Seriate, 8 May 2020 Contact: davide.barbetta@claypaky.it

The Entertainment Industry uses lights as their "arms" to express solidarity and thank the heroes who are fighting against COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the whole planet hard on every level. Besides the tragedy of those who have lost their loved ones, we all find ourselves facing difficulties in our working lives owing to the inevitable slowdown in business. One of the most affected sectors is precisely the Entertainment industry, which has been always based on large crowds and mass amusement. However the unstoppable dynamism typical of our industry immediately reacted to the lockdown by launching heartfelt gestures of solidarity to the world through light, our special weapon for uniting people remotely. Here is an overview of the main events involving Claypaky lights which have taken place in the world in response to the current emergency situation.

#LightheSky On Sunday 22 March, AV rental companies across the Benelux region lit up the night-time sky in an event called #LightTheSky in an act of solidarity with all the heroes fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic. Countless companies, venues and individuals took part Sunday evening from 20:00 to 20:30 by either pointing light beams skyward or illuminating architecture such as hospitals and parks. Reaction to the event was overwhelmingly positive as the entertainment business showed its support for all the medical staff and other front line service workers fighting to keep us all safe. As an industry hit especially hard by the pandemic, the outpouring of support by lighting companies was especially poignant. AED Rent (www.aedgroup.com) set up an ‘Xtylos only’ installation in front of their office. “The rig was put

together by Jan Willem and Bart using Claypaky Xtylos units. The brightly coloured beams stood out against the

sky, as if in prayer. I think we fully expressed our desire to say thanks and show solidarity," said Steven Mansvelt,

Managing Director of AED.

Credits: AED Rent HQ

ATG AUDIOVISUEL (www.atg-av.nl) created an installation at its headquarters in Vuren on 22 March using Claypaky Mythos 2 units. Daniels Harmen of ATG said: “We saw the images from the hospitals in Bergamo – Italy – so using Claypaky fixtures to spread a message of hope and unity really felt special. The bright shaft of light looked like a beacon of hope in these dark days, even if it was just for a short while.”

D-DREAM (www.d-dream.be) erected this rig at the AZ Hospital in Lokeren, Belgium, consisting of 16 Claypaky Sharpys with 189W lamps. The Sharpys were used to shoot beams of light into the sky. Elke Scheirs, D-Dream’s Operational Manager, said: “We used some colourchangers to paint the hospital's façade with coloured light. Then we used some Sharpys to create movement and figures on the coloured hospital façade.”

Tom Aukes, managing director and lighting designer at Aukes Theatertechniek (https://aukes.nl), used 16 Claypaky Sharpys and other moving heads in the courtyard of their Amsterdam headquarters to produce an installation with beams of light pointing towards the sky as the backdrop for a heart-shaped projection on the ground. Aukes Sales Manager Mark Oppedijk told us: “As our business has been hit very hard by all the measures in place, we all felt we needed to do something to show our support for everyone working in the vital industries. The event was very successful and drew a lot of attention from the local media.”

CUE Sale BV (www.cuesale.com) joined in with the #lighthesky event using several units, including 17 Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330s. The rig was set up in Eijsden, the Netherlands.

Jouw Event Partners (JEP) (www.jouweventpartners.nl) made its contribution with an installation in Kloosterzande, The Netherlands, using Claypaky Sharpy Plus units. The rig was put together by Ticho Roelands . The company also made a VIDEO of the installation.

PSL Sound & Light (www.facebook.com/pslsoundlight) created an installation with Claypaky Mythos 2 units in an unusual "city" setting in Cadier en Keer, The Netherlands. They explained why: “We also wanted to take part to support the heroes of our society at this surreal time.”

#lightuniteaus This solidarity event aimed at the whole world afflicted by COVID-19 was organized by the Australian Lighting Industry Association (ALIA). It took place on 15 April 2020 in major Australian cities. Cat Strom, head of the Association, gave these instructions: “The time can be whenever you wish in the evening for as long as you wish. It can be beams into the night sky, a building wash, projected gobos, media projection, lasers – whatever you wish! Flood your social media with images. Not only will it be a mark of respect to all those fighting the pandemic, it will also draw attention to the plight of the entertainment business in this dreadful time.” The event involved all distributors, manufacturers, production companies, venues and sole traders in the industry. Again, several companies used Claypaky lights for their rigs. Claypaky's long-time distributor SHOW TECHNOLOGY (www.showtech.com.au) built an illuminated walkway in front of its company headquarters. The installation consisted of fixtures made by several companies, including Claypaky. FRONTIER LIGHTING (www.frontierlighting.com.au) produced one of the most significant installations for the #lightuniteaus event using 24 Claypaky Sharpy Plus units to project an incredible heart on the clouds. The company said the aim was to show: “... our respect and gratitude to the front line workers working tirelessly against the COVID-19 global pandemic, also to raise awareness with the general public and surrounds of the horrible devastation and impact this has had on our industry and the unsureness of when or if we will all recover from this …”

CRYSTAL PRODUCTIONS (www.crystalproductions.com.au) and FX FACTORY (https://fxfactory.com.au) pooled their message of solidarity to build a complex installation. It alternated beams of white and coloured light through a mixture of Claypaky Scenius, Mythos and Sharpy units.

EI PRODUCTIONS (www.eiproductions.com.au) and lighting designer Bryce Mace used 24 Claypaky Sharpys for this installation in West Gosford NSW, Australia.

#unitewithlight, #andratuttobene, #welightasone and many others Several other events involved companies in our industry around the world in the battle against COVID-19. Below are just a few. As a symbol of Italian national unity throughout this emergency period, MAFFEI SERVICE (www.maffeiservice.it) installed three Sharpys to recreate an Italian flag from a distance of 300 metres in Levico Terme, North Italy.

Of course, Claypaky itself, which is located in one of the regions most affected by COVID-19 in the world, also paid tribute to all our heroes by reproducing the Italian national flag on the walls of its headquarters. ODEON series architectural projectors were used. The heart was formed using a new IP65 Sharpy Plus AQUA unit.

TWENTY-TWO LIVE (www.twentytwolive.it) used 24 Mythos units to project multicoloured beams from

Ferrazzano, a village on a hill overlooking the town of Campobasso, where the company is based. A beautiful

VIDEO of the installation was also shot from a drone.

Claypaky Mythos units helped BLINK bring a "Beam of Hope" to the Cincinnati skyline to inspire solidarity. The

creative production company teamed up with VINCENT LIGHTING SYSTEMS and BRAVE BERLIN to create an

installation that features six Claypaky Mythos fixtures. The lights, designed to project a beam of hope during

these uncertain times, will be switched on daily from dusk till dawn until the pandemic is under control. “We

have learned that light and art bring us together in moments of joy and sorrow,” said Steve McGowan, Partner

at Brave Berlin. “Let this small gesture remind us all that we are in this together and that we will come out of it a

brighter more unified people.”

Shadok Audio-Visual (https://shadok.pl/) took part to #UniteWithLight. They joined this event at the Arena

Gliwice with a rig full of Claypaky fixtures: Sharpy Plus, Axcor 400 Profile, Mini-B and Sharpy

The Spanish rental company CRAMBO ALQUILER (www.cramboalquiler.es) used Claypaky Xtylos units provided by Claypaky's distributor for Spain STONEX (www.stonexsl.com) in support of all the heroes fighting against the Coronavirus.

On May 5th, Turkish rental company STARAS TECHNICAL PRODUCTIONS (www.staras.com) lit up the sky of Istanbul thanks to 24 Claypaky Sharpys and 12 Mythos 2, to join #UniteWithLight and send a message of hope to the whole lighting industry. Together we are stronger, even if distanced. A special thanks to LD Ilkay Pirgaip for making this happen!

At midnight on May 3, EXTON (http://exton.is), the Claypaky distributor for Iceland, lit up the sky with 32 Claypaky Mythos 2. Light beams crossed each other and reproduced the colours of the national flag into the sky.

Claypaky Sharpy Plus Aqua: Stronger than the storm We would like to conclude this review, that our Industry have devoted to the victims of COVID-19 and to those who are fighting it, with this new Sharpy Plus Aqua teaser video. The creative concept was developed before the outbreak of the pandemic, but it is today a perfect metaphor for the desire we all have for a "guiding light through the storm”.

SHARPY PLUS AQUA – NEW TEASER