ETC dealer, Stonex has supplied 19 source four LED mini fixtures to light the installations of acclaimed Indian Artist and Filmmaker Amar Kanwar at the Thyssen Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid.
The renowned art museum in Spain hosted the work of Amar – ‘Testimonios Relámpago’ and ‘El Bosque Soberano’. ETC lighting was used to enhance his exhibition which focuses on the concepts of nature, landscape, climate and human presence whilst criticising the political state and lack of justice in his native country, India.
Amar’s artwork in ‘La Sala de Las Semillas’, is characterised by taking elements of nature from India and using them as an activist proposal. Different types of rice grains were collected and carefully categorised in small drawers. The room required a dim light that created a warm and intimate atmosphere. Amar selected ETC for the installation based on his previous experience with the company from exhibiting in different parts of the world.
Lighting Designer Carlos Alzueta specialises in theatrical and museum lighting and worked on the project at the Thyssen Bornemisza. “Amar has in-depth lighting knowledge and having used ETC before, was especially interested in using Source Four LED Mini fixtures for their reliability and superior optics,” commented Carlos.
“For lighting in museums and exhibitions, it is useful to have the option of focusing, adjusting or cutting out light. We worked with a combination of neutral filters with different densities to adjust the light of the fixtures,” remarked Amar.
The lighting design involved a CAD program to calculate light output in the Thyssen Bornemisza. “The distance of light projection to the walls of the equipment room and the angle of the optics (50°) were determined, as well as the amount of equipment required to cover the entire wall,” said Carlos. The decision to have LED lighting, resulted in saving energy consumption and saved time from the lighting installation, which was simplified with ETC’s products.
“ETC’s Source Four range is the industry standard in Spain when it comes to theatre lighting. Considering the European regulations which are setting energy efficiency requirements in lighting, ETC’s Source Four products are a strong fit for lighting in museums which are becoming increasingly LED. The high-quality standard of ETC products will see it lead the change towards LED and colour control that we have been experimenting with for some years,” concluded Carlos.
ETC’s exclusive dealer in Spain, Stonex supplied the fixtures and assisted in delivering the project thanks to over 39 years of experience in providing professional lighting and stage engineering solutions.
