Peaceful Color at the Nobel Prize Banquet

Every December 10th, the Nobel Prize Banquet, which follows the Nobel Peace Prize Awards, takes place at Stockholm's City Hall, and is one of the most prestigious events of the year. The lighting at this event is taken just as seriously as the prestigious guest list. Not only are there strict rules regarding rigging and visibility, the banquet is televised worldwide by Swedish Television, so it has to show up well on TV. In addition, the architectural details of the interior need to be enhanced by the lighting, not overpowered.

City Hall was built between 1911-1923 to the design of architect Ragnar Östberg. Inspired by the palaces of the Renaissance, the building is built around two squares or "piazzas", Borgargården and the Blue Hall. The Blue Hall is named such because the original plans called for the wall to be covered in blue plaster, but when Östberg saw the beautiful red bricks he changed his mind. He retained the name Blue Hall, however, as it was already on all of the building plans and the name was in common use.

Spectra Stage & Event Technologies in Stockholm was once again brought in to light the Nobel Prize Banquet. Following their appointment by PRG Europe as Swedish dealer for Wybron, Spectra decided to use the event to showcase the Wybron NEXERA luminaire in a regal way. 14 Nexera wash lights were positioned along the east wall of the Blue Hall at the bottom of each 25-foot-high recessed doorway, flooding the columns with color. The colorful columns acted as a backdrop for the Allmänna Sången Choir, who performed during the banquet.

Lighting Designer Per Sundin, who has been involved in lighting the event for 9 years explained, "The lighting had to be subtle, but special. I saw the doorways and envisioned beautiful columns of warm color that would highlight the brick detail. I wanted to have exact control over the soft color changes, and wanted a different look to appear while the choir sang on the balcony. Not only do the Nexeras give lovely color with smooth changes, but they are extremely quiet, which was important at an event like this. Plus, they look great on TV."

Ola Melzig, Production Manager for Spectra, was thrilled with the results. "The Nexeras rocked! They gave us a cost effective solution with absolutely fantastic results. Plus, they were easy to set up and never gave us a single problem, which instantly makes me a huge fan," he said.

The rest of the lighting throughout the hall was also warm and subtle, and the overall look was a perfect compliment to the soft candlelight on the banquet tables where the guests enjoyed dinner. Dinner was concluded with fireworks projected on the ceiling, followed by cocktails and dancing in the adjacent Gold Hall.

After another successful year of giving the Blue Hall an entirely new look while still retaining an elegant and intimate atmosphere, Sundin jokes, "I just love the look of theatrical lighting in architectural spaces. If it were just candles every year, it would get boring...and I wouldn't have a job!"

* Photo courtesy of Louise Stickland