Photo: ALEN LIN INC

NEWPORT, CA – New guests at Time can’t help turning their heads in every direction, an expression of amazed wonderment on their faces, when they entered this former Nike Town store turned nightclub. It doesn’t matter which way they turn either. Aside from taking in some stunning visuals, they are going to have a clear sightline to the dancefloor from any angle they look.

There are no straight lines in Time, the new Orange County club designed by the world renowned firm Davis Ink, Ltd.  That’s one reason why the dance floor is visible from anywhere in the venue. It’s an unforgettable sight to see too, thanks in large measure to a lighting design by Steve Lieberman’s SJ Lighting that features a stunning “digital chandelier” made of CHAUVET DJ MotionOrb fixtures along with some power packed spot and wash lighting from CHAUVET Professional Rogues.

“The space inside this venue is almost amoeba-like,” said Lieberman. “It’s a single flowing and very immersive unit. Davis Ink completely ripped the former retail store apart down to the bone to create a structure that’s very unique.  We identified focal points throughout the space and used those locations to create our dimensioning and distribution of fixtures. Since the space is so different we spent a lot of time evaluating how each space would transition into the next.”

Photo: ALEN LIN INC

Among the most unique focal points Lieberman worked with is the towering 35’ ceiling over the dance floor. It rises more than 15’ over the rest of the room. “Having a high ceiling gave us the opportunity to do something very special,” he said. “We utilized all the planes of space that this height created. Since the walls are so tall, we took advantage of that and had LED strips and other fixtures follow the walls from the lower ceiling to the higher ceiling.”

Hanging from the middle of the ceiling is (quite literally) the centerpiece of Lieberman’s lighting design, a massive digital chandelier made of over 100 CHAUVET DJ MotionOrbs. “The chandelier has a classic look, with a digital backbone; so the effects that we can run through the MotionOrbs in it are infinite,” he said. “This is the center of our design and everything else we have done emanates from there.”

Lieberman recalled how he came to select the MotionOrbs for this project. “We really wanted to create a 3D chandelier for Time. Because of the size and scope of what we required, we needed a theatrical lighting commodity that could give us the effect we needed for a price that was going to make it practical from a financial standpoint.

“The MotionOrbs are a DJ based fixture, which I’m not sure were ever meant to be used in such a grand capacity,” continued Lieberman.  “We ordered a demo kit and tested the MotionOrbs in our shop. We were very impressed with how they performed. So, we then began the tedious process of creating a 3D layout that detailed how we wanted to arrange them. After close collaborative conversations with Davis Ink, we developed what you see hanging now. So yes, it worked out very well.”

In addition to the MotionOrbs, Lieberman used 16 Rogue R2 Spot and 16 Rogue R1 Wash fixtures in his design. The two types of Rogue fixtures are evenly distributed around the main dance floor, supplying visual energy with their rapid movements, intense colors and (in the case of the Rogue R2 Spot) crisp gobos.

“The Rogues are doing much of the heavy lifting for moving lighting effects in the club,” said Lieberman. “Not only are the R1s and R2s impactful themselves, they’re also very complementary to the rest of the system. The output is great, which is important given the height of the high ceiling. Plus, the zoom range of the R1 Wash gives the operator the ability to saturate the room in color.  The club owner Richard Kelly and interior designer Davis Krumins are very happy with what we’ve accomplished with the lights. It’s been a great collaboration.”

Photo: ALEN LIN INC