots per string.

Credits:

Project conception: Creative Ballarat
In conjunction with: City of Ballarat
Lighting design and installation: Illumidy
Boom Box conception: Kate Berry @ OK Motels
Boom Box construction: Spacecube

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S-PLAY - Smart light show controller

S-PLAY – Smart light show controller

Engineered for projects that require precise automation, the S-PLAY smart light show controller is your all-in-one solution for the recording, triggering, and activation of not only light shows but video, non-lighting events, and much more. 

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