Johannesburg rental company, MGG, were appointed to supply the full technical for The Africa Play Conference, the first of its kind in Africa, hosted at The Maslow Time Square, a premier hotel in Pretoria, earlier this year.
The Africa Play Conference is a partnership between the Lego Foundation, the Department of Basic Education of the Republic of South Africa, UNICEF South Africa and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA). Four hundred delegates from around the globe comprising of leaders, educators, policy makers and researchers joined together to share insights and come up with ideas to help equip children in Africa to become creative and lifelong learners. The emphasis was to explore learning through play and how this could improve the quality of early childhood development and become an integral part of the education system.
“To add an element of fun, MGG was asked to include Lego pieces in the set design,” said Denzil Smith of MGG. “We soon realized that the Lego factory in Denmark was willing to manufacture actual Lego blocks, 500cm wide x 250cm high and 250cm deep, which were then shipped to South Africa. There was great excitement as the containers arrived at the MGG premises, and even more so when it came to the actual load-in. It was like watching children build a big Lego set!”
Denzil Smith with his own Lego creation at the MGG offices.
Günther Müller from MGG
MGG Project Manager, Günther Müller, was on-site to head the project from start to finish. The Lego built stage included three high-resolution Absen 2.9mm LED screens designed into the white set, which were the main source for content and information. The middle screen was able to switch to live camera feed for presentations. H30 black powdered Prolyte truss was rigged over the stage via 12 Prolyft Aetos quarter ton motors. The lighting gear included 28 Robe 600 LEDWash fixtures, 16 x Selecon SPX 15-35 degree Zoom Spots. A grandMA 2onPC controlled the lighting elements, while a DiGiCo S21 took care of the audio control.
“It was an incredible event,” said Denzil, a life-long Lego enthusiast and builder. “Architectural Lego which was used as an educational tool to teach children about buildings and history of the world, with structures including the London Bridge, Eifel Tower and the Whitehouse in America. In one session, each delegate was presented with a small Lego pack without any building instructions. They then had to produce a Lego item as depicted on the main screen, and while all different, each person was able to design something very similar to what they saw. The presenter explained that if you are not told how to do something, your brain actually gets creative and is able to come up with the endgame. In education, there is no right or wrong, but different ways to get the same results.”
Photos: Anriette van Wyk, Kief Kreativ
