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Twilight Zone At The Deep

Hull, UK

Ordinary lighting just won’t do for an exhibit called the Twilight Zone. That’s why Lighting Technology Projects (LTP) called upon the mood-altering effects of Color Kinetics’ intelligent LED lighting technology!

The exotic exhibit is located at The Deep, an award-winning visitor attraction and the world’s only submarium. Its mission is to tell the story of the world’s oceans through stunning aquaria and interactive exhibits, including the Twilight Zone, where guests can mingle among wolf eels, giant Japanese spider crabs, and other unique inhabitants of the ocean’s murky lower depths.

With lighting design by DHA’s Peter Fordham, the space is intended to be dark, both for its exotic occupants and to create for visitors the true atmosphere of the bottom of the sea. Dark blues, purples, and rich UV hues are the predominant “accent” colors, which are brought to life by approximately 130 iColor Cove® EC units. Each 12” (30.5 cm) unit is individually programmable to allow for precisely designed color-changing effects. Fordham’s design includes 30 slots of light embedded into the display panels around the room – each illuminated by two or more iColor Cove EC units according to size.

According to Terry Reeves of LTP, iColor Cove EC was selected for its affordability and low power consumption, in addition to its easily controllable nature. By applying Chromasic™ technology, iColor Cove EC lowers the cost of digital LED control, which thereby lowers the cost of the total system. The low-profile units are ideally suited for producing saturated colors and dynamic effects in alcoves and other tight spaces.

Reeves and Fordham collaborated to program the system, creating color-changing patterns within each slot and also globally, such that all the slots run through room-wide sequences. This was achieved with Color Kinetics’ ColorPlay® authoring software, which made is simple to map the iColor Cove EC units and create a graphic identification of each slot within the space. The light shows were then stored on iPlayer® 2 for seamless play back.