Events - Big Image Systems

INSPIRATION FROM THE WORLD OF LARGE PRINT
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENT
SPECIAL EDITION
E vents
High-flying horses in Sochi
A grand opening at the Olympics
Chanel takes over the streets
Full-scale success at the Fashion Week
Like a dance in Graz
An oriental tent at the Opernredoute Ball
Magazine
SPECIAL
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22. TAKING VISITORS FOR A VISUAL SPIN
The world’s biggest printer is here to stay
BIG IMAGE is currently one of the most experienced manufactuBIG IMAGE is currently one of the most experienced manufacturers of large image communications in the world, and specializes in
rers of large image communications in the world, and specializes in
images printed on soft, flexible material. We have extensive knowimages printed on soft, flexible material. We have extensive knowledge of the technology, craftsmanship and artistic expression. Big
ledge of the technology, craftsmanship and artistic expression. Big
Image has customers all over the world. From big cities to small
Image has customers all over the world. From big cities to small
towns. On Broadway or at your wedding. On a downtown facade or
towns. On Broadway or at your wedding. On a downtown facade or
on the wall in your conference room. Whether you need an image of
on the wall in your conference room. Whether you need an image of
a few square meters or want to drape an entire department store as
a few square meters or want to drape an entire department store as
a giant cake, we have the expertise to get the job done.
a giant cake, we have the expertise to get the job done.
– WIDE FORMAT PRINTING ON SOFT MATERIALS –
– WIDE FORMAT PRINTING ON SOFT MATERIALS –
Big Magazine is printed on nordic ecolabelled Scandia
scandia 2000 (100 % ECF-pulp)
and has been climate compensated. Design: Bror Rudi Creative
“I’m eager to see what the future has in store for
the event industry”
IMAGE /// BIG IMAGE
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
Events create
ideal meeting
opportunities
No matter how modern human civilization becomes, we will still always have a need for physical
meetings. The fact that the event industry keeps
growing is clear proof of this. I myself find it easier
to think together with others, and I’m convinced
that I’m not alone in this. There’s something special about letting different perspectives converge
and result in something new and better. That’s
how we at Big Image often work together with
our clients. New ideas and thoughts on how to
achieve desired goals, according to specific needs
– that’s what moves things forward, and what
makes my job so exciting. Many of the people
I have met, and many of the projects that have
become reality thanks to these meetings, come
from event situations.
Events as a meeting allow for detailed planning,
but also spontaneity and freedom – an optimal
starting point for inspiration and knowledge, and
with infinite variation possibilities. That’s why I’m
very eager to see what the future has in store for
the event industry. Together, we will be able to
meet in different places – online, and throughout
the world – to create and improve our plans and
businesses.
In this issue of Big Magazine, we have focused on
some of the event projects that we have recently
produced together with brave and very knowledgeable clients. Whether large or small, they have
all been challenging – and exciting to be a part of.
Andreas Skantze
international sales manager,
big image
TEXT /// JOHANNA BROMAN TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGES /// BIG IMAGE
In most cases, progress results from people meeting and sharing visions and experiences. For
years, the event format has been one of the most lucrative ways of expanding one’s network and
finding new inspiration. According to Big Image’s International Sales Manager Andreas Skantze,
we can continue to look forward to many innovative events in the future.
Why is it that the event industry is still so large?
– Because we will always have the need to meet – and
these meetings can take place in wonderfully many ways.
The development possibilities are practically unlimited, which means that we’re constantly discovering new
gaps in the market. I believe that the event industry has
a huge growth potential for many years to come.
Have anything changed during the past years?
– The big event trend used to be creating rooms inside
rooms, thus increasing the chances of new encounters and
experiences. This of course is still done, but technological
innovations have opened up whole new physical possibilities. I also believe that today’s demand for events comes
from the fact that they require the ultimate effort – not
a few days in a trade fair stand, or a meeting in a boring
conference room.
What does the future look like?
– I think lighting will be a more important factor, and that
we’ll see a trend towards more and more unconventional
event locations. Event halls won’t be required in the same
4 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
Infinitus
The biggest and the best – when it really
counts. Infinitus is the world’s largest printer
and can produce backdrops and stage décor
without any seams, in sizes of up to 12 x 50
meters. It was created by Big Image and is
housed in our workshop in Babelsberg, Berlin.
EVENT MEETINGS ARE THE FUTURE
way as they are now. For one target group or market segment, a factory building might be perfect; for another,
a theater workshop or perhaps an indoor swimming pool
– who knows? I think we’ll be meeting in places where interesting things are already going on, and using lighting
and large images to design event spaces. But the most
important development is, as I see it, digital. Digital
events are already commonplace, and I think we’ll see an
explosion in a few years. As the level of web production
skills is so high nowadays, we won’t have to travel across
the world to meet – it’s both inspiring and fascinating.
How does Big Image fit in with these developments?
– Thanks to Infinitus, we are completely unique when it
comes to seamless large-format printing. With events – as
with stage and studio productions – the quality increases
significantly when you have complete freedom in lighting,
without having to worry about seams. Our approach has
always been based on flexibility, which I think will also
give us an advantage in the future. We have also developed our own display system, Flexit. This will make things
much easier for event producers and trade fair exhibitors,
as it is easy to install and modify, even with large pieces
of fabric.
What will your role be if events start going digital for real?
– Background décor will still be needed. Also, considering
how well produced tomorrow’s productions will be, there
will be a demand for high-quality large images that can be
lit from different directions. I’m looking forward to it – all
progress is exciting!
If a company is interested in producing an event but doesn’t
have much experience, can they still contact Big Image?
– Of course! We’re happy to help them come up with
ideas, and to share our own knowledge. The most important part of an event is the atmosphere – creating
a positive general feeling and treating participants to
an experience.
A flexible solution
Flexit is a display system for large images printed
on soft material, and is developed by Big Image.
Flexit allows you to present visual experiences in a
smart, flexible way. Alternate between sharp angles
and soft, sweeping curves, front and/or back printing, round or rectangular shapes, tall, wide, large or
small. Flexit’s versatility allows you to create huge
image experiences according to your specific needs
– retail spaces, events, exhibitions, restaurants, TV,
film or theater.
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 5 Like a dance
in Graz
»An oriental tent with elephants,
decorated with ceilings and carpets
in an array of colors and patterns …«
TEXT /// B IRGIT HEIMANN TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGE /// AUSSTATTERIN MIGNON RITTER
THE TENT CAN ACCOMODATE
2.500 GUESTS
6 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
LIKE A DANCE IN GRAZ
The Opernredoute Ball in Graz
is a annual social highlight, where
Austria’s top names within culture,
media, politics and business meet
on the parquet floor to a swaying triple
time beat. At this year’s ball, tired
guests took a breather between
dances inside a bedouin tent.
Assaluamu alaikum!
At 9.30 pm – on the dot – chief conductor Dirk Kaftan
raises his baton. The orchestra strikes an impressive
first chord, allowing the festivities to begin. A whirl
of waltzes and ballet performances take place on the
dance floor during the opening ceremony of Graz Opernredoute, held in
what could be the world’s most magnificent ballroom.
Over the last 16 years, the glittering
event has attracted around 2500 guests.
The exclusive tickets are sold out long
before the big evening approaches. Besides the opportunity to dress up, dance
and mingle, the ball’s guests are treated
to a culinary experience at the evening’s
banquet. Also, when they’re not on the
dance floor, they can rest their legs,
mingle, quench their thirst and refresh
their spirits in one of eight different
rooms: the Havana Lounge, the Casino
Champagne Bar, the Art Lounge, the
Dance Bar, the Discothèque, the Photo
Lounge, Eau de Parfum and – new for
this year – the Bedouin Tent.
Richard Stoltz, producer from the event
agency, calls Graz Opernredoute a real
adventure. And that’s just what it is:
an exciting adventure, treating guests
to unexpected experiences in fantasy
worlds. In this same adventurous
spirit, studio designer Mignon Ritter
envisioned an oriental tent with elephants, decorated with ceilings and
carpets in an array of colors and patterns
– just like stepping into “A Thousand
and One Nights”. Many people frowned upon the idea at first, as it seemed
almost impossible to execute well, but
»Producing such
large quantities of
huge, high-quality
prints in such a short
time is something
only Big Image
can do«
Mignon Ritter knew what he wanted and wasn’t
about to give up. The inviting tent was set up in the
great hall behind the opera house and immediately
became a popular oasis among the visitors. In
accordance with the original plans, a fairy-tale
world opens up inside: warm, welcoming, mystical and alluring – and impossible not to be
enchanted by.
– The tent became a really cosy corner for the
whole Opernredoute, says Andreas Paul,
client consultant at Big Image.
The Austrians ordered the decorative
fabric from Big Image. The tent was
comprised of 22 printed pieces of
Rolltex fabric, with an extremely short
delivery time.
– Producing such large quantities
of huge, high-quality prints in such
a short time is something only
Big Image can do, says Stoltz, who
has collaborated with the company
for years.
When it comes to compliments, it can’t
get much better than that.
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 7 FESTIVE
SHADES OF
LINDEX CELEBRATED THEIR 60TH
ANNIVERSARY WITH A SPECTACULAR PARTY
AT SVENSKA MÄSSAN IN GOTHENBURG. THE
FESTIVITIES WERE COORDINATED BY RELEVENT,
WHO WORKED WITH MANY PARTNERS,
INCLUDING SPACE PRODUCTION.
TEXT /// P ER WRANGENBERG
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGES /// S PACE PRODUCTION
Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the clothes
brand Lindex. For almost a year, communication consultants
Relevent worked hard putting together an event that would
further strengthen the company’s position on the fashion
map. In close collaboration with Lindex, they drew up strategies for communication, scripts, dramaturgy and stage
design. When the big evening arrived in September, over
1200 managers of Lindex offices and stores all over the
world gathered at Svenska Mässan (Swedish Exhibition &
Congress Centre in Gothenburg.)
In addition, 200 outside guests – journalists, property managers, partners, designers and more – had been invited to
an afternoon event that day. The program included a twohour insight into “The World of Lindex”, with both videos
and panel discussions covering topics such as fashion, production, CSR and store concepts, as well as what working at
Lindex is like. Swedish TV personality Petra Mede led the
six-hour live show with perfect elegance.
The stage design was built by Mediatech and Space
Productions, using fabric from Big Image – this time with
no printing whatsoever.
LINDEX: a Finnish-owned clothing brand with 480 stores in
Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Russia, Central Europe, the Balkan
and the Middle East / FOUNDED: 1954 in Alingsås, Sweden.
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: around 5000
8 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
– We projected everything – colors, graphics and communication – onto white fabric to create a dynamic feeling,” says Ove Quicklund, graphics manager at Space
Productions.
How did Big Image come into the picture?
– We wanted to use really big fabrics, without any
seams. Their Stretchtex fabric turned out to be excellent for projection.
What kind of reactions did you get?
– The feedback on the project has been very positive.
It’s not unusual for clients to order print-free fabric from
Big Image.
– Up to 10% of our deliveries are unprinted, often as a accompaniment to printed images, says Anders Jorderud, account manager at Big Image and continues:
– Sometimes people want to use the fabric to uncover something, and in other cases it’s about saving money by projecting images instead of printing them. It shows that we can
offer a lot more than printing solutions – we have excellent,
versatile fabrics and also the necessary sewing skills.
What’s most important to keep in mind when projecting
images?
– That the surroundings are as blacked-out as possible.
And that the fabric is not transparent. Most materials
have a white base, and can be used as a movie screen if
you do it right.
SPACE PRODUCTION: market-leading in event and exhibition
production in Scandinavia, and rapidly expanding in areas such
as interiors and graphics for permanent environments.
MAIN OFFICE: Gothenburg / NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 80
High flying
horses in Sochi
The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is one of the world’s most viewed
events. An audience of hundreds of millions watched as a huge Russian troika –
produced by Visual Act in Nacka – hovered above the crowded stadium.
TEXT /// P ER WRANGENBERG
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGES /// V ISUAL ACT
HIGH-FLYING HORSES IN SOCHI
THE HORSES
IN NUMBERS:
•
•
•
•
•
•
8500 kg horse
1,309 m LED lighting
1,700 m copper wiring
140 kg glitter
2,000 hrs engineering & design
5,400 hrs assembly
PHOTO /// GEORGE TSYPIN
Sochi, Russia, February 7th, 2014. Years of preparation are
now about to be put to the test. In the air, a light snow mingles together with the expectations of a sold-out stadium and
hundreds of millions of TV viewers all over the world.
Neither the 40,000 people in the stands or the 900 million in front of their television screens are to be disappointed.
A sparkling, spectacular show commences. One of its most
magnificent and technically advanced features is the entrance
of the Russian troika: three horses measuring 25 x 20 meters
soar in, high up above the stadium. The opening ceremony’s
set designer and artistic director, George Typsin, drew inspiration from Russia’s rich cultural history.
A FLIRT WITH RUSSIAN HISTORY
The troika itself – a carriage drawn by three horses – is
a strong national symbol dating back to the 18th century.
With speeds of up to 50 km/h, the troika was the fastest
mode of transport for people moving over Russia’s vast
expanses. Usually, a troika was driven with the center horse
at a trot while the outer horses cantered. The horses were
specially trained to move like a locomotive, with stability
and speed. The troika became a common feature at festivities
and weddings.
The idea of a troika started with a few simple sketches by
the ceremony’s set designer George Typsin and his team. The
sketches eventually became designs for the horses’ forms,
and a dummy was made to show what the animation could
look like.
Simultaneously, Visual Act in Nacka started the huge task
of constructing and animating the troika. Each of the three
horses weighed 2,800 kg and was assembled in large sections using screws and glue. An ingenious animation solution coordinated all of the horses’ realistic movements with
a single axle. In the next phase, so-called “bicycle frames”
10 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
were constructed in order to hold the horses’ machinery
together. The horses ran at three cycles per minute, which
meant that the longer legs moved at a speed of over five meters per second.
To create the illusion of the carriage being covered by
a fine layer of ice, the right material was essential. Everything
from thin fabrics to traditional scrims, projection screens
and plastic was tested until the design team finally settled on
a transparent cotton fabric from Big Image.
“... the project’s dimensions
and nature made Big Image a
suitable candidate for the job.”
– One of the sailmakers who helps out in our sewing
department is a supplier to Visual Act, says Andreas Skantze
at Big Image and continues: Visual Act asked him if he was
up for the job of cutting out and sewing together the fabric
pieces. He immediately realized that the project’s dimensions
and nature made Big Image a suitable candidate for the job
Big Image was given access to the CAD files used to design
the horses. These were then converted to files for Big Image’s
HIGH-FLYING HORSES IN SOCHI
cutting machines, allowing the fabrics to be cut in exactly the
same shapes and sizes that the horses were built in.
– The number of small pieces proved to be a logistical
challenge. With such a thin, transparent fabric, it’s hard to
see what’s up, down, front or back. Everything has to be
marked and numbered with care. For easier assembly of the
aluminum structure, we developed a special pen to mark out
how the fabric pieces should line up with each other.
The entire project was very hush-hush, with watertight
confidentiality agreements. For this reason, the test assembly
and rehearsal were literally kept underground, in a gigantic
military base in Muskö, south of Stockholm.
– This highly advanced project serves as further proof that
Visual Act is an incredibly creative company. For Big Image,
it was a true pleasure to be able to contribute in a small way
by supplying the fabric. Although this was in itself difficult,
it was nothing compared to the way Visual Act carried out
this enormous project from start to finish, says Skantze.
THE WINTER OLYMPICS IN SOCHI
The 2014 Winter Olympic Games – the twentysecond in the series – were held from 7-23
February 2014, in and around Sochi in Russia.
This was the first time that Russia hosted the
winter Games. The Olympic torch was lit by
Irina Rodnina and Vladislav Tretiak.
Nations participating: 88
Competing athletes: 2,800
PROFESSIONALS IN
VISUAL DESIGN
Visual Act is located in Nacka, outside Stockholm,
and employs 18 people in the design, development and production of stage and event technology. The staff includes qualified engineers
specializing in mechanics, electronics and software development. An additional 6-12 people
work in the workshop, which includes a fully
equipped metal shop, a carpentry shop and a
separate area for development and testing
of electrical components. Clients include the
Swedish Touring Theatre, the Swedish Royal
Theatre, the Norwegian Theatre and Eurovision
Song Contest.
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 11 When Shai Tertner, president of Shiraz Events learned that his company had won the commission
to design the 2012 Make-A-Wish Foundation’s gala in Miami, he knew the Indian theme would be ideal
for creating an elegant, exotic experience filled with the sights and sounds of South Asia.
breathtakingly
COLOURFUL
–This is the biggest event in South Florida,
explains Brian Hanley, communications director
for Shiraz and continues: It had been a very black
and white event the previous year and Make-AWish wanted it to be totally different and colorful.
So Shai focused on giving guests something
new – something breathtakingly beautiful and
vibrant. His experience traveling throughout the
world and the colors, textures, music, dancing
and other elements of Bollywood films helped inspire the final design. Men clad in saffron-shaded
kurtas and women swathed in burgundy-red saris
greeted guests as they arrived at the hotel where
a bold magenta carpet led them toward the festivities. As the design evolved, it became clear that
a 20 x 75 feet mural placed opposite the entry to
the cocktail and reception area could dramatically
and effectively unify the colors and imagery used
throughout the evening.
– We have worked with Big Image Systems
for awhile, so we knew we could count on them
for the quality printing and service this project
demanded, Hanley says.
Larry Sterling of Big Image scrambled to
find local pipe and drape suppliers who had the
12 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
TEXT /// J OHANNA BROMAN
IMAGE /// BIG IMAGE
massive hardware needed to support such a large
continuous fabric wall. Sterling then assembled
a team of local installers to help him cover the
substantial gap within the very short installation
time period.
– A crew of five people worked to cut sections
out of the drop, use two-by-fours to frame out the
door openings and create a ceiling above each
one, and stretch 1500 square feet of material, he
explains.
A successful ”wow-factor”
Although the projects needed extra time to resolve sizing and scale problems over the short
production period, the staff at Big Image’s factory
made sure the mural was properly printed, trimmed, and delivered to Miami in time. Big Image
also provided fire-rating certifications for the fire
marshal who gave final approval for the door framing and fabric installation. Both Shiraz and the
Make-a-Wish Foundation were very pleased with
the “wow factor” achieved by the mural.
– We’ve received amazing, positive feedback
from the foundation and from the guests, too,
who were commenting about how much they
liked it during the event, Hanley says.
Level up x 3!
The gaming market is growing every year,
which is reflected in the number of game
events arranged throughout the world. Big
Magazine took the pulse of three of them.
G
A
M
I
GAME CONSOLES SYMBOLS
IN BIG FORMAT
N
Comic Con Gamex is Sweden’s largest
combined game, comic and film expo. It
features game developers, comic artists
and representatives from Hollywood’s
comic and movie industry. One of the
most eye-catching exhibition spaces at
last year’s expo, held on October 30th –
November 2nd, was that of Playstation.
Its creators were Sture Exhibitions &
Events and Big Image.
Robert Rönnlund at Sture Exhibitions & Events was
in charge of the design, and was very satisfied with
the results.
P A C K A G E
Comic Con Gamex
G
LARGE
FORMAT
PRINTS AT
It’s not easy to attract attention among hundreds of
stands at an expo that is all about visual impressions
and playing with the imagination. In order to get visitors to notice, recognize and visit their space, game
giant Playstation surrounded itself with game control symbols in a larger-than-life format. Each symbol
measured approximately 9m2. The fabric used was Artist Heavy 128, printed on Durst 320 HS.
“When it comes to this kind of
bespoke solution for large format
images – where the quality has to
be 110% perfect – it’s only natural
to want to work with the best in
the business: Big Image!”
TEXT /// J OHANNA BROMAN
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGE /// STURE EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS AB SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 13 How do you stand out and draw attention to yourself in a
trade show landscape where most exhibitors are working
with an overdose of impressions? Well, by daring to do
G
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P A C K A G E
just the opposite!
E3
Electronic Entertainment Expo –
E3 – is an annual trade show for the
computer and video games industry.
E3 is the event where the three largest
manufacturers of hardware; Nintendo (Wii),
Microsoft (Xbox), Sony (PlayStation), and
title producers; Warner Bros., Konami,
EA, Capcom and others, have the
opportunity to present their upcoming products.
CALM IN THE STORM
Every year the major video game exhibition, – It says a lot about the amount of trust Warner
E3 Expo, is held in Los Angeles. The event att- Bros. placed in Eventmakers and in us at Big Image.
racts 50,000 visitors from 100 countries and fills Until then, they had only seen renderings and phoup an entire 100,000 sqm. Warner Bros. once tos of the booth. There was nothing to see or feel in
again contracted event producer Eventmakers, reality. They had to consider the fact that the conwho have become one of the event specialists in cept wouldn’t work and that everything might fail
in front of 50,000 visitors.
the gaming industry.
There was no need for concern. With plenty of time
to spare, the Big Image facility in Täby, outside of
Stockholm, printed and processed three-dimensional images using a computer program to fit the tapered aluminum profiles. With meticulous care and
Games featured for the year included blockbus- millimeter precision the images were stitched and
ter titles like Harry Potter, Batman, Lord of the Rings, then joined to form the illusion of cylinder shapes.
The entire project was test installed before being
Mortal Kombat, and Sesame Street.
packaged for shipping to California.
Eventmakers’ mission was in many ways a challenge.
Instead of trying to shout louder and trump the ca- When E3 opened its doors the Warner Bros. booth
cophony of sound and visual impressions from the was filled to the brim with eye-catching visuals.
other exhibitors, Warner Bros. broke through the Large images on curved walls printed on someticlutter by inviting visitors to an attractive, quiet mes semi-transparent, sometimes opaque fabric,
booth with a tranquil yet exciting visuals based on combined with the floating cylinders in low noise
large attractive images in spectacular design. At first soundscapes, became a popular oasis for visitors.
glance it may look unassuming and simple. In rea- The booth was praised by the industry as one of
lity, there is ambitious and precise work behind the the best.
construction.
”It says a lot about the amount of trust Warner Bros.
placed in us. They had to consider the fact that evePraised as one of the best booths
rything might fail in front of 50,000 visitors.”
– It was an honor to produce this project for the video
games department of one of the world’s largest and
most successful movie studios, Warner Bros., says
Guy Genis, CEO of Eventmakers.
On June 6th, one day before the fair opened, Warner
Bros. booth, unlike most others, was still empty. Yet
all was calm, with no sign of panic from the client.
Olle Lindqvist of Big Image’s USA office explains:
TEXT /// PER WRANGENBERG
PHOTO /// EVENTMAKERS
15 TEXT /// PER WRANGENBERG
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGE /// BIG IMAGE
Dreamhack
G
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P A C K A G E
T H E W O R L D ’ S B I G G E S T
C O M P U T E R F E S T I V A L
What started in the 1990’s as a friendly little get-together in
someone’s basement has now become the world’s largest festival
for computer enthusiasts. This year’s festival will be even bigger.
Markus recounts a nightmare situation from Dreamhack
2009. Two days before the festival opening, two 180 m2
banners had completely vanished.
– We have already sold a thousand more tickets to the
LAN area, compared to this time last year, says Markus
Lindmark, event manager at Dreamhack, when I reach
him at the main office in Kista outside Stockholm.
– That’s when you call Anneli at Big Image and say: ‘Hi, we
have a small problem. Could you please print two new banners that we can come and pick up on Friday morning?’
We didn’t count on anyone being able to help us. But five
minutes later, Anneli called us back and said: ‘We’ll take
care of it!’ In this case, we found the banners half an hour
later, so we could cancel our order. But having that kind
of backup – being able to order 360 m2 in 48 hours – that’s
one of the reasons why we only use Big Image.
Strangely enough, Markus is the only one of Dreamhack’s
17 employees who is not a gamer himself. The number
of dedicated gamers has grown at an explosive rate,
and Dreamhack has grown with them. From the initial two festivals per year, Dreamhack now arranges
events almost every month – in both Sweden and other
parts of Europe. This year’s happenings feature cities
such as Bucharest, Valencia and Moscow.
The increased number of events has resulted in more
orders from Big Image. To maximize the festival experience, Dreamhack has put a lot of effort into large, evocative images.
What kind of material do you print?
– Most of what we produce for Dreamhack Summer is
game-related: graphics to enhance the surroundings,
decor for the main stage, information maps and designs
for the exhibition spaces.
What’s it like working with Big Image?
– Actually, I was just thinking about that when you called.
The first thing that came to mind was their amazing
delivery reliability. If we’ve missed something, they’re
always ready to help us out.
16 SPECIAL EDITION • EVENTS
Since Dreamhack produces so much material, other print
suppliers have tried to get their foot in the door. Markus says
that they once did a test print in Poland, saving 80 kr/m2.
– But it wasn‘t the same standard of printing or fabric
thickness, and the banners were rather stripy. I’ve never
experienced that with Big Image. With them, we also
know that once we’ve placed an order and the final art is
approved, everything will be delivered on time. We never
need to worry. We’re extremely satisfied.
FACTS
Dreamhack Summer, last held on June 14–17 2014 at Elmia in
Jönköping, is a round-the-clock event. The festival offers basically anything and everything within computing and digital entertainment. The LAN itself allows 9,000 visitors to connect and watch
gaming competitions on large screens from their computers. In
Dreamexpo – the exhibition area – visitors can try out the latest
hardware and gaming gear, as well as participate in seminars,
lectures and contests.
SP ACE
TAKES PLACE IN THE WORLD
OF LARGE IMAGES
TEXT /// P ER WRANGENBERG
TRANSLATION /// BEEP
IMAGES /// S PACE PRODUCTION
They fill exhibition halls and arenas on a daily basis.
No challenge is too big or too small – Ove Qvicklund head of
Space Production has a fond eye for large images on soft flexible
material. We called him up and asked why.
The title of Ove Qvicklund’s business card reads Graphic
Manager. Jokingly he calls himself a “graphic geek” and asks
me to call him the same.
Ove is responsible for Space Production’s text and image
department in Gothenburg and supervises eight employees.
In total there are over 80 people working from two offices in
Stockholm and Singapore. Together, they are a leading exhibition and event producer in Scandinavia, with a global arena
as their workplace. In addition, they are one of Big Image’s
largest customers for soft images.
– I have known about Big Image and their founder
Werner Schäfer since 1987. At the time, I produced fabric images through an agency which I ran for 15 years for a company
in England. I started working at Space five years ago. But
the collaboration between Big Image and Space started much
earlier than that, says Ove.
He talks about the relationship with Big Image as straightforward and describes an unspoken understanding of each
other’s wishes.
– It’s really a very simple collaboration. There are a lot of
Big Image’s thoughts coincide with my own, so I don’t always
need to express much verbally. I have a background as a furrier and place a lot of emphasis on stitching. An image is only
as good as the last stitch, and when it comes to finishing, Big
Image is one hundred percent.
Logistical solutions are another thing that Space appreciates in the collaboration. In today’s world of large images the
time allotted to set up and tear down exhibitions is growing
shorter. As the hours become fewer and more expensive, it is
even more important that everything is handled smoothly.
“WHEN IT COMES TO
FINISHING, BIG IMAGE IS
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.”
2012 SPACE PRODUCED A GRAND EXHIBITION IN SANDVIKEN, SWEDEN, FOR THE 150TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOWN. ONE OF MANY PROJECTS OVE QVICKLUND HAS MADE
TOGETHER WITH BIG IMAGE DURING THE YEARS .
DURING
PARIS
FASHION
WEEK,
CHANEL’S
SHOW
TOOK VISUAL CONCEPTS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.
INSTEAD OF YOUR STANDARD CATWALK: A FULLSCALE FRENCH BOULEVARD, SURROUNDED BY TRUETO-LIFE FAÇADES.
C HANEL
TAKES OVER
THE STREETS
During Paris Fashion Week, Chanel’s show took visual concepts to a whole new level. Instead of your standard catwalk: a full-scale French boulevard, surrounded
by true-to-life façades.For one week every spring and fall,
the major fashion houses show their upcoming collections
to fashion journalists flown in from every corner of the
world. The event, known as Fashion Week, is actually held
for a number of weeks in different locations – the most
prominent ones being New York, London, Milano and last
but not least, Paris.
The Chanel show is one of Paris Fashion Week’s most anticipated highlights, and expectations are sky-high – not
just when it comes to the collection, but also the artistic expression. Atelier Devineau – Chanel’s preferred set design
supplier for Paris Fashion Week for many years – has traditionally only used hand-painted sets. But for the spring/
summer 2015 show, they wanted to try something completely new.
– Our French distributor had been in contact with Atelier
Devineau for a long time, trying to convince them of the
benefits of digitally printed scenography – an area in which
we are the world’s most experienced supplier, says Andreas
Skantze, International Sales Manager at Big Image.
– This time, they wanted to create a highly detailed,
photographic feel. They realized that the project’s size and
nature made it a perfect opportunity to try out Big Image.
CHANEL TAKES OVER THE STREETS
TEXT /// P ER WRANGENBERG
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
IMAGES /// B IG IMAGE
AN IMAGINARY STREET
FOR FASHION
The project: Boulevard Chanel – a street more than 100
meters long, surrounded by 20 meter high building facades at a scale of 1:1, inside Paris’ historical exhibition
hall Grand Palais.
Atelier Devineau toured Paris, photographing their favorite buildings to put together a highly realistic
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 19 imaginary street, Boulevard Chanel. When visiting
Big Image in Täby, the Frenchmen scrutinized the
test prints down to the seams before approving them
for production.
– Their quality standards were extremely high. It felt
good knowing that we could meet them, says Andreas Skantze.
Printing the façade images was just a small part of
the project. Significantly more challenging were
the logistics required for packing and marking the
prints, to ensure that they were assembled correctly
and in the right order on location in Paris.
– That’s one of the things we love about projects of
this size. This kind of problem-solving is one of our
absolute core competences, says Andreas Skantze.
10,000 m2 of building facades were divided up into
an extremely well organized jigsaw puzzle of 350 pieces, which were then mounted onto frames alongside
the faux boulevard inside Grand Palais. The asphalt
– complete with cracks and zebra crossings – was
hand-painted, with small puddles placed here and
there for a truly authentic feel.
FASHIONISTAS TAKING
OVER THE STREETS
On the day of the show, the September sun poured in
through Grand Palais’ fantastic glass roof, creating
a lovely pattern of shadows on the balconies of Boulevard Chanel. The audience, seated on benches on
the sidewalks, had to rub their eyes more than once
before realizing that the buildings were made of fabric, not brick.
The models paraded for ten minutes along the middle of the street, looking like a crowd of unusually
fashion-conscious Parisians taking over the streets
– not your conventional, stiff catwalk. The show’s
finale was a well-coordinated street demonstration,
where the entire troop of models – wielding megaphones and placards – shouted out feminist messages to the cheering crowds.
20 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
ATELIER
DEVINEAU
This Paris atelier has supplied Chanel
with set décor and stage design for many
years. Besides “Boulevard Chanel”, one
of their most spectacular creations was
an 18 meter high, 16 meter wide version of
the classic Chanel jacket in 2008.
CHANEL TAKES OVER THE STREETS
ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST
CLASSIC FASHION BRANDS
According to Coco Chanel, a woman should feel
free and not be limited by her clothing. She had to
be able to breathe, move and sit without being reminded of what she was wearing. Chanel’s philosophy stated that women’s fashion should be just
as comfortable as men’s, without compromising
on elegance. She created clothes that she herself
needed and wanted, and assumed that other women also wanted to move freely instead of looking
like ornaments.
GABRIELLE ”Coco” CHANEL
ILLUSTRATION ///
BROR RUDI CREATIVE
Chanel is best known for introducing “the little
black dress”, the Chanel jacket and several iconic
fragrances. The most famous of these is Chanel No.
5; its sales rocketed when Marilyn Monroe answered the question of what she slept in with “Two
drops of Chanel No. 5”.
CHANEL was founded in Paris in 1920 by Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971).
Head designer: Karl Lagerfeld (since 1983)
PARIS
Fashion Week
The industry’s most important fashion weeks – “The Big 4” – follow
a four-week schedule, beginning in New York, moving on to London,
then Milano and finally Paris. In several ways, Paris is the most important week, featuring not only the most renowned fashion houses
but also smaller brands who often focus all their resources on a single week. Paris Fashion Week is held twice a year; the spring/summer
collections are showcased at the end of September, while fall/winter
fashion is shown in March.
TOP 4 FASHION WEEKS OF THE WORLD
• New York Fashion Week
• London Fashion Week
• Milan Fashion Week
• Paris Fashion Week
Fall / Winter Collections - February / March
Spring / Summer Collections - September / October
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 21 2,30 m
­Taking
visitors for
a visual
spin
Big innovations need big launches.
This is especially true if you want
to stand out at IFA, the huge home
electronics trade fair in Berlin.
TEXT /// BIRGIT HIEMANN
TRANSLATION /// ALISON DE MARS
PHOTOS /// BIG IMAGE
22 SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS
IFA in Berlin is the world’s largest trade fair
for home electronics. When Samsung presented
their new washing machine Ecobubble at IFA,
they did it in a truly grandiose way: by transforming the exhibition hall’s southern entrance into
a 14 x 13 x 8 meter model of a washing machine.
Ecobubble promises clean laundry at low temperatures, using 30% less energy. The secret is
a new system for adding laundry detergent and
fabric softener. Instead of being flushed directly into the machine drum, they are transported
through a pump that adds air. This dissolves the
detergent and creates tiny bubbles that penetrate the fabric fibers and clean them more effectively. Another new feature is the self-cleaning
drum that protects the structure of the fabric and
is thus gentler on clothes.
Big Image has helped both Samsung and IFA
previously, but with more conventional solutions
such as exhibition space walls, window blinds
and outdoor banners. A giant washing machine
TAKING VISITORS FOR A VISUAL SPIN
was something completely different, and a true
challenge for the team at Studio Babelsberg. The
biggest question concerned which fabric would
best resemble the drum of the washing machine
drum. Finally, they chose SpaceTex – a silvery
polyester/polamide combination, printed in 32
pieces of various shapes and sizes. All in all, the
fabrics used to wrap the outside of the machine
measured a huge 700 m2.
– Big Image assisted Samsung from start to
finish. When it comes to productions of these dimensions, we are constantly present, says the crew
of Big Image Germany and on location on the big
day. The front and side panels were hoisted up
with a crane. After that, the pieces of print were
glued to the drum, one by one.
After a few hectic hours of high-precision
work, everything was in place.
– There was neither room for mistakes nor sweaty palms, says the crew with a twinkle in their eye.
THE TRADE FAIR
IFA (Internationella Funkaustellung) in Berlin is
the world’s largest trade fair for home electronics.
Since 1924 it has been the main scene for presenting future technology trends. The 2012 show had
240,000 visitors and a turnover of 3.8 million euros.
In addition to Ecobubble, Samsung also presented
their first smartphone featuring Windows 8.
THE 13 METER HIGH SCAFFOLDING
WAS BUILD BY THE ART DEPARTMENT
STUDIO BABELSBERG.
THE INSIDE WAS PRINTED
ON THE SILVERY MATERIAL
SPACE TEX.
SPECIAL EDITION - EVENTS 23 BIG IMAGE SYSTEMS
Sweden AB
Pontongränd 3
183 68 Täby
Sweden
+46 8 630 32 00
www.bigimagesystems.com
BIG IMAGE SYSTEMS
Deutschland GmbH
Wetzlarer Straße 46, 14482 Potsdam
Deutschland
Geschäftsführer: Werner Schäfer
Sitz Potsdam – Amtsgericht Potsdam
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+49 331 288 384 00
www.bigimagesystems.com