Color Kinetics Showcase Chinook Centre

Calgary, Alberta

The Chinook Centre is the largest enclosed shopping mall in Calgary, Alberta. At its center is a 60-foot (18.2-meter) high rotunda, and during the holiday season it sparkles with a cheerful, winter display enabled by Color Kinetics intelligent lighting solutions.

During the holiday season, ‘Lights, Music, Miracle’ is a fundraising event to raise funds for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. Running from the end of November to Christmas Day, the holiday show aimed to raise over $50,000 in 2006. Pierre Marleau of Orange Frog Productions Inc and his team were up to the challenge to create an awe-inducing holiday light show that was unlike any other. Inspired by the holiday music, Pierre wanted to create a winter display incorporating 47 giant 3D snowflakes. Available in three sizes – 3 feet (.9 m), 5 feet (1.5 m) and 7 feet (2 m) – he wanted to animate the snowflakes using flexible strands of light. Over 80 strands of iColor® Flex SL – a multi-purpose, LED-based “string light” – were installed inside the snowflakes to create a completely controllable, enlivened snowflake. Each strand comprises 50 individually controllable tri-color LED nodes.

The snowflakes were hung from the ceiling, and after they were installed the fun part began – programming the snowflakes. Using Light System Manager – an Ethernet-based software/hardware solution capable of authoring, storing and playing intricately designed lighting effects – the snowflakes were programmed to correspond with the music of four holiday songs produced by local artists, including country artist Paul Brandt. Learn more...