Innibos 2011

19 August 2011

Photo courtsy Lurina Fourie A highlight on the arts and culture calendar is the Lowveld National Arts Festival, Innibos, held this year from 27 June to the 1st July 2011 which amazingly was attended by over 100 000 people. The festival kicked off with a performance by The Parlotones and Elvis Blue, included daily entertainment and a popular gospel finale on the last night of the show, and then the main concert, held on Saturday evening, where 40 000 people gathered to see artists Steve Hofmeyer, Kurt Darren, Dozi, Nianell and a list of others.

Sound Headquarters Africa was in charge of the Main stage production and provided the sound, backline and crew as well as 8 Robe 600 E Beams and 8 Robin 600 LEDs. The rest of the large Robe retinue, controlled with a grandMA Full Size, was provided by MGG Productions (see end of article for equipment list).

Johan Ferreira from JSF Productions has been involved with Innibos for the past five years as lighting designer and technical director for most of the performances on the main stage. This year was no different. He says, however, that unlike previous years, the festival committee decided not to include international acts to the show line-up but instead to pump these funds into the local production – the end result was a spectacular show!

Photo courtsy Lurina Fourie

“I always have creative freedom at Innibos,” said Johan, “But my idea for the Saturday show was to create a theatrical feel which I felt was achieved to a great extent.” In regards to challenges faced, the show was smooth sailing. “With the amazing crew that Alvin Bruinders of Sound Headquarters Africa provided, I had no problems during the rigging or during the shows. There is always the obvious challenges on a festival stage. The movements of artists are always unpredictable which makes the task of keeping the whole stage lit and placing focus on the performers and band a daunting one. This meant that I had to plan my programming to allow me to busk during shows, a job made a lot easier using the grandMA.”

Another well loved event at Innibox was the Friday night performance by “Kurt Darren en Jukebox vriende.” This same performance was featured at “InniBosveld”, held in February this year at singer Kurt Darren’s Farm. impress

Photo courtsy Lurina Fourie In regard to gear, Johan was impressed with the Robe 600 E Beams. “After using the 700 Beams I thought that the 600s would not be nearly as bright or impressive. “I couldn’t have been more wrong,” said Johan. “Some of my friends and crew phoned me while I was programming to tell me that they could see the beams from their houses in town! The Robe beam lights will always impress any crowd and any client.”

Johan also sang the praises of the Robin 600 LEDs. “It’s a very powerful fixture that gives you a great amount of light where you need it, and how you need it! This is the first LED fixture that I have used capable of creating soft pastel colours as well as rich saturated colours. I was also impressed by the speed of the fixture and the ability to zoom the beam for a smooth uniform wash on stage. I was able to create a smooth wash on the 16m x 12m stage with 20 fixtures.”

Innibos, one of the country’s largest art festivals, is held in Nelspruit every year. Known for its good winter temperatures, Nelspruit is the ideal location and the festival grounds include 14 venues for drama and music shows and five open stages besides the main stage. “The vibe as a whole is absolutely electrifying during the week, but especially on Saturday during the big Jacaranda 94.2 show with the mind blowing live band, amazing acts, dancers and the huge audience with people laughing, crying and dancing on their seats!” explained Johan. “The show was unlike anything I have ever seen on an open air stage in South Africa!

Photo courtsy Lurina Fourie