|
|
|
The Time: January 1992. The Place: St. Paul, Minnesota -- Home
of the Winter Carnival. The Vision: An Ice Palace, standing 166 feet tall, constructed entirely from 700 pound blocks of ice with moving beams of light, vivid instantly changing colors, bright strobe effects, and beams shooting up into the sky-everything choreographed to music. |
|||
|
The Ice Castle, a similar project constructed for the 1986 festival used incandescent light strings and PAR cans on a three-way chase, slowly changing color. But with 1992 technology, we could bring magic to any kingdom. The glamour of moving lights, changing color washes, and a rippling army of strokes -- all dancing in time to a specially produced sound-track. Hiding the luminaries inside the Palace would mysteriously enhance the architectural design; the Palace would look as if it were alive! |
|
||
|
|
Magical
Princes We shut down our business
for three months to plan, coordinate, and execute this giant project. To achieve uniformity through the Palace, we
created special mounting structures to support fixtures and attach them to
the Palace's infrastructure. |
||
|
We laid out the
electrical service and several wiring schemes using trunk feeds through each
of five sections of the Palace. We
redesigned the luminaire layout, as well as cabling for power and
control. To achieve the same coverage
with half the number of fixtures, we specified 20 degree lenses for 128 Color
Pros, along with a diffusion gel casting an oval beam. Finally, seven types of
computer-controlled fixtures were strategically placed and synchronized to
music. Seventy-six Intellabeams added
moving beams of several colors and patterns. |
|
||
|
|
To ensure the peak glowed, we installed four 65 pound fixtures on structural members at heights exceeding 150 feet. Continuing these for uniformity throughout the tower required custom trussing, Intellabeams in the sub-towers and walls were rigged to wooden fixture supports, which were lifted by pulleys. Thirty PAR 38's brightened the color canopies. Over a hundred Strobing Data Flashes provided an animated effect while 130 Color Pros gave solid washes of dichroic color. Eight fiber-optic illuminators fed the four front arches. The final touch, 68 MultiRays shot 544 rays out the tops of the towers. |
||
|
The crystal clear ice used in the Palace was Harvested from Green Lake near Spicer, MN. The 168 million pounds of ice would soon transmit color, movements, and patterns of light spectacularly. It took 40 electricians, 6 carpenters, 12 technicians, and our staff working eight straight days in two shifts around the clock to complete this project on time. |
|||
|
|
On cold January evenings, a spectacular ten minute animated light and sound show with a specially produced soundtrack followed by 20 minutes of slowly changing colors illuminated the 1992 St. Paul Winter Carnival, leaving a lasting impression for years to come. |
|
|
Being visited by over two
million people, the Ice Palace was also making news around the world. Though the Palace melted away and is now just a memory, we ask ourselves, “Was it all worth it?” Our fantastical vision was realized when a small snowbird told her mother about the “Magical Prince” she saw flying to wake his “Enchanted Princess.” To this 3-year-old girl, each light was a fairy, dancing to the music of a blissful celebration. |
||
|
|
|
The Author: Steven M.
Frattalone founded Frattalone and Associates, Inc. in 1980. The consulting
firm specializes in design engineering, custom fabrication, space planning,
and technical support. Frattalone and Associates, Inc. provides audio, video,
and lighting services to hospitality, entertainment, and other industries. |
|
- Links to our other Projects - |
||||
|
Frattalone and Associates,
Inc. · Professional
Entertainment Systems P.O. Box 14110, St. Paul, MN 55114 · (651) 644-3300 · Fax: (651) 645-6746 E-Mail: Contact-Us@Frattalone.com
|
