Light Initiative creates the beautiful and the bizarre at Glastonbury 2015 posted: 30/07/2015
Light Initiatives fully diffused, ultra-high definition LED product stood out in Arcadias incredible performance environment
Trailblazing controllable LED design and manufacture house Light Initiative (LI) has lit up this years Glastonbury Festival with bespoke creations on Years and Years, Enter Shikari and the mighty Arcadia Spectacular stage.
For Arcadias audio-visual feast Metamorphosis, LI worked alongside costume designer Joanna Peacock to create six custom performance wearables, integrated with LED, and six zorbs.
The costumes transformed Arcadias dancers into fantastic alien/jellyfish hybrids, or Jellyfish Light Queens, who appeared from the zorbs as if hatching from an alien egg.
The moment we saw Jo Peacocks sketch of a performer being released from a zorb we knew the LED solution must be above and beyond anything ever delivered before, and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved is what really excites us, says Light Initiatives MD Bryn Williams.
LIs immediate task was to develop a fully diffused ultra-high definition LED product in both semi-rigid and flexible versions that would stand out in an incredible performance environment.
With an Arcadia show, there is always so much going on that for an effect to be noticed it has to pack a huge punch, says Arcadia performer and costume creation project manager Claire ONeill. The Jellyfish Light Queens certainly surpassed that expectation and have become one of the shows big new reveals. The roar of the crowd when the creatures bungeed from the eggs and the lights burst to life was incredible.
The costumes also had to meet a rigorous creative brief, with a durability, flexibility, weight and safety proviso.
As the costumes were worn by aerialist performers, a full range of movement was essential, continues ONeill. The wiring was so well stitched into the costumes that we didnt notice it at all. It also withstood being squeezed through a small trapdoor and zorb hole, sat on, shaken about, bungeed and span at high speed, all in proximity to pyrotechnics and flames.
Arcadias lighting team was able to fully bring the costumes and zorbs to life with Light Initiatives unique control system.
The Electron-V system, an embedded micro media server with integrated LED drivers, was chosen following its faultless performance on the UKs Eurovision entry in Vienna.
The tiny wearable system is designed to operate in radio-degraded environments and has a playback capacity of hundreds of cues for over a hundred hours of content. This, coupled with LIs latest dynamic battery management software, proved a winning solution for Arcadia.
Tom Wall of blinkinLAB created the beat-perfect pixel-mapped content that the Electron-V system pulsed through the LED in time with the show.
We wanted to visualise Metamorphosis underlying musical score and sound track by creating various animations, explains Wall. LIs timecode system was very robust so we could be as precise as we wanted to be, creating animation that highlighted individual beats, melodies and sounds from the 30 minute score.
LI took care of all the technical aspects of mapping the eggs and costumes, providing us with a template that we used to create the content. We were then able to visit LIs office once the costumes were complete and test out some initial ideas.
Light Initiative was also on hand during the festival to deliver full technical support.
As all the different disciplines came together on site, we found a lot of technical and scheduling challenges cropped up, continues Wall. However the LI team worked tirelessly to ensure that the show was up and running in time.
ONeill adds: The environment is very demanding as the show seeks to push the boundaries of what has been done before. In addition, the mix of performers and show crew with technology, heavy machinery and pyrotechnics above the heads of thousands of people takes intense planning, concentration and professionalism. Light Initiative was incredible throughout and were looking forward to working with the team to push the boundaries further for Arcadia Bristol and beyond!
On the other side of the festival, band of the moment Years and Years took to the John Peel stage with their beautifully intricate Light Initiative screen in tow. Built from LED branches, the ingenious structure is an extrapolated version of the bands album artwork for their debut Communion.
Light Initiative took every requirement of my brief to deliver a unique tourable end product, says Years and Years lighting designer Squib Swain, who approached LI with his concept at the beginning of the album campaign tour. As well as looking amazing, Light Initiative made the screen ground supported and free standing with short festival turnarounds like Glastonbury in mind.
An Avolites Ai Infinity EX8 server powered vibrant content, devised by Adam Young, through the structure. As LI provided me with a perfect visual representation of the structure in After Effects, designing the content was made far easier. The LED refresh rate of the screen was also fantastic, with the colours I chose in the designing stage perfectly represented in real life.
Squib agrees: LI turned my vision into a reality and we had an amazing reaction to it from the Glastonbury crowd.
Also playing the John Peel stage was Enter Shikari. The genre bending four-piece brought their new album to the festival, along with their bespoke Light Initiative set piece.
The stunning structure reflects the Mindsweep album concept. For the build, LI decided upon its pioneering controllable LED system Intelliflex.
Intelliflex has been performing perfectly on this festival run, despite the demanding outdoor conditions and being constantly transported around. Its a fantastically robust system, says the
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
Light Initiative creates the beautiful and the bizarre at Glastonbury 2015 posted: 30/07/2015 
