
Astera Adds Magic to Bergstrasse Lights Project posted: 23/10/2020
Kirchberg H uschen
Seizing a chance to generate some beautiful light art, positive energy and creativity during the pandemic, Johannes Spie , project manager from technical specialist MKM Event Show Technik based in Darmstadt, Germany, launched a new initiative of his own - Bergstra e leuchtet' (Bergstra e Lights) - to highlight some of the famous Bergstra e mountain route's stunning monuments, historical buildings and public spaces. With events halted, normally busy rental company MKM had an abundance of lighting products including an extensive Astera inventory of AX3 LightDrops, AX5 TriplePARs and AX7 SpotLites sitting in the warehouse, so these were used to support all 12 of the lighting installations which were carefully crafted and delivered over a two month period.
Astera AX7s were used at all locations culminating with a truly spectacular and innovative event at St. Peter's church in Heppenheim.
Everyone in the area knows and loves the highlighted buildings and spaces, stated Johannes, and with tasteful and well-planned lighting and the application of colour they were transformed and could be seen literally in a different light' each time, so people could enjoy and take away new perspectives from their immediate environment.
Auerbacher Schloss
He adds that in a time when events have not been possible, this was a safe and imaginative idea to provide something interesting in which people could engage.
Astera products were of course ideal for the task of lighting these works, with their brightness, long and regulatable battery power and App control, dispensing with the need for running cables and greatly assisting the deployment process in each case.
The Astera lamps are very efficient in saving setup time, and with the AX7s and AX5s being IP65 rated, we were also confident in using them irrespective of the weather! Also, with less cabling needed, the team could take a smaller vehicle full of kit to the location.
Kirchberg H uschen
Up to 200 fixtures - Asteras plus others - were used in most cases to give good and detailed coverage of the buildings and landmarks.
It was so much fun to use the Asteras - they made the set ups extremely quick and efficient, enthuses Johannes.
A grandMA system was used for lighting control, plus the Astera App for quickly setting up the DMX addresses of all relevant Astera fixtures.
Lauter bridge and brook
Johannes was initially inspired to start Bergstrasse Lights by the original light it in red' project kicked off by the #NightofLightDE lighting action in June which saw thousands of buildings illuminated red across the country to draw attention to the challenges and realities facing the event industry during Covid-19.
He chatted to some industry friends and colleagues and everyone was up for creating something new, special and exciting for their community and those living and working in the region.
St Peter Heppenheim
A core team of around 20 people evolved to deliver Bergstra e Lights, including chief lighting designer Niklaus Baur, however the lighting schemes for each landmark were usually discussed by the team including Johannes, lighting operator Jan Gr bener and others before a final plan was devised.
The featured buildings were a dynamic mix! Castles like the imposing hilltop Auerbacher Schloss and the Starkenburg in Heppenheim which is also perched 300 metres above Hessische Staatsweing ter, offering stunning views all around; churches like St. Georg Bensheim and Kirche Zwingenberg; prominent houses and vineyards including the Kirchberg H uschen vineyard; the central bridge and creek in Lauter and both the town hall (Rathaus) and the city park in Heppenheim - each is a unique architectural or landscaped masterpiece in its own right.
St Peter Heppenheim
In addition to lighting these fabulous places for the first time, the project had several other special aspects.
Once up and running and gaining traction via the website https://bergstrasse-leuchtet.de/ and various social channels no-one knew where and when the next illumination would take place,so this element of surprise and anticipation kept people engaged and guessing!
To discover the location, some hints were dropped on Bergstrasse Lights' Facebook and Instagram pages, plus additional clues announced on public radio station hr3.
St Peter Heppenheim Photo
The finale at St. Peter's church in Heppenheim was a favourite installation for all on the team where the lighting count doubled to over 400 fixtures in total, of which more than 220 were Astera - a combination of AX3s, AX5s and AX7s connected via five wireless DMX transmitters.
Often referred to as the Cathedral of the Bergstrasse' the idea was to maximise the impact of this event, so a special concert was staged inside featuring the band Lichtenberg with camera images of the performance projected onto the church's front fa ade for socially distanced onlookers.
Starkenburg Heppenheim
The concert was also streamed on three different Facebook Fanpages - Bergstra e leuchtet, the City's and the band's - as well as on YouTube and on the Bergstra e leuchtet website.
And a series of secret' live-streamed concerts were produced at some of the locations - so Johannes and the team had multiple ways of getting the content in front of people.
The concert livestream concept was trailed for the first illumination at Auerbacher Schloss with the band As far as Low' and intended as a one-off. However, the public response was so overwhelmingly positive that Gregor Ott from GVO Media went on to produce seven concert movies from these spontaneous livestreams (i.e. not revealed in advance) accompanying some of the most dramatic installations.
Starkenburg Heppenheim
MKM Event Sh
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...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/08/2026
PTZ Camera Manufacturer and FPGA Design Specialist Join Alliance to Advance IPMX and Open AV-over-IP Standards
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today...
26/08/2026
BATON offers ZOO Digital advanced audio and video quality analysis, and scalable architecture
Interra Systems, a leading provider of end-to-end quality assuran...
26/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union. Now entering its third ...
26/08/2026
Zixi brings Broadcaster V19 and showcases interoperable platform on Stand 5.A76
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, will be exhib...
26/08/2026
LA JOLLA, CA-Jeffery Kelly, the H. Lutcher Brown Professor of Chemistry at Scrip...
26/08/2026
Indie Developer Launches Orty, aWindows App That Helps Freelance VideoEditors Fi...
26/08/2026
BTS on Sinners and Is God Is Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
Brie Clayton August 25, 2026
0 Comments
Award winning filmmaker Travis Henry elevat...
25/08/2026
Open, Sustainable, Predictable: What Utah Scientific Is Bringing to IBC 2026 As broadcast leaders prepare to gather at the RAI Amsterdam for IBC 2026, the main ...
25/08/2026
NC State's Matthew Byrd breaks down how an IP-based infrastructure is delivering greater flexibility and scalability for Wolfpack productions...
25/08/2026
Deal expands the DTC reach in-market of Capitals, Wizards, Mystics games and oth...
25/08/2026
The two-year renovation period will create a stadium of the future for the NFL f...
25/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
25/08/2026
Shell Energy Stadium in Houston has installed a new L-Acoustics A Series loudspeaker system, designed and installed by LD Systems, a Clair Global brand. The 20,...
25/08/2026
FloCollege is expanding its distribution and product offerings for the 2026-27 season, covering more than 20 NCAA partner conferences across Division I, II, and...
25/08/2026
TNA Wrestling and REVOLT have announced a content partnership bringing exclusive TNA Xplosion matches and content from TNA's library to REVOLT.
Our indust...
25/08/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its Q3 2026 Data Hub analysis showing that FAST sports programming is growing at more than ...
25/08/2026
Amagi has appointed Thomas d'H rouville as Head of Sales for France, Benelux, and Nordics. Based in Paris, he will lead Amagi's growth strategy across t...
25/08/2026
IPC has appointed CCATech as its channel partner in Brazil, expanding the company's presence in Latin America. CCATech was founded in 2023 by Carlos Abrah o...
25/08/2026
FanConnect has announced the FC4, a multi-output media player designed to drive mid-sized video walls, multi-screen concession stands, and multi-display digital...
25/08/2026
JWX has launched JWX Content Hub, a platform for publisher video that combines content transformation, social distribution, audience engagement, and monetizatio...
25/08/2026
Techex has appointed Stuart Almond as Chief Revenue Officer. Almond brings more than 25 years of experience across technology, media, and telecommunications, ha...
25/08/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate infrastructure connecting SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, MXL, and software-based processing at IBC2026 (Booth 9.A01, RAI Amsterdam, September...
25/08/2026
Franchises are taking greater ownership of production, distribution, and the fan...
25/08/2026
The first-year circuit for former professional athletes leans on LiveU, Starlink...
25/08/2026
Announcing the 2026 Sundance Institute Breakthrough | Focus Features Fellows
L...
25/08/2026
Auction Part 3 running until 9 September 2026
Soundgas have announced that the latest stage of their John Paul Jones Gear Auction is now live, and that bids...
25/08/2026
Over 60 award-winning artists, songwriters, producers, engineers
The MONO Music Conference (formerly Music Expo SF), San Francisco's premier event for m...
25/08/2026
All three versions receive firmware upgrade
Groove Synthesis have just launched a free firmware update that kits the 3rd Wave out with two major new feature...
25/08/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/08/2026
Lingopal, the AI-powered live translation and localization specialist, is unveiling new platform capabilities at IBC2026 (11 14 September, RAI Amsterdam), helpi...
25/08/2026
Bminty is supporting TV5MONDE in the evolution of its editorial processes through a new AI-assisted press information generation solution. Combining the Louise ...
25/08/2026
Two Cultures. Millions Reached. One Berklee Connection. Meet Annie Dickinson and Zhengxi Zhang-the couple who turned their creative partnership into music car...
25/08/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced that Law&Crime has migrated its Court TV channel, s...
25/08/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast and media industry, is showcasing the breadth of its ca...
25/08/2026
Thatcham, UK 25 August 2026: Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics, has announced that leading broadcast rental company Minitech has purchased a Le...
25/08/2026
Appear's X20 Platform enables visually lossless video contribution with sub-frame latency and full path redundancy for TVTEL's centralised VAR operation...
25/08/2026
World-first demonstration combines 5G Broadcast and Media over QUIC for seamless, ultra-low-latency hybrid media delivery
Big Blue Marble will showcase new dev...