Martin MACs put on a majestic show at the Great Court of the British Museum

Wednesday December 6th saw the official opening of the new Queen Elizabeth II Great Court at The British Museum in London by Her Majesty The Queen, followed by a spectacular Son et Lumiere using Martin Professional moving heads.

The Great Court is a £100 million millennium project which has led to the creation of the largest covered public courtyard in Europe and has increased public space in The British Museum by 40%.

The lighting equipment, supplied by Martin Preferred Hire Company, Essential Lighting in Esher, was sub-rented by Fisher Productions with lighting design by Gary Collins. 12 new Martin MAC 2000s provided the main lighting and gobo projection along with 12 MAC 500s, 8 MAC 500 wides and 22 MAC 600s.

Once Her Majesty had declared the Great Court open, a dramatic four minute Son et Lumiere began. The lightshow, featuring numerous Martin MACs, was accompanied by an arrangement of Haydn’s "The Creation" arranged by Stephen Warbeck. For the finale, shafts of light burnt through the magnificent roof from a crane, which had been specially erected outside.

The inner courtyard was originally completed in the 1820s with the world famous Reading Room added to its center in 1857. One of the forgotten spaces of London, it was previously unused by visitors. However, following the relocation of The British Library to its new site at St Pancras, the Great Court has now seen the addition of a huge glass and steel, allowing museum visitors to move freely around the main floor for the first time in 150 years.