Robe Sponsors Student Bursary for Vivid Sydney Festival Project

	Simon Brockwell and Jaz Hewitt

Robe is sponsoring a student bursary run by London, UK-based lighting designer Simon Brockwell of design practice SBLD, that will enable him to take a lighting design assistant to work alongside him for the upcoming 2013 VIVID Sydney Festival of Light Music & Ideas in Australia.

Brockwell is presenting his interactive "Nocturnal Pianola" lighting installation and concept.

Robe's relationship with Brockwell goes back to when he was a lighting design / programming student at Rose Bruford College in Kent. When "Nocturnal Pianola" was selected as one of the works to be exhibited at the festival, he approached Robe to see if they were interested in getting involved in Vivid.

"Robe has never been about pushing the product -- their emphasis is definitely on relationships," comments Brockwell. "As a lighting graduate, I know the importance of students to have opportunities provided by those already working in the industry, and this is something that Robe obviously clearly values."

Robe SRO's CEO Josef Valchar and Ashley Lewis, key account manager for film, theatre, and TV from Robe UK, in particular have been instrumental in making the VIVID bursary happen and in taking an interest generally in Brockwell's work.

Selecting a student to work with him in Australia for three weeks was a challenging task, and Brockwell was inundated with applicants from virtually every performing arts college in the UK.

"The standard of applicants was incredibly high," he explains, which made it even harder! However, after examining all the CVs in detail and interviewing as many candidates as possible in person, he chose Jaz Hewitt, a first year lighting design student at the Central School of Speech & Drama in London.

"I wanted someone bright and talented who was not a known lighting designer, didn't have any specific design credits, and who'd not previously worked before with a major lighting company. Basically someone who was open to learning and self-development."

Hewitt is delighted to have the opportunity and thrilled about the actual installation work and the way its interactivity can be developed. "I'm very excited about the placement -- it's something artistic and different that stands out. It will be a very memorable experience."

Brockwell has every confidence that Hewitt will be an excellent colleague, "I hope her experience of the event is enjoyable as well as beneficial!" he concludes.

As "Nocturnal Pianola" is a non-profit production undertaken by SBLD for cost, without Robe's help, taking an assistant lighting designer and offering an aspiring new young designer this fantastic experience would have been out of the question.

The installation will run from May 24th to June 10th on Sydney Harbour's Circular Quay.

See Robe at PLASA Focus: Orlando, May 15-16, and PLASA Focus: Austin, September 10-11.