MSA Designs new M:CAT Touring Flying Runway Product for Suspekt Show
Denmark – Motor Stage Automation (MSA) is an organization that loves challenges!
So Christian Vigsø and his staff have been delighted to be requested to design a bespoke flying runway resolution for a recent large present by in style Danish hip hop phenom Suspekt, for his or her solely stay look this yr – at Parken stadium in Copenhagen.
In the method, MSA devised a brand new modular fast meeting touring product – M:CAT – which is now available solely from MSA, a recent and revolutionary Danish enterprise working internationally and specialising within the artwork of designing and delivering stage and present automation and motion components.
Christian was initially approached by Suspekt’s lighting designer and set designer Johnny Thinggaard and their manufacturing supervisor and present director Jonas Friis, who needed a flying 45 metre walkway to allow the band to traverse between the Main and B phases all through the rigorously choreographed efficiency.
They additionally needed to stage a cool ‘surprise’ opening with the band on the B-stage in the midst of their followers with the runway nowhere in sight and no apparent route for them to get to the primary stage!
With VIGSØ Dryhire already confirmed because the occasion’s lighting provider by way of challenge and crew administration specialist 4K Projects, MSA (a part of the Generator Group) additionally offered the most effective resolution for the present’s required automation engineering.
The firm has handled flying catwalks many instances earlier than, defined MSA challenge supervisor Jimmy Jonhson, nevertheless up thus far, there has not been a secure, simply deployable, off-the-shelf, manufactured product available to straightforwardly obtain the purpose.
VIGSØ & MSA (each a part of the Generator Group) determined that this was the time to alter that!
Collaborating with German companions HOF Alutec, M:CAT, a brand new totally customisable, foldable-and-stackable flying catwalk system primarily based on commonplace trussing infrastructure and excellent for touring was born!
Dennis Klostermann, co-CEO of HOF famous: “As always, it was very exciting to be working with Christian again. He often comes to us with offbeat and interesting projects which are out of ‘normality’ and these usually require quick thinking solutions and rapid development!”
He continues that with the basic thought from Christian already very clear, the duty offered no “major challenges,” nevertheless the connection system between the totally different catwalk components was a “small” mind teaser.
Normally trusses have a most of 4 connection factors, and a few producers nonetheless battle to make this an ideal match, however M:CAT has eight connection factors which should match concurrently, so HOF needed to produce low tolerance components to make becoming a member of the sections simple and painless.
M:CAT contains three metre lengthy, two metre broad sections of modular catwalk for max flexibility. Corner sections are available for creating a number of shapes – circles and triangles may also be added as required – and the eight-way fast-click pin-based trussing connection system is powerful and requires solely a hammer to assemble.
A load capability of 250kg per sq. metre with a free hanging span of six metres between the hanging factors has been calculated with dynamic forces thought-about.
Sections are stacked on a dolly full with click on on handrails and will be wheeled straight into the venue or the again of the truck.
It’s extraordinarily quick to rig and light-weight however in a position to help substantial hundreds. It can be secure to fly above individuals and connects seamlessly to MSA’s automation management methods and any of the trade commonplace hoist methods.
For a super-fast load in at Parken, all of the hoists have been mounted in HOF MLT2 trusses which have been rolled into the venue concurrently for positioning and to get the construction into the air rapidly and effectively.
Custom lifting brackets have been fabricated to align with MSA’s automation system, on this case powered by 22 x 500kg Kinesys Apex vari-speed hoists which may run at speeds as much as 30 metres a minute, related to a Kinesys Mentor4 security controller, lifting (on this occasion) a complete weight of three.5 tonnes to millimetre precision.
The automation system was rigged on a mothergrid put in into Parken’s roof for the gig constructed from HOF MLT Two truss, a pre-rigged product which may be very versatile with a excessive load capability. It was flown utilizing 2 tonne Chainmaster D8+ hoists, and the catwalk was trimmed at 23 metres, so it utterly disappeared into the roof when not in use, in true theatrical model.
Attached to its underside have been 60 x DVT-Light PJ-5 LED wash luminaires, simply accommodated as the bottom is constructed from trussing components. This additionally enabled some cool visible trickery for the Suspekt present, as when it first began descending, everybody thought it was only a transferring truss and a part of the lighting rig, moderately than transport for the band. As you possibly can think about, this dramatic stagecraft acquired roars of appreciation from the followers!
Johnny skilfully wove the runway’s motion into the present narrative. It got here in a number of instances all through the set, every time styling the drama of the second in another way with lighting and motion velocity variations. Having this elegant access to the B stage was an important asset to the movement of the present and enabled the band to get near the viewers which everybody beloved.
It was used as one linear observe for the Suspekt present, however Jimmy notes the large potential for creating shapes with M:CAT – from Us and Vs to zig-zags – the probabilities are all there to be imagined!
The 45 metre system used for the Suspekt present fitted expediently into one 40ft artic.
pictures: Bo Flemming and Simone Ellebæk
