Photo Provided by Austin Johnston for AK Johnston Production Design
While preparing for an outdoor summer wine and art festival event at a luxury country club in California, A K Johnston Production Design created a wonderful new concept that became the perfect alternative to a standard event tent. Their vision took advantage of the venue's gorgeous panoramic views, which would've been obscured by the walls of a traditional outdoor enclosure. With the help of Rose Brand they created "The California Canopy," a structure that emphasizes the airiness, beauty and organic nature of any outdoor venue.
Rose Brand manufactured the custom-sewn canopy from white Poly Muslin; a cloth that drapes and swags beautifully. Rose Brand also developed matching truss covers from white Tendo stretch-fabric to soften the look of the supports and help them blend-in beautifully with the canopy.
Photo Provided by Austin Johnston for AK Johnston Production Design
The fabric, truss and rigging elements created a strong, stable and aesthetic structure that diffused the natural sunlight and cast interesting shadows and warm glows until dusk. Even during a 90 degree afternoon, the canopy offers more cooling than standard canopies due to the breathability of the Rose Brand fabric.
Once the sun had set, the design relied on fixture lighting. With over 600 linear feet of rigging points, over 80 lighting fixtures were connected to the structure. Some fixtures were used to backlight the panels and others to spot light gallery areas, pin spots, and washes. Keep in mind that had a standard tent been used, they would have needed lighting during the night, as well as the day.
Photo Provided by Austin Johnston for AK Johnston Production Design
In the configuration shown, A K Johnston rigged thousands of pounds to a 12-legged, 84' x 64' structure (all within rigging standards). Using the rigging points and open trussing, they were able to place speakers overhead, hang stage backdrop velour, and mount oversized canvas paintings directly from the structure, with no hassle or structural issues. The structure allows for an enormous amount of flexibility in lighting and design, and has garnered praise from event professionals across the country. The California Canopy is configurable to 16 standard sizes and competitively priced with any standard rental tent.
If you'd like to find out more about the California Canopy or how Rose Brand can help you in your design process, please visit www.RoseBrand.com, send us an email at customerservice@RoseBrand.com, or give us a call at 800-223-1624.
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