SAUDI NATIONAL DAY 2022 - RIYADH

Evolution was contracted by the world famous Cirque Du Soleil to prepare technical design and build for scenic stage for celebrating the National Day of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. The theme of the show was " The Wealth of a Nation"" and all the elements were designed keeping the same in mind.

The scope of works included multiple elements that were inter-related and had to be designed keeping in mind the existing site conditions as this was to be built and installed inside a temporary structure where even a slightest of miscalculation could lead to major changes onsite.

THE MAIN STAGE 

The stage consisted of series of layers combined together to serve multiple purposes. The main purposes were to hold 24000 liter's of water which transported inside under the stage and stored in custom made water pits ( tanks made by evolution) which was then pumped inside the stage from multiple locations increasing the water level in a matter of seconds for a special effect in the show. The second purpose was to with hold 250KN/m of force per sqm made by the multiple performers on top who performed various acts starting from power numbers to See Saw boards reaching up to heights of 4 meter and then landing on the floor. The final finish of the floor was custom hand painted by an artist which customized specially for this show therefore giving a vibrant effect under water during the show.

The second part of the stage was the pool surrounds which had a parabolic curve on one side and straight side on the other. The surrounds were made with provision of ducting to carry cold fog which was directly fed into the ducts by state of the art machines. The main challenge was to make sure the fog transfers from surrounds into the pool giving a waterfall effect and travels to the center of the pool and then lifts up causing a mirage effect.

FINS

One of the critical and challenging elements for the stage were the fins which were mastered using various materials. The fins had a 3 dimensional shape in which the final finish had a very important role to play as the main concern was that the final finish should compliment the shape in such a way that the front fascia had concave , convex shapes in combination with multiple curves which should have seamless finish.

The main structure was made out of metal which was made using multiple techniques including manual bending trying to achieve the look as per the 3D renders shared with us. Due to size and shape of the structure for the fins, they were taken in biggest possible pieces and were assembled onsite and installed.

MONOLITHS 

The main attraction for show was the replica of a 4000 old rock in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia knows as "The Nasla Rock Formation". The replica was big piece with height as tall as 5.5mtH with no support but only one from the ground. The rock was to be rotated by the performing artist as part of the performance therefore leaving us a challenge that the structure should be sturdy and mobile at the same time in order for it to rotate only by one person. 

The second challenge was to depict the exact carving on the replica as the actual stone which the colour to be a precise match for the same. In order to achieve this effect Evolution events worked out a method which consisted of a using a state of the art 5 axis milling machines for Styrofoam which helped the team achieve the desired shapes after which the final finish was given by the senior scenic artists making it a master piece of the show.

MOBILE ROCKS

 Performance of the show involved two mobile rocks to be rolled onto the stage from the background by artist which should carry the acrobatic ring that was to be used by one of the artists to perform on the stage build by Evolution. The rocks should be backlit glowing effect and should change colour as soon as ring was removed from the rock.

The main concentration on this feature was on the weight and mobility as the rocks were to be rolled in during the on going performances which involved maneuvering them from incoming and outgoing performers at the same making sure the rock is strong enough to withstand different floor levels and jerks in case of any.

The rocks were made using a combination of metal and Styrofoam. The rocks were carved using the 5 axis machine which was then painted by the scenic artist. Keeping in the mind the weight of the rocks, custom casters were designed , built and implemented by EVO team making sure all the requirements are met for the same.


PROJECTION FABRICS

To support the scenic setup backend projection was done on a large scale fabric that was approximately 30 meters in length and 10 meters in height which was prepared in a single piece and installed onsite. The quality and type of fabric was very carefully selected keeping in the mind the projection and opacity at the same in order to give optimum results in terms of colours and clarity.

SHOW REVEAL SYSTEM

Evolution was tasked to design and install a show reveal system in which during the show a fabric would be installed which will act as masking between the audience and monoliths. At a certain point during the show the suspended fabric should be drop and sucked out of the stage in a matter of seconds depicting the curtain disappearing act.

The main challenge was to have a powerful device which could suck in a 40 meter by 11 meter size fabric in a matter of seconds at the same time it should not damage the fabric as the fabric was to be used multiple times for rehearsals. 

The custom system designed by Evolution mechatronics team catered to all these points and at the same time programmed the system to be compatible with venue teams equipment's therefore giving our clients a comfortable piece of equipment to work with.

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