The people of Mexico welcomed Pope Francis to the country with a reception that included traditional songs and dances, tributes and colored light from a collection of 24 Rogue R1 Wash fixtures from Chauvet Professional. Provided by Mexico City-based Kona Productions, the 15-watt RGBW LED Rogue fixtures were used to accent a variety of performances at Mexico's Papal visit welcoming ceremonies.
"When we were invited to collaborate on this project, a mixture of emotions swirled through us,” says Andres Marroquín , Director of Kona Productions. “We were truly honored to participate in receiving a so distinguished and appreciated character for Mexico. At the same time, we also understood the enormous responsibility that was put in our hands."
The welcoming ceremonies for the Pope's visit featured mariachi and folkloric ballet performances of well-known pieces identified with Mexico around the world, including "El Son de la Negra", "El Jarabe Tapatío" and "Cielito Lindo." Colorful light from the Rogues added to the pageantry of the festive presentation.
"We were truly honored to participate in receiving a so distinguished and appreciated character for Mexico. At the same time, we also understood the enormous responsibility that was put in our hands."
Andres Marroquin
Director, Kona Productions.
Kona Productions placed two dozen Rogue R1 Wash fixtures along two edges of the stage where the dances were performed. "We chose the R1 Wash for its fancy and compact design, which helped to get a clean look," says Marroquín. "The high power, color mixing and motorized zoom of Rogues allowed us to create eye candy for the TV cameras at the event, which was broadcast around the world and really became a big party."
Although the lighting display was woven seamlessly into the performances on stage, the Papal project was not without its challenges for the Kona team. The company's 20-person crew had a very limited time for load in and setup, while also having to operate under very tight onsite security.
"The compact size of the Rogue and its user-friendly features made it very good to work with,” says Marroquin. "Other features of the R1 Wash that helped us simplify the configuration are its low power consumption and the ability to be power linked in multiple units. This allowed us to run a single cable through the drain-pipeline with a 6-way socapex connector to feed all the 24 fixtures."
Challenges notwithstanding, Marroquin says he felt a great sense of pride when it was over because of the well-planned and well-executed lightshow.
