Lilidorei at The Alnwick Garden
Location The Alnwick Garden, Alnwick, UK Client The Alnwick Garden/Duchess of Northumberland
In the early part of 2023 we took on a major project for our long-standing client The Alnwick Garden to install a significant specialist lighting system in their new attraction Lilidorei. The new park features the world’s largest children’s play structure, set in a fairytale village inhabited by nine imagined clans who work year round to deliver Christmas. As we landed on site, the project was still in the late phases of construction, though we were tasked with delivering and implementing a new design with a very tight turnaround for the venue to open to the public in the spring.
Project Manager Andy Jennings and Director Robbie Baxter combined to rapidly reimagine a previously proposed lighting design. They met directly with Her Grace the Duchess of Northumberland, from whose imagination the project had sprung, to ensure that the finished installation was in keeping with the original vision. The brief featured some very specific elements which required us to source unique equipment products to include within bespoke installation settings, with custom modifications to several existing units.
The main play structure was illuminated using colour customised ProLights fixtures. The main key lighting came from ProLights ECL Profile CT+ IP, which were custom RAL coloured in order to match existing steel trees which were part of the original play structure design. We also used custom coloured ProLights Studio Cob PFC2 to illuminate the peripheral towers of the structure, with ProLights Solar 27Q providing a focused backlight, while providing light for the floor area of the structure, which is littered with custom play installations. Our team also reverse engineered the original internal lighting of the Elfwin Drin structure, as installed by manufacturers Monstrum, to install a single light in every window of the giant creation – including bespoke cable masking in carefully sourced Siberian larch to match the original woodwork inside the towers. The final touch to this area was provided by several runs of ProPoint Kontour, driven by Enttec Pixellators, which allowed us to neatly outline the subtle curves of the highest tower and drive pixel effects to provide animation to the very top of the massive structure.
The numerous clan cabin clearings in the village feature a number of concurrent features to tie them together, while each required an element of individual design to meet the imaginative brief provided. We used Lucenti Vinci controllers with their range of Pearl/Topaz/Ruby lamps to provide the general colour wash in as subtle a manner as possible, while masking any cable runs with thematic props such as ivy and barbed wire, depending on the theming of the area. The internal theming of each cabin was illuminated by ProLights ECL Display units, which allowed us to highlight key items within the collections inside, with additional internal lighting coming from custom wall lights and flaming stoves. We customised a pair of Chauvet Rogue Outcast BeamWash to provide a bespoke “Search Light ” install, which provides a unique pixel effect before periodically breaking into powerful beams which scan across the entire village.
Externally these unique clan areas also featured a number of giant toadstools, which we uplit with a collection of Studio Due Terra+/SS. These luminaires feature a tilt motor which allowed us to provide a subtle effect on the external surfaces of the toadstool, while internally we installed an Astera NYX bulb to provide a “beating heart” effect in keeping with the design. We additionally used a number of Studio Due Archibar to light a number of unique props, with both fixture types featuring a custom powder coated bezel in order to reduce the visibility of the fixtures themselves.
Atmospherics were provided via Pea Soup, whose Director Ben worked with Andy to devise a custom solution for each area requiring a haze or smoke effect. We used a number of custom IP Dragon hazers, with a unique ducting solution to provide even dispersion of a dense, atmospheric fog. In addition to this visual atmosphere, we installed a custom scent machine to provide a chocolate aroma around a giant Magic Muffin building where visitors can enjoy a number of sweet treats.
Control for the project had some specific requirements, primarily the ability for the systems to run themselves throughout the year with a number of settings, for instance, Halloween and Christmas. We provided a Pharos system of LPC X and TPS units to drive the installations over a Luminex network featuring Gigacore switches, Luminodes and Lumisplit, implemented over an existing fibre network. This system was linked with audio provider Southby Productions control system, with their Q-Sys package triggering events in order to achieve synchronisation between the unique soundscapes and a number of visual effects.
The final challenge on the road was to create a fairy lit wonderland using the huge number of fir trees planted around the village. We lit over 400 individual trees using over 13.5km of warm white string lights. A number of the team were permanently based on the project for around 5 months, with a number of freelancers and other full time staff being involved with the project at various stages. Lilidorei has featured heavily in the recent Channel 4 documentary “The Duchess and her magical Kingdom” which details the construction of the project from start to finish. With the attraction now open to visitors and the creative team behind the village continuing to develop ideas, we will continue to provide a full service package and general technical support to the Garden team long into the future.
Photo credit: Ben Hines Photography