The Carola Crane

The city of Bilbao wanted to accentuate the physical presence of the Carola Crane as a testament to the industrial and cultural heritage of the city and area. To do so, lighting designers and multidisciplinary artists from ElektrART along with Itsasmuseum pulled the famous crane from the darkness of the night through an art installation that melds light and sound in an emotional journey that celebrates the last four decades of Bilbao's urban transformation.

To supply the "light" aspect of the installation, ElektrART chose Lumenpulse Lumenbeam LBX luminaires to illuminate the architectural details of the crane using precise 4° optics. The Lumenbeam luminaires were easily able to blend seamlessly with the surrounding architecture and estuary while still providing light exactly where was is needed. The Lumenbeams were factory painted using a custom red RAL color to match the structure exactly.

ElektrART designed a lighting concept that "caresses" the prominent iron structure, highlighting its peculiar red color, with white light. The intensity of the light itself is synchronized with the intensity and the musical composition, creating a harmonic dance of light, so the crane itself carries the illusion of movement.

The DMX dynamic control system manages the lighting design in real-time and was used to help design and test the initial light and sound installation along the way. The programmed art installation is set in motion every Friday and Saturday; the white light remains static on the crane throughout the rest of the week.

The Carola Crane is an iconic urban reference for all the citizenship in Bilbao. Through the artistic The Soul of Carola project, is now an even more dynamic cultural reference thanks to the artistic vision of all those involved in the surrounding art installation. People are rediscovering the Carola Crane, and they are happy to have it celebrated in such a thought-provoking manner. And tourists are discovering the Carola Crane and the Itsasmuseum's surroundings as a new cultural center in the city of Bilbao.

EQUIPMENT SPECIFIED

8 x Lumenbeam LBX (HO, 3000K, Extra Narrow)

4 x Lumenbeam LBX (HO, 3000K, Flood)