Syncrolite Shines on Dallas Aurora

	1 Arts Plasa building, Dallas, with lighting by Syncrolite. Photo: Scogin Mayo

Nearly 90 contemporary works of light, sound, performance, and projection art recently transformed the downtown Dallas Arts District into a new media art exhibition called Dallas Aurora 2013. Syncrolite, a Dallas-based theatrical and architectural lighting manufacturer, played a role as one of the lighting exhibits in this 19-square-block event.

Syncrolite provided a system of ten 8,000W XL xenon lighting fixtures to illuminate the 1 Arts Plaza, one of the highlighted locations for the multi-sensory and participatory experiences.

On the October 18 event day, Troy Eckerman programed the XL fixtures, while a Syncrolite team -- including Steve Washington, Jesus Vigueria, Pete Martinez, Arturo Ruiz, Shawn Rodney, and Isaac Cantu -- installed the system.

All of the XLs were positioned on the sidewalk, across the street directly opposite 1 Arts Plaza. The ten fixtures were grouped into two banks with five XLs in each bank on either side of Flora Street -- the main thoroughfare of the event. The XL xenon lighting fixtures were chosen to provide the punch needed for the 250' high building. Each XL shined a mix of bright white light and changing colors onto 1 Arts Plaza building.

Work began on the project six months earlier. Syncrolite's Dave Keighley, executive vice president and chief operating officer, submitted to Aurora organizers his design for the system along with CAD renderings to show what the building would look like using Syncrolite's lights. "Aurora loved the design and we were officially accepted as one of the exhibits for the event," Keighley said.

"There were no real issues," he added. "We had a very slight sprinkle of rain around 6pm an hour before the event opened. It was a relatively simple set up and between our Syncrolite team and the event organizers everything worked smoothly. It was a great success and seen by more than 30,000 people on the night," said Keighley.

Dallas Aurora was spearheaded by artists Shane Pennington and co-founders Joshua King and Veletta Forsythe Lill. The event is modeled after all-night events known as "Nuit Blanche" (French for "White Night" or "Sleepless Night") that take place in some of the world's greatest cities. This year's theme, "Light of Convergence," was designed to present artwork in unique and unexpected ways that interplay with the buildings, streets, and surfaces of the Dallas Arts District.