Turners provides events access package for Edinburgh International Festiva

The Edinburgh International Festival transforms one of the world's most beautiful cities, presenting three exhilarating weeks of the finest creators and performers from the worlds of the arts for everyone to enjoy.

Using Turner OCTO® Scaffolding System, Turner Access provided five structures for viewing, control, projection and sound that allowed animations to be projected onto the walls of the Usher Hall for a spectacular visual performance, accompanied by a recording of John Adams’ choral work, Harmonium, made by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

The animated projections were made by 59 Productions who combined technology and art to make a brand new work, celebrating the science of singing. 59 Productions worked with experts from the Centre for Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh to extract data from eye-tracking software, EEG machines which measured brain activity and accelerometers which captured body movement to gauge physical and mental responses during the act of singing.


Challenges:

The project itself presented several challenges for the Turner Access Contracts and Design Divisions that were overcome by using the Turner OCTO® Scaffolding System. It was of the utmost importance that the scaffolding structures be aesthetically pleasing so they did not detract from the visual impact of the performance.

It was also crucial that the structures offered complete peace of mind to the principal contractor with regards to safety and security due to the very close proximity of the audience and general public.

The sound and lighting structures had to be completely rigid to prevent any movement whatsoever and the integral strength of the structures had to be of such quality that they minimized any unwanted movements that could again affect the quality of the performance.

With the months of preparation from the sound and creative engineers, the directors and event planners, it was crucial that the structures be built quickly and to the exact time specification, in line with the programme timetable.


The Outcome:

Covered by media outlets across the world, The Harmonium Project was a befitting opening to the 2015 Edinburgh International Festival, a much revered celebration of international culture and arts.

An audience of almost 20,000 people gathered on EdinburghÂ’s Festival Square to view the spectacular transformation of the Usher Hall theatre and Turner Access was proud to play a part in bringing the project to fruition.

The project was completely unique in its visual and musical performance and in the scope of its creativity and imagination.

The enjoyment of the audience and the satisfaction of the client represented another job well done for Turner Access.

“It is always a pleasure to work with Turner Access. Their professionalism and attention to detail is second to none.”

John Robb, Head of Technical at Edinburgh Internat