BEYOND

At the Schauspielhaus Erlangen, Germany, “BEYOND: How Light is Created”, directed by Jonas Knecht, composed and set to music by Rafał Stachowiak, and directed by Linda Best and Albrecht Ziepert, offered an impressive stage performance that explores the last moments of a mother’s life and her son’s emerging questions and doubts through a complex mix of performance, sound and light. The theatre space becomes an intermediate realm of doubt and speculation in which two people wrestle with mortality while the space around them plunges into a world of sound and light from beyond. The production transforms the stage into a surreal space where reality and reflection merge, taking the audience on an audiovisual journey through time, memory and farewell. The precision of the PHAENON XD Blizzard laser projectors used was crucial to the entire theatre production, as the lasers were used not only on stage but also in the audience area. The result is a visually stunning and impressive production that fascinated the audience. With LaserAnimation Sollinger’s innovative laser technology, reliable hardware and intuitive control systems, BEYOND successfully redefined the role of laser light in storytelling.

Thanks to Bahadir Hamdemir’s careful selection of laser technology and software, the production achieves a deep, immersive experience that extends the impact of light beyond traditional stage lighting.
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Director: Jonas Knecht
Laser artist: Bahadir Hamdemir
Composition and sound design: Rafał Stachowiak
Dramaturgy: Linda Best & Albrecht Ziepert
Assistant director and evening production manager: Robert Sörgel

For this unique production, laser artist Bahadir Hamdemir chose six customised PHAENON XD Blizzard laser projectors to create an immersive and dynamic laser atmosphere. His decision was based on the exceptional projection quality, the pure white laser light and the system’s innovative control options, which guarantee an extremely precise and atmospheric visual experience. Unlike conventional RGB laser systems, the PHAENON XD Blizzard produces pure white laser light through a unique combination of blue laser diode modules, developed and manufactured by LaserAnimation Sollinger, and yellow Coherent Genesis Taipan OPSL laser sources. The additional red combiner module – also developed and manufactured by LaserAnimation Sollinger – provides a wider colour spectrum and enables optimised and highly stable white light projection, as the precisely matched wavelengths ensure a natural and high contrast image without the colour inconsistencies often found in RGB systems. The synergy between these laser sources results in an exceptionally clean and homogeneous white laser light, making the PHAENON XD Blizzard ideal for applications where absolute precision and colour fidelity are required.

The system’s CT-6210 scanners with TurboScan driver electronics ensure fast, high-precision projection with a scan speed of 60k at 8° and a maximum projection angle of 80°. Motorised beam alignment ensures perfect colour alignment across the entire projection, while low divergence of less than 1 mrad and a 3mm beam diameter contribute to a sharp and detailed display.
To seamlessly integrate the lasers into the production, the system uses AVB streaming via Ethernet, MIDI control via Ableton Live and AIFF player functionality, allowing real-time synchronisation of sound, laser and lighting elements.

With its compact housing and quiet operation, the PHAENON XD Blizzard is perfect for demanding theatre setups, offering reliability and flexibility.

Bahadir Hamdemir used LaserAnimation Sollinger’s intuitive LA.toolbox control software for all laser control and Derivative’s TouchDesigner for show control.