Lights show to use two megawatts of power

Two megawatts of power will be used for artistic director Gert Hof's light monument on Friday night to celebrate the EU enlargement - equal to the amount required to light up all Gozo on the night, organisers said yesterday.

Special generators have been brought down from Germany, together with a 56-strong specialised crew, eight 40-foot trailers and the man behind the scenes himself, the world renowned "architect of light", who arrived in Malta yesterday to start setting up the spectacular scene.

Organisers WelcomEurope said the show could be appreciated from any vantage point, each angle offering a different experience. But the further away the better for the maximum effect and a complete picture, they advised. A distance of 300 metres away from the light installations was considered to be the optimum, and anywhere along Ta' Liesse and St Barbara Bastions would be a prime vantage point.

Wherever there were views, there would be good sound, with sound systems being installed all the way up to Castille, the organisers said.

Speaking about the location of the light monument - the imposing, historical Fort St Angelo - organisers said the sea below the fortifications would enhance the show by creating a mirror effect and doubling the image.

The light monument includes about 100 space cannons, or mega searchlights, that send beams of light 70kms up into the sky.

In fact, due to the light show, the airport is being shut from 11.30 p.m. to 12.15 a.m., organisers said.

They said the weather was not an issue, the space cannons being waterproof, and mist, or rain would only enhance the effect.

The show would go on irrespective of bad weather, in which case the only problem would be that spectators would have to watch it from indoors. However, around a billion TV viewers would still be watching Malta, organisers said.

Speaking on landing at Malta International Airport, Mr Hof praised the constructive cooperation of the WelcomEurope consortium, listing it as the basis for the creation of a show of the sort and one of the reasons why he chose Malta over Brussels.

Mr Hof was fascinated by the Grand Harbour and the idea of staging "the greatest show in the smallest of the EU countries". He said it was Fort St Angelo that inspired him.

Apart from an honour, staging the grand finale of the EU enlargement celebrations was also a major task, he said.

In an attempt to describe his light monument, which "has to be seen to be believed", he said it was a "total work of art" - combining a variety of art forms from pyrotechnics, light, fireworks displays, architecture and music by the legendary Roger Waters (former Pink Floyd frontman), whose composition is being pre-world premiered in Malta.

Mr Hof was working with the largest lighting equipment in the world. His team started setting up the light installation yesterday and it should be ready by Thursday at 2 p.m., when rehearsals are scheduled.

From 2 p.m. on Thursday, the lights are going to be switched on until the end of the show for optimum quality, the organisers said.

Mr Hof has been planning the show since October.

Renowned for directing mega events in cities worldwide, his lighting concepts are based on music, the country's culture and the city's architecture.

He is best known for his millennium light shows in Berlin, Athens, Budapest and Peking. Last year, he created shows for the Donald Trump Organisation in Atlantic City, the US, and in Moscow's Red Square. To celebrate 1,000 years of Hungary, more than 2,000 neon tubes were used to illuminate Budapest's Chain Bridge, creating the world's largest neon architecture.

Mr Hof was chosen by the presidents of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, the European Commission, Romano Prodi, and the European Council, Bertie Ahern, to create the light installation in Berlin to welcome the first four (due to time differences) member states in Europe.

The countdown to May 1 and the Malta light monument is kicking off in Berlin when the scene is to switch to Malta for 15 minutes at midnight to celebrate the entry of the six remaining states.

Both light shows are being broadcast by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in 50 countries to a potential audience of one billion viewers, meaning that Malta and the Grand Harbour are going to be in the spotlight in more ways than one.

"I want to reach the one billion TV spectators, meet them in their hearts and take them to heart of Europe," Mr Hof said.