Russian lighting designer Marina Larikova dubbed Claypaky fixtures as ‘the best
creative devices’ after using 125 of the leading Italian brand’s moving heads and
strobes in her lighting design for cutting-edge electronic dance music (EDM) festival
Alfa Future People, Russia.

With global audiences of 50,000, the two-day festival celebrates the latest in EDM
and consumer technology. Larikova worked with video designer Yury Vorontsov and
set designer Shlyamin Pavel to bring alive the festival’s nine-storey high main
stage. A giant female cyborg set piece complete with heart-shaped DJ booth
provided the focal point of the main stage, where world famous DJs Dimitri Vegas &
Like Mike played headline sets.

“I needed versatile lighting tools to maintain a diverse range of looks and keep the
audience absorbed in the performances,” says Larikova. “Alfa Future People
celebrates innovation, love and the future. The rig needed to be state-of-the-art and
high-tech to reflect this ethos, whilst able to produce beat-perfect visuals that would
keep up with the music and translate both well on camera and also in situ.”

Larikova realised her high-impact design through a mix of 22 x SuperSharpys, 40 x
Stormys and 73 x Sharpys supplied by Russian rental house Light Logic. The design
was a result of painstaking pre-programing and visualisation techniques that
resulted in an almost two-day non-stop acid-test accurate show that had audiences
stunned.

Larikova rigged 22 SuperSharpys of the fixtures along the highest vertical of the
stage’s rig. Using the fixtures’ 24 /28 DMX 512 control channels and advanced
programming features, Larikova created architectural light shows that extended the
length and breadth of the festival’s main stage. Narrowing the fixtures’ 0° to 4°
adjustable beam angle, Larikova was able to intersperse the SuperSharpy beam
underneath those of the show’s lasers to create looks that reached right over the
audience.

Larikova rigged 40 Claypaky Stormys, the brand’s cutting-edge LED strobe, in
formation behind the stage’s 18 giant LED screens. The Stormy’s high-end
technology allowed Larikova complete control of the frequency, duration and
intensity of the fixtures pulse meaning she could integrate the light with the music,
video and set in a way that unified the elements.

As well as having to find fixtures that were high output and versatile, durability was
another key factor for Larikova. Held in the countryside surrounding the Russian
town of Bolshoye Kolzino Alfa Future People’s open-air setting held some
challenges.

Larikova selected the Claypaky Sharpy – a sturdy, lightweight fixture that offers
exceptional weatherproof functionality through the addition of the Claypaky Igloo, a
tough UV-resistant transparent polycarbonate dome. The Sharpy’s in-built cooling
system meant that Larikova was able to confidently use the fixture both day and
night without pressing concerns of the fixture’s overheating.

Alfa Future People is one of Russia’s largest music festivals. This year’s headliners
included world famous DJs Axwell & Sebastian Ingrosso, Armin van Buuren, Martin
Garrix, W&W, Lost Frequencies, Brennan Heart and Infected Mushroom. This year’s
festival was held between the 22 and 24 July.