LEDs create pyramid showcase for Daft Punk

Dance group Daft Punk has made full use of LED fixtures from Barco and Element Labs in its latest series of shows. The musical duo remain completely anonymous during the shows, wearing their trademark visors throughout, leaving the various video elements to provide the visual centrepiece.

The pyramid-shaped set, measuring 16 ft wide across the bottom, is constructed from over 1600 Barco O-Lite LED blocks, which have been pixel-mapped to create a 3-dimensional video screen surface.

Moving images and video effects are played onto the bottom two thirds of the front fascia of the set and onto a small section at the top, above the band’s platform.

Flanking both sides of the main pyramid are customized frames holding a 18 x 18 ft geometric network of criss-crossing hexagonal shapes, made up from a total of 170 VersaTube linear LED fixtures from Element Labs.

Behind the pyramid and VersaTubes, effectively wrapping the whole stage set, is a special 75mm-resolution LED "Pixel" curtain measuring 48 ft wide by 16 ft high. This is a bespoke creation made from Element Labs components and results from a joint project between the supplier and Daft Art, the band’s own production company.

The video content – which runs for 95 per cent of the Daft Punk show - – is stored on and played back via two dual output V4 Catalyst digital media servers, with two running as ‘hot’ backup. These are triggered by Phillips’ Hog iPC lighting console, in turn receiving SMPTE from the band.

The dual outputs from Catalyst number one feed the Pixel curtain and the VersaTubes – each output offering 5 layers which are assigned to each of these two elements.