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Philipp Kirkorov supported by WI Creations

Philipp Kirkorov supported by WI Creations

Belgian engineering specialist WI Creations has designed and supplied motion control, customised staging and hardware/infrastructure for Russian singer Philipp Kirkorov’s latest tour which featured a show design by creative director Franco Dragone.

 

The first WI element of the project was to create fourteen aluminium flying wings and a kinetic system to make them move. All of these flying elements have an integrated LED lighting system that allows lighting effects. All fourteen wings were used for five shows at The Kremlin in Moscow that launched the tour, after which ten wings continued as part of the touring set up.

 

The wing flying system needed to be lightweight, so the wings were flown in the roof on tracking trolleys that house two zero-speed chain hoists for the 14 m high flight path, and run from left to right on 3 metre span tracking beams. These were all suspended on the production’s trussing and programmed into WI’s control software which regulated the movements.

 

The second phase of the project for WI was fabricating the intricate stage - which has flooring at 200, 400 and 600 millimetre levels - in three different variants to deal with the different sized venues on the tour. Each of the three stage levels encompassed LED light boxes on their downstage and offstage edges. Additionally, the 600 mm level contained a trap-door for small stage props and housed three hydraulic scissor lifts which were used for performer show moves.

 

Set designer Marcos Viñals worked for Dragone and produced all the visual designs, including the staging shapes and artwork for the Marley floor covering. The biggest version of the stage was 18 metres wide by 12 deep - so far used only at the Kremlin - while the larger touring version was 13.3 metres wide by 8.5 metres deep, with a smaller one at 9.2 metres wide and also 8.5 deep. WI also provided the scissor lifts and integrated these into the stage surrounds. Most elements of the central 600 mm level could be re-used across all three versions, but the 400 and 200 mm sections were completely specific to the different variants of the stage.

 

The third scenic element was a downstage lift with fountain effect that was revealed in the final song of the set. WI built the 3.2 by 2 metre aluminium water tank with integrated forklift sleeves, wheels and adjustable feet for easy handling and levelling, whilst also housing all the lifting mechanics, one large central water fountain and 8 periphery nozzles with their relevant pumping equipment.

 

The lift platform was driven up and down by an external pneumatic unit and the water elements were integrated by The Crystal Group from France. During the show the platform sat level with the stage. For the final song, it was lowered 15 cm into the water and the fountains started, revealing a visual effect that had stayed invisible for most of the show.

 

All the equipment was purchased by the production and WI trained their operator to run and maintain it for the duration of the tour. All the flying wings and stage parts have been designed by WI to pack into dollies. The time between receiving the signed contract and the first delivery leaving Belgium for Moscow by road - which took around a week - was six weeks.

 

WI’s designated team of R‘n’D, project management and administration members dealt with the project from their Heist-op-den-Berg HQ, assisted by the warehouse crew for system assembly. Another four people were dispatched to Moscow to aid with the first time assembly. WI worked in close collaboration with Dragone’s production manager Guillaume Duflot, technical director Jean Marcouiller, Marcos Viñals and the Kirkorov production, led by production manager Ilya Piatrouski and technical manager Sergey Koltsov.

 

www.wicreations.com

 

Philipp Kirkorov supported by WI CreationsPhilipp Kirkorov supported by WI Creations

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