Robe is supplying moving lights and technical expertise for some of the event’s key installations at the Expo Grounds, including Blue Hour designed by artist Romain Tardy, Fragments curated by Klára Zieglerová, as well as for the Opening Ceremony (OC) on 5th June. The Czech based lighting manufacturer will additionally be hosting its own community evening on 13th June.

PQ2019 will see over 800 artists from around the world participate in a lively, invigorating and thought-provoking programme of over 600 performances and installations plus workshops, lectures, debates and discussions … all offering perspectives on theatre and stage design and production.

Robe’s CEO Josef Valchar commented: “It’s important for us to be part of this major international symposium and we are very excited to be working with some of the most imaginative practitioners from the world of scenography and visual design. PQ is an important space to enjoy some fantastic works and to network, generate and further new ideas and philosophies about how light can be used as a creative tool”.

Blue Hour and Fragments are both produced by 36Q (threesixty) a collective representing the artistic and technical side of performance design related to active sensorial and – mainly – non-tangible elements.

Blue Hour by Romain Tardy will be a highlight of the whole PQ 2019 event, and will be lit with 40 x Robe MegaPointes, 40 of the new T1 Profiles and 20 x T1 Washes as the main lighting fixtures.

It will be an excellent environment for the curious to evaluate Robe’s new refined and highly crafted T1 luminaire, perfect for theatre, television and touring … and to demonstrate the incredible versatility of its best-selling MegaPointe.

The installation will be staged in the Small Sports Hall venue at the Prague Exhibition Grounds complex, taking up the entire space, with the lighting at the heart of an experimental, interactive environment. The core project idea is based on the intensive teamwork that unites experienced artists with emerging designers, all selected through an open call for creative collaboration.

Other fixtures being made available for use by Robe during the PQ2019 include ParFect RGBW LED PARs and CycBar 15 LED battens.

Fragments will take place in the Lapidarium at the impressive National Museum, also in the Exhibition Grounds, and the work recognizes and celebrates designs that preserve the essence of the environment and socio-political eras, where craft is perfected and the artist becomes a beacon of the profession for their lifelong achievements.

Participating countries have selected one item showing the most iconic or breakthrough set, costume, lighting, projection or sound design by one of their most celebrated “Living Legends” of performance design, whose work continues to inspire new generations of artists and audiences.  

All the PQ19 action kicks off with the official Opening Ceremony at the Prague Exhibition Grounds led by Slovenian theatre director Rocc and Czech composer Vít Zouhar.

The first part of the ceremony, “Garden of Life”, comprises 25 stories of human personal / life experiences, with the selected performers showing their specific passion in public, from street art to expressionist and traditional performance.

The second part of the OC is staged at Křižík's Fountain, an illuminated musical fountain built in 1891 in the Exhibition Grounds which is currently under reconstruction.  Set on the platforms inside the fountain, this section of the OC will be led by a major theatrical singer and followed by a high energy after-party led by creative digital media aficionados, Lunchmeat Studio.

The Robe Community evening will take place on Thursday 13th June at the Small Sports Hall right above the main space hosting the Blue Hour piece.

This same space will be the Robe Lounge during the daytime throughout PQ 2019, a forum for Robe to highlight some of its latest products live and actively welcome and engage with anyone eager to learn more while over a cup of fabulous coffee ... and great Robe vibes.

About the Prague Quadrennial (PQ)

The PQ was established in 1967 to bring the best of design of performance, scenography and theatre architecture to the front line of cultural activities, a multi-faceted event to be experienced by professional and emerging artists as well as the general public.

The quadrennial exhibitions, festivals, and educational programmes have become a global catalyst of creativity and imagination by encouraging experimentation, networking, innovation, and future collaborations. PQ aims to honour, empower and celebrate the work of designers, artists and architects while inspiring and educating audiences … who are at the essence of any live performance.