Located in central London, the Science Museum is one of the world’s most popular museums, regularly attracting over 3 million visitors on an annual basis. The venue is world-renowned for its historic collections, awe-inspiring galleries and inspirational exhibitions. It was also the only venue in the UK to feature a screening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in IMAX 70mm 2D. To tie in with the opening of this box office smash, along with the need for external lighting, the Science Museum approached White Light to supply them with a creative solution; with this being the CORE Lighting StripPoints.
The IMAX cinema at the Science Museum is overseen by Technical Manager, Matthew Raymond. He comments: “We have been looking for external lighting for some time now, in order to enhance the exterior of the building. Similarly, with the screening of Star Wars, we really wanted to give the building a ‘sci-fi’ feel. We were originally going to go with floodlights yet these would be extremely expensive to run. Therefore we approached WL to see what options they could provide”.
Chris Harris, WL’s Installation’s Business Development Manager, comments: “The Science Museum wanted a product that could not only illuminate the side of the building but have the versatility to be used inside as they wanted to light the actual screen whilst the film was being shown. Looking through our large inventory of lighting equipment, it became clear that the CORE StripPoints were the perfect solution to their lighting requirements”.
The CORE StripPoints are lightweight lithium battery-powered 1 metre LED battens with Wireless DMX Control and 18 x pixel-mapped LEDs. Rated for outdoor use (IP65), they have an extremely bright 4000lumen output for lighting walls (wall-washing up to three storeys), creating visual effects or low-resolution screen using multiple battens together. This all comes compact in a small fixture, which weighs only 6.5Kg.
Chris states: “To ensure that the CORE StripPoint was exactly what they required, CORE’s Founder Phil Ion actually went down to the Science Museum to demonstrate the product. It lit up all four storeys with unbelievable ease so we knew this was the perfect product”.
Once purchased, the lights were immediately used throughout the six week run of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens screening, positioned along the back of the Wellcome Wing. Matthew comments: “The lights look fantastic and created the exact feel we required. They added a further dimension for those coming to see the film and we are very happy with them”.
Following the screenings, the lights will be used predominantly inside the building, in order to add more depth to the space. Chris states: “What’s great about these lights is how multi-purpose they are. To be able to light the outside of a building like the Science Museum so spectacularly and then use the very same lights for the interior just goes to show how truly versatile they are. We are finding that more venues requiring lights for multiple purposes are investing in CORE Lighting as they offer so many different options”.
WL is the exclusive distributor of CORE Lighting products and this year alone has already utilised them on high-profile events such as the Tower of London HRP Showcase, London Fashion Week and the NME Awards.
Phil Ion comments: “Throughout 2016, we will be developing the CORE product range further with a couple of exciting new battery-powered and wireless-controlled lighting products. Our aim is to provide a suite of key products which can be used in any venue, on any event, at any time. Every new unit we create will have the same suitability of power, ease of use, robustness and quality that has been the hallmark of our existing product range. It’s an extremely exciting time for CORE and we are delighted that WL is able to help push this forward”.