What better way to adorn a new Canadian seaside shopping mall than with a 45 ft. stainless steel and glass leaping salmon sculpture? Located near Vancouver, BC, the Tsawwassen Mills Mall opened last October and every night since, shoppers have enjoyed just such a noble work of art, brightly illuminated by a Solaris Flare IP RGBW outdoor LED wash fixture.

“The challenge was to bring out the colors of the dichroic glass ‘scales’ covering the fish’s metal skeleton,” says Chris Moreno of ShowTech AVL in Burnaby, BC. “Each two-foot square glass panel has natural hues which are quite evident in daylight. We wanted to achieve the ‘sunlight’ effect at night but LED fixtures we tried fell short, creating hot spots and making the glass look merely transparent. We found the perfect solution with the Flare IP HD RGBW outdoor wash. The Flare has the ideal combination of extremely bright and even output with a wide and precisely controlled color palette, giving us exactly what we needed to make the glass panels really ‘pop.’”

Moreno adds, “Getting the colors right was pure art. Prior to the opening, we sat with the clients and a 4-channel DMX controller, adjusting the RGBW until everyone was 100% satisfied. Custom firmware was supplied by TMB, allowing us to store and retain the color settings onboard! ‘Set it and forget it’ was our goal, and every night since then the Flare IP has automatically activated along with the mall lighting.

“The sculpture rests on a pedestal surrounded by a flowing fountain so we needed a battle tank of a fixture that could withstand constant high humidity. After five months of a Canadian winter next to the sea, the Flare IP has performed without fail every night, like ‘Old Faithful.’”

Founded by industry veterans Brian Konechny and Larry Darling, ShowTech AVL is a sales and integration systems provider, focused on providing excellent customer service and creative solutions for lighting, audio, A/V and rigging for any show or installation. The Tsawwassen Mills salmon sculpture was designed by Michigan based JPRA Architects and built by Heavy Industries of Calgary, Canada.

Flare IP outdoor, high-output LED fixtures have been used extensively worldwide, from Frankfurt to Chicago, to Times Square in New York. Based on LED technology proven in the award-winning Solaris Flare stage lighting fixture, Flare IP is available in a single-head, super-bright High-Definition (HD) version with 22˚, 36˚, 54˚, and 70˚ beam width options, and single- or dual-head, ultra-long throw High Reach (HR) 8˚ beam versions. Various onboard or remote PSU options are offered. With unmatched brightness to over 34,000 lumens, a smooth, even field, and rich, vibrant colors, Flare IPs are IP65 rated, feature full RDM functionality, and include wireless control options.

Contact ShowTech AVL at www.showtechavl.com.

TMB is exclusive master distributor for Solaris Flare IP fixtures.

Learn about other exciting and innovative products available from TMB at www.tmb.com.