SET DESIGN Amaluna director Diane Paulus is ... - Cirque du Soleil

Light and ToneScott, who initially trained as an architect, regards the entire space as more of an artinstallation than a stage set, and he has used light to activate it and take the audience toother places and evoke different emotional responses. During the intense drama of thestorm, for example, the lighting casts the shadows of the branchlike canopy onto thesurface of the Big Top to create a momentary feeling of heightened danger.The Waterbowl is a piece of acrobatic equipment that doubles as a dramatic setelement. It resembles a giant, clear gemstone set in a ring of stylized organic shapes thatresemble a vortex captured in time. As it interacts with the lighting, this “jewel” changesits appearance and aura, much like a real precious stone.Wheels Within WheelsThere are relatively few moving parts in the set design, and that was a deliberate choiceintended to add a certain elegance to the performances by concentrating the audience'sattention on the human performance. There are no visual effects in the Amaluna set,and the automated mechanical elements are designed to be inconspicuous – almostinvisible – even though they are in plain view.Circular sections of the stage revolve to ensure that the entire audience can see each actfrom every angle, and that movement is matched by a circular scenic element above thestage: the Carousel – a custom-made ring that houses downward-facing lighting clustersas well as anchor points for flying acrobatic performers.At times stationary, at times moving, the Carousel can revolve in sync with the stage, orcounter-rotate in the opposite direction to give both the artists and the lightingmaximum flexibility and range of vertical and horizontal motion. It also allows aerialperformers to fly out over the heads of the audience, which emphasizes the immersiveconcept of the set.Some Facts About Set ElementsThe Canopy:• There are 174 branches in 534 sections – 90 in the canopy and 84 upstage –making a total of 1.7 km or 1.05 miles.• There are three models of branches in the canopy and 35 in the upstage.The Carousel and the Grid:• The 25-ft diameter Carousel weighs 6,000 lbs.• The Grid weighs 8,600 lbs and includes three acrobatic winches, each ableto lift loads up to 400 lbs at 10 feet per second.• The acrobatic winch in the centre of the Carousel can lift up to 1,000 lbs at10 feet per second.

The Waterbowl:• The Waterbowl is 5’5” tall, 7’3” in diameter, and weighs 5,500 lbs whenfilled with water.The Chandeliers:• The six Chandeliers are made of aluminum tubes bent and positioned tocreate the effect of a mobile with a span of 14.5 ft.• Each of the Chandeliers supports seven polycarbonate bowls reminiscent ofthe bowls used in the Icarian games number.• Each of the bowls can light up, transforming the structures that supportthem into real Chandeliers.