The Stage

Thrilling display

Published Monday 7 December 2009 at 17:20

Entertainment lighting supplier, White Light, supplied lighting equipment and a production crew to implement the lighting design by US-based full-service firm Lightswitch for Michael Jackson - The Official Exhibition at London ‘s O2 Arena.

Launched to coincide with the release of the movie This Is It and designed to celebrate the life of Jackson, the exhibition features more than 250 items from the archives at the late-singer’s notorious Neverland home, including awards, clothing items and even the singer’s Rolls-Royce. Lightswitch designed the lighting scheme for exhibition organisers Arts and Exhibitions International, with the installation overseen by Lightswitch’s Brad Malkus, working with White Light’s project manager Steve Richardson.

“The most challenging part of the project was the timing, with just six weeks from initial discussions to being on site and then with a build period of just ten days,” explained Richardson. To achieve everything in the tight schedule, White Light had a team of between three and eight people on site throughout the build. The team installed equipment both from its extensive rental stock (lighting control, dimming, conventional and automated fixtures) and from other suppliers. White Light also handled a number of specialist projects on site, including re-wiring the inside of the Neverland arch, adding LEDs to the Rolls-Royce and even restoring the robotic head seen in the Moonwalker video. Michael Jackson - The Official Exhibition is running at the Bubble at the O2 Arena in London until early in 2010. www.whitelight.ltd.uk