The House of Dancing Water chooses Rieldel’s Artist Intercom
Published: ASIA
CHINA: A Riedel Communications Artist digital matrix intercom system has been used to provide communications throughout The House of Dancing Water – an ‘in-the-round’ water show created by the Franco Dragone Entertainment Group for Macau’s City of Dreams entertainment complex.
‘The Riedel solution was originally specified by the sound designer, Francois Bergeron of the Thinkwell Group in the US,’ said Jason Graham, head of sound at Dragone Macau Ltd. ‘We continue to work with Riedel's Artist primarily for its reliability, stability, and seemingly limitless flexibility. All of these factors are important due to the integral role the system plays in uniting everyone who is working on the show.’
Designed by Pei Partnership Architects, the state-of-the-art Dancing Water Theatre created for The House of Dancing Water includes a 16.8 million litre stage pool – equivalent to five Olympic-sized swimming pools – within an arena boasting a 40m high steel-trussed space that provides the height required for the show's diving and acrobatics elements.
One Riedel Artist 64 frame and two Artist 32 frames support 62 panels distributed across the theatre. The stunt riders and acrobatic performers, as well as the technical teams, use the Artist system for continual communication during the show. Even in the aquatics area, the system supports communications between performers and underwater handlers in the pool via underwater speakers, in-mask communications systems, and buddy phones. Lighting, stage management, rigging, automation, special FX, and audio technicians use the remaining bulk of the panels. Monitored by the sound department, the manufacturer’s Director software also enables the sound team to respond to configuration requests and to perform troubleshooting.
‘Our Artist intercom system delivers the exceptional versatility and performance required in the most demanding and complex live production environments,’ said Hans Chia, rental operations manager at Riedel Communications. ‘The House of Dancing Water is no exception. The Artist provides the clear, reliable communications that are essential in orchestrating this ambitious live show.’