Revelation through Illumination
Keeping it Real Pink for the Carolina Breast Friends
Lighting Dialogue by Jack Kelly
October 18 2008 | Quail Hollow Country Club | Charlotte NC

Evie Award for "Best Event Innovation"- Greater Charlotte Chapter of ISES

675' G50 String Light Bulbs
12 Chauvet Colorado 3's
16 Chauvet Colorado 1's
18 Elation Opti RGB
4 Chauvet Q-Spot 300
46 Elation Opti 30's
32 Swivilier's
18 Elation Flex RGB Tape

Global Truss 12" Goalie System
Elation Wireless DMX System
Martin Light Jockey
Rosco CTO Gel
BenQ 4000 Lumen Projector
Damar P30 Narrow Spots
Damar P30 Narrow Floods
Custom Pink House

Our understanding of the history of an event, the pressing issues of the event and the vision are essential in connecting with clients. Context is the most valuable tool of the event designers. Creating creative yet relevant effects satisfies both the conservative and the progressive assuring individual success. Last year for the Oysters on the Lawn we were allotted an open park in front of the Mint Museum. This year the event was at the Quail Hollow Country Club and we had to plan for rain. Carolina Breast Friends (CBF) Oysters on the Lawn is a fund raiser for Project Pink House. The House is built to be a refuge for breast cancer survivors. Raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, the Oysters on the Lawn is the primary fund raising event and celebration for the project.

In order to get the best possible event, the Carolina Breast Friends put the project out to several event planning organizations. With experience lighting the project the previous year, Eye Dialogue was called on by Rogers & Gala for an idea generating session. We discussed problems with the year before and concepts that would enhance the coming event.

The ominously dark yard was the main issue with the previous year. Originally lamp posts were going to be scattered around the yard, but the post were cut from the budget. Unfortunately, Eye Dialogue was told that the tables were not our responsibility and the lighting fell through the cracks. The job was patched with several hundred candles which didn’t do much. Candles are only efficient with either supportive ambient light or white ceilings which reflect the light back onto the floor, which exponentially increases the brightness. This year we decided to use 750 G50 bulbs on string lights throughout the 10,000 sq ft tent. The canopy of 2” blubs gave the tent a southern flair. The even and familiar glow created a feeling of intimacy and comfort in an otherwise overwhelming tent.

The secondary complaint of the previous year was the dark stage. Unfortunately very few cover bands have professional lighting directors. The simple par can system the band brought probably works fine indoors but without a back drop the band members would momentary disappear into the darkness. The mysterious, spooky effect wasn’t pleasant or consistent with the southern theme. CBF didn’t help the already dark stage by using half the lights on stage to light the dark dance floor. To solve the previous year’s lighting famine, we framed the stage with color changing truss. The truss framed the stage giving the space a necessary significance to beg everyone’s attention. The stage was well lit with LED pars. Although we still didn’t have a back drop, the tent ceiling assisted in bringing more interest and light to the stage. In addition to the stationary pars, four moving lights were used for band specials as well as dance lights. Now when CBF wanted to entice the guest to dance we could sweep lighting effects through the dance floor and ceiling.

The final complaint concerned the missed auction items. Previously, the auctioneer had creatively clamped can lights onto trees tables and tents shining both onto the objects and into people’s faces. The auction was outdoors and without a lighting design the mistake was unavoidable and unnoticed until after the event started. Some items were too dark and some were too bright. Unfortunately, some items were lost in the shuffle. Opportunely for us, Quail Hollow Country Club had a beautiful great room and foyer, the items were housed indoors! Plus, all the recessed cans had medium based lamp sockets! With the help of 32 Swiveliers, we dropped each light 6 to 8 inches. Replacing the lamps with narrow spots, we focused the light on the display tables. Each item glowed with purpose, attracting the guest as they mingled with friends.

Similar to last year, we used par30s gelled with CTO to light the Oyster Shacks. The golden glow from the shacks suggested a grandparent’s home in a time when lighting only glowed amber. Instead of lighting the giant trees as we did at the Mint Museum, we lit the Doric Columns of the country club and the small trees around the courtyard. Additional LED lighting was added into the back room, suggesting the lighting style from the previous year.

With all the issues addressed and the previous themes instated, we needed an edge to assure that our presentation would be embraced. Submersing my thoughts with talk about the future and creating a theme for the next ten years, I settled on a legacy piece. The idea was to create a fantastic pink house and add new elements every year. For the windows, we would fabricate video screens for films about the current year’s vision and accomplishments. Each year we would add a new window with a new video displaying that year’s message and mission. With each passing year, the guest can see the vision of previous years recalling how much the organization has accomplished. The pink house would be both a physical monument to the project as well as a historical record inspiring each new year of attendees.

House, cool. Video, cool. But the concept alone wouldn’t be enough. The pink house needed the wow factor. We decided to use a combination of pink light and paint, both the additive (RGB | light) and subtractive (CMY | paint) forms of pink. The house was made up of 19 independent sections. Each section was hollow in the center, framed with 1” thick wood. On each board, openings were cut into 2 opposing sides. White Plexi was used to cover the openings on the inside of the hollow frame. The wood was then painted the color pink specified by CBF. The house standing 12’ tall had 6 support beams and 3 rafters. The exposed structure of the house symbolized the status of the real pink house, young and growing. The excitement of new construction influenced our guest as they began to visualize the finished product.

With the structural design completed, the lighting provided the wow factor. Elation makes a color changing LED tape that is nearly flat and was loosely attached into each wood section. We painted the inside of the beams white to maximize the lumination. 16 strips of tape completely covered the interior of the framework. The LED color changing lighting exploded out of the white Plexi creating the impact we needed. The house was not only pink but everything that neared its structure reflected pink. The house represented the soft and feminine essence of pink, yet contained an undeniable boldness that affected everything around it.

Although a construction worker would look at the framework and immediately know what was implied. We had to be certain that the symbol was indisputable without confusion. If we could have used classic grills in the window, the visual would have been obvious. Yet, the video wouldn’t have been intelligible if we had added it. Simple enough to fix, we added a pink door. Now anyone would immediately recognize the form.

For the first year, we decided to use a word and picture collage for the video. The raw stated vision alone, we believed would impact the guest the most. As everyone entered that night, they stopped to watch the video. The impact was clear; the pink house was a success. But we didn’t stop there, actors dressed in pink mimed construction in both still and slow motion. Pink paint cans, step ladders, and fabrics were strategically placed about the house. The actors looked at pink plans together, hammered with pink hammers, and painted with pink brushes. The interactive effect completed the pink house concept with a double wow.

Over 1000 lights, giant color changing columns, houses inside of houses, 10,000 square foot tent, and a powerful stage were not enough. We added a bonus piece, 2 massive ice sculptures with 4 powerful LED fixtures each. The oyster shrines were both stylish and fun. The glowing beacons called the guest to the bars. Refracting a cool blue glow, the ice washed everyone around itself with light. Mimicking the effect of the inner glow of the pink house which suggested CBF's vision welling up from within; the oyster ice sculpture had a reflective glow demonstrating our ability to inspire each other.

Learning from the previous years, we addressed their known concerns. By addressing the problems first, we assured the client that we both understand the issues and could provide solutions. By integrating the successful effects of the previous year, we demonstrated context. Adapting their ideas and décor, an alliance was forged. By creating the concept for the pink house, we demonstrated both our creativity and our understanding of the vision of CBF. We felt the pride of our work and the joy of helping an organization with great vision. In essence, we partnered with CBF’ Oysters on the Lawn, establishing cohesion with the past and paving the way for the future.