AV Case Study: World of Wearable Art
When the boundary-pushing creativity of the World of Wearable Art met the innovation of d&b Soundscape, an immersive audio masterpiece was born.
17 January 2025
Story:/ Graeme Hague
Photos:/ Stephen A’Court
The World of Wearable Art, known as WOW in short, is an interesting hybrid of performance art, dance, fashion design, and an international competition in which designers vie for the distinction of their creations to be included in the actual shows and be judged by a panel of experts. Think of Cirque De Soleil getting together with the most spectacular of those Paris fashion shows – and everyone has to hang upside-down from a trapeze swing.
Okay, perhaps not everyone, but WOW certainly is an extravaganza that always strives to push the boundaries of modern production methods. Sound, lighting and staging are at the cutting edge. The music is composed for each show, as is the choreography, and both work closely with lighting and audio designers to create a cohesive whole of escapism. Above all else, the stars of the show are the garments, and while there is creativity in all the departments, the combined technical production is entirely about presenting the garments to the audience.
18 performances take place across the year including the grand finale at the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington, New Zealand, after which the WOW team huddle together to figure out how they can do it all bigger and better next year.
WOW FACTOR
It was the Sound Designer for WOW, Bart Barkman, and Director of Western Audio Engineering, Rich McMenamin of Western Audio, who both felt that if a d&b audiotechnik Soundscape show was to be produced in New Zealand, WOW would be the perfect choice to do it. In meetings with the creative directors and the composer, the implementation of an audio system that would have a role in the show’s theme – as that of an immersive dream experience – was presented, and Soundscape gained immediate favour and approval.
WOW came up with a totally new concept for the performance and threw the ball back in d&b’s court to provide a Soundscape system that could present their vision. Rather than create a show that was focused on getting the best out of a Soundscape system, the question was asked – could the Soundscape technology support their theme and vision?
As Bart puts it, “We hoped to be enabled by the Soundscape system to present the concept we imagined and were developing. We didn’t want to be restricted by the system’s configuration in any way.”
Catching that somewhat curve ball was Richard (Rich) McMenamin of Western Audio, a sound company based in Wellington and Auckland. Western Audio has been involved with WOW for almost two decades helping the show to expand and grow from a production point of view, with WA doing the same alongside. From humble beginnings, Western Audio nowadays provides audio support for major touring acts in New Zealand.
Even so, long-standing relations notwithstanding, for Western Audio to invest in a d&b audiotechnik rig wasn’t a decision to take lightly.
Rich explains, “We’ve been collaborating with WOW for years and we’re never going to say no, but this was going to be the first Soundscape system to be installed in New Zealand and as such was a commitment on the next level. Then, when we began sketching out the early configurations, those first system designs were massive. We had to find some common ground about what was practical and could still achieve the results WOW was after.”
Of course, NAS was eager to help everyone’s ambitions come to life, and Euan Mackenzie from NAS NZ brought his expertise to the project along with Doug Pringle to thrash out an initial array calculation to assess the viability of installing a system – it’s worth mentioning the show includes an unusual triangle-shaped stage that extends far out into the audience with the tip of the triangle providing that focal point.
DRESSED UP
To create the immersive Soundscape system, a combination of d&b audiotechnik amplifiers and speakers – 78 speakers in total along with four J-Subs – were placed around the arena. Controlling everything was a DS-100 with En-Scene and En-Snap. The immersive mix was going to be done manually without any tracking worn by the performers. The different speaker types came about not just from fitting the design, but because the venue posed some difficulties.
Rich tells us, “The lack of trim height was a challenge. The roof space above the auditorium wasn’t really designed for rigging things over the audience. On the plus side, the d&b speakers are compact while still being very powerful, so we could deploy lots of small clusters everywhere that lessened any impact on the audience line-of-sight. Mind you, you’d spend hours getting a hang perfectly in place, then come back the next morning to find the lighting guys had slung a truss full of movers in front of it…”
Bart Barkman doesn’t mind admitting, “The learning curve was steep, but it was a great experience with everyone pitching in to make it happen. And the more we learned, the more we realised could be possible.”
With WOW being essentially a theatrical production, the crew went through the normal schedule of technical runs, dress rehearsals and such. However, in this case the company decided on an extra Creation Week to ensure everything was ready.
MAKING IT HAPPEN
Bart sums it up by saying, “I can’t say enough how much the Soundscape system exceeded our expectations and provided a spectacular show. We were aiming for a certain result, hoped for something better, and were totally blown away by what we got in the end. It sounded fantastic, and now we can plan with huge enthusiasm what we will do next year. It was an amazing result.”
Rich explained, “Our first and foremost priority was to provide Bart and WOW with all the tools and a system they needed to completely realise their vision for the show. The d&b system really delivered that, and at a level of quality well beyond what you expect.”
Everybody involved in the project is full of praise about the bipartisan networking that saw the show reach its full potential. In particular, Euan Mackenzie and NAS provided constant and invaluable support in making the Soundscape system come together.
Rich McMenamin points out, “NAS has been a big part of Western Audio’s growth since day one. It’s more than just a business relationship. Shane and Dave are like part of our family.”
The World of Wearable Art has achieved another milestone in its journey towards always aiming higher and bettering its previous productions. The WOW creative team has again excelled in innovation and imagination. This was in no small part inspired by the possibilities opened up by the d&b Soundscape installation, and the efforts of Bart Barkman, Rich McMenamin and Euan Mckenzie.
None of whom had to hang upside-down from a trapeze.
World of Wearable Art: worldofwearableart.com
Western Audio: westernaudio.co.nz
NAS: nas.solutions
RESPONSES