Clay Paky and dbn in Monster Production for Derry Spectacular

Showdown on the Foyle was a specially commissioned public performance written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, created by Walk The Plank and played out over 30 hours on the streets of the UK’s City of Culture. Artist Francis Morgan’s water bound Loch Ness monster ensured a gripping finale for the tens of thousands of spectators gathered along the banks of the Foyle River, with Clay Paky’s lighting bringing the beast to life in spectacular fashion.

The showdown saw Colmcille, a key figure in Derry’s history and old enemy of Nessie, lead his townsfolk in a thrilling confrontation with the 70-metre long, 18-metre high, technicolour beast – all set against the backdrop of Derry-Londonderry’s famous Peace Bridge, which physically and symbolically unites both sides of the River Foyle.

Dbn’s brief was two-fold: to design and build a rigging structure aboard The Argus, a 70 metre long sand dredger made available to the production by the Port Authority, on which the Monster could be built and operated, and to light both the Monster itself and the rest of the performance across the vast site.

The boat carrying Nessie travelled up the river, towards the Peace Bridge where it was met by Colmcille who vanquished the beast in a remarkable scene replete with drama, spectacle, pyro, special effects and fireworks.

Dbn’s Nick Todd project managed and coordinated all the Monster’s rigging requirements, while Stephen Page designed lighting for this plus two other areas – Queens Quay, an 800 metre stretch of riverbank which was the main viewing area, and the Peace Bridge itself.

Lighting
Stephen Page drew WYSIWYG models of the Monster’s lighting rig beforehand and maintained enough flexibility in his scheme to be able to make final adjustments and fixture placements once they were actually on site and the Monster was installed. Approaching it any other way would have been impossible.
Fixtures included some of dbn’s brand new Clay Paky Sharpy Washes, which arrived just in time for the event. These were all placed where they could be fitted around the boat, which had a generator on board to supply power.

In particular, two Sharpy Washes in custom dbn domes were used to backlight the Monster’s eyes which worked really well to give the definition and variation required to help convey its emotions throughout the performance.

On the quayside, a row of 24 Clay Paky Alpha Beam 700s positioned right on the edges of the water skimmed the area and shot powerful beams up into the night sky, all controlled by Page from a Jands Vista S3 console.

The Peace Bridge was illuminated with 48 Clay Paky Sharpys attached to special brackets designed by dbn to conceal them under the bridge as discreetly as possible. Their careful positioning also gave a degree of weather protection. The lighting effect accentuated the steely elegance of the Bridge bringing a final touch of magic to the environment as the tale unfolded to the delight of the throngs of onlookers.

Page said: “It was an incredible one-off event that really brought new meaning to the word ‘special’. It stretched the imaginations and technical skills of all those working on the show, and as we all became completely immersed in the action, some incredible teamwork produced amazing results.”

The show engaged audiences of over 33,000 who flocked to Derry-Londonderry for the weekend to catch the drama and fun unfold into a truly memorable experience.