Emir of Qatar Cup 2019 is a tournament played every season by 18 first and second division teams. It is Qatar’s equivalent of our FA cup.
We were asked to design the large inflatable central sphere which, via external projection was used as a giant inflatable projection screen.
Following on from our success at the Sochi Winter Olympics we designed the working prototype for the giant 15m diameter central Sphere with hanging skirt.
We also created, supplied and installed 150 x 1.3m diameter lighted spheres for the Dancers to use.
Imagine’s crew travelled out to Qatar to assist in the training of the dancers and to manage the helium gas delivery, supply and use within the stadium.
Total dress rehearsals of 10 days before we entered into the Stadium for the final show.
Heat and dust were a major issue due to expansion of the helium from hot storage areas to the air conditioned stadium.
Within the design stage the client wanted a small 1.3m diameter sphere to be helium filled to float yet also carry a payload of an LED light, plus battery pack and switch.
So through research and in house testing we worked from our knowledge of the Paralympic Games in London 2012 and used a very lightweight TPU material which enabled us to go down to a very small volume.
We researched and designed our own internal LED unit for these spheres.
Due to the location and Ramadan arriving we often worked in difficult situations with limited access to material and items we needed to make the internal LED lights work within the spheres.
It was found on site that the LED lights within the spheres were not bright enough when within the stadium setting and viewed through the TV monitors, so our crew re-wired and added additional lighting units on site and the end result was excellent!!!
Yet again our team worked well under pressure and improvised to make the sure the end visual look of the show was of a high international standard.
Another great success for Imagine at another world stadium event!!!!!
Video link of the inflatables in action below!
https://youtu.be/_n7qV2_1fmE
