On the last Saturday in January, pirates invaded the port city of Tampa as part of the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival. The roots of this celebration go back to 1904, and has since evolved into a full day of festivities attended by almost 500,000 people per year. The day begins with the sailing of the Gasparilla Pirate Ship into Downtown Tampa. This is followed by a parade of Pirate Krewes up Bayshore Boulavard and into the heart of the city. Following the parade there is also a series of concerts at the newly built Curtis Hixon Park. Fortunately, we happened to be right in the midst of the action following The Special Event; view some pictures from this unique celebration below . . .

I am happy to be newly back from TSE 2012 – The Special Event 2012 in Tampa, Florida.  I have lots of thoughts and experiences so I will present a series of posts. Welcome to the first!

REthink REPink Powered by Moss booth and lobby installation Reconfigured

Pink Powered by Moss booth – When our creative team came together we created a campaign based on the mood of the times that we reflected as RE. REdefine REignite, REfresh, REthink, REPink! So REconfiguring our booth was of utmost importance with REconfigurable products. The time today requires us to REnew, REinspire, REcharge and the more we played with RE; the more fun we had!

Graphics enhanced our color identifying booth with a giveaway of 8 assorted pink campaign type buttons for you pinning pleasure (you have heard of Pinterest by now; havent’ you?) and our REshuffle ipod shuffle giveaway was fun.  We had a winner each day, and we still have more iPods to giveaway in our REshuffle iPod shuffle giveaway so stay tuned!!!

So below, see our booth REconfigured three different ways.  Our décor was REarranged each couple of hours out in the lobby, thank you Jesse Zryb for REvitalizing the lobby and documenting The Special Event 2012 for us.

Pink Powered by Moss fabric décor design is widely available to the event industry.  Our Tension Fabric Structures are available for rent or for purchase. Some Fabric Structures are only tensioned out.  Other forms are created from metal frame and fabric. These aluminum tube skeletons are then covered with a fabric skin.

All Pink’s Tension Fabric Structures break down small and play LARGE! Our creative fabric solutions include stock product and custom designs.

The Fabric Décor elements featured in this post are primarily full room décor, where an entryway, stage set and perimeter areas featured tension fabric structures.  Many of these shapes come from our rental line and it are available in many shapes and sizes, most often in white because everyone loves the love affair that light and fabric have.

Many industries have discovered the beauty and ease that Tension Fabric Structures are. Fabric Architecture offers infinite design possibilities, the ability to create any shape you can imagine. The lightweight materials ship and store easily. Easy to work with, fabric forms create unusual temporary and permanent environments. This has brought event designers and producers, production companies and lighting designers, visual merchandising, in-store display, and museum design, the exhibit and tradeshow markets to explore the magic of fabric!

Enjoy the photos and jump over to our tension fabric product menu to discover where fabric meets imagination!

The Special Event 2011 “Powerstation” – January – Phoenix, AZ

For our first Special Event as Pink Powered by Moss we wanted to showcase our new capabilities. The result was the Powerstation – a singular form that sweeps across the 20′ x 30′ booth creating an intimate interior space as well as an eye-catching exterior form. We were flattered to receive the “Best Overall Appearance” award at TSE and the Powerstation also went on to eventually win us an IFAI Outstanding Achievement Award for Interior Display!

The Special Event 2011 “JuiceBar” – February – Phoenix, Arizona

The “Powerstation” was not the only new form that debuted at The Special Event. We also introduced several new products such as the Portico and Satelights. The product that really helped us out throughout all of the trade-shows however, was the Juicebar. This charging station is hooked in with several different phone adapters as well as a power strip,  much to the relief of everybody in attendance. The Juicebar was ultimately went on to win “Best Rental Product” at the ISES Big Apple Awards!

Macy’s Flower Show “Tower of Flowers” – March – Chicago, Illinois

Macy’s in Chicago had initially purchased a series of Daisies from us to create a giant bouquet for their Glamorama event in August 2010. A few months later we received a request from them to build them a tower for their annual Flower Show.  To honor the Chicago skyline, we built a 5-story replica of the famed Hancock Building, that was whimsically wrapped in a translucent floral fabric and included shelves for live flowers on the exterior. An archway was cut at the base so people could walk through this massive structure and when looking up you could see our Daisies suspended from above;  we can’t wait to see how they use them next!

California Academy of Science – April – San Francisco, California

We were honored to be contacted by the California Academy of Science to create a shelter and backdrop for their “Snakes & Lizards: The Slither of Summer” exhibit this year.  We used a modified version of our Stargate, Mod Tunnel, and Cove to create an immersive educational experience. A Continental Divide was also ordered in the same green fabric as a backdrop to fill in one of the central spaces of the beautiful new museum in the center of  San Fran’s Golden Gate Park.

Gravity Free Conference – May – San Francisco, California

Another very fun and exciting project we had in San Francisco this year was providing the decor for Gravity Free - a multi-day multi-disciplinary design conference located at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts.  A jagged fabric tunnel marked the entrance of the space and you couldn’t miss our printed signage of all of the presenters as you walked through the hallway. For the luncheon and discussion room, several sheer fabrics were suspended above and pulled from several points giving the appearance of ghosts floating above.  It was great working with Group Delphi for this project which saw the introduction of several new forms and concepts that we have been developing.

ABC, Telemundo, & Oxygen Upfronts – June – New York, New York

During television’s annual upfront season, when networks typically release their lineups for the coming year, we had out hands full! First came the Oxygen Upfront event at Gotham Hall, where we installed a tiered Circle Surround as well as Flexi Tunnel that was modified to match the curve of the building. Shortly after, we found ourselves installing over 440′ of White Out Walls and Flexi Tunnels at the American Museum of Natural History for the Telemundo Upfront. We were also busy putting up a 66′ wide by 18′ tall projection Screen at the Avery Fisher Hall for ABC‘s annual event.

Zumba Conference – July – Orlando, Florida

For Zumba’s 10th Anniversary, they wanted to throw an event like they never had before. The celebration came to be at their annual Instructor’s Convention, which was held at the Peabody Hotel and the Orange County Convention Center. Brightly colored Turning Birds were scattered throughout both venues, forming archways at the Peabody and flying overhead at the OCCC to direct people to their respective classes. Over 6,500 people were in attendance for the conference, but it was hard to miss our presence!

MTV Video Music  Awards – August – Los Angeles, California

After receiving so much attention (and awards!) for building the stage set for MTV’s  Video Music Awards in 2010, we were once again requested to build the stage for this years edition, held at the Nokia Theatre.  This massive clam-shell like structure was just as striking and featured several archways surrounding the walkway for all of the performers and stars. It was great to see our structures in the spotlight once again!

Big Apple Awards – September – New York, New York

For the 2011 Big Apple Awards, held at the Times Center, we provided a fabric structures for both the stage set and the main lobby. We showcased our Ribbonesque tunnels for this event, rearranging them to redirect traffic throughout the evening. The stage set consisted of Continental Divides, Wave Walls, and Pillars. We were also honored to take home a few awards from the ceremony!

Bring to Light Festival – October –  Brooklyn, New York

Nuit Blanche has been a growing phenomenon throughout the world and this October; the 2nd annual Bring to Light was held in conjunction with other all-night art festivals throughout the world. For this one-night event, that took over several sites in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, we teamed up with artist Chakaia Booker for an interactive installation featuring three walls of textured fabrics and a series of projectors casting vivid shadows on the rear side. We also participated in the Mad Mappers Workshop the week before, where we contributed several fabric structures from our Pinkometry series, that were used for projection mapping demonstrations.

BizBash NY – November – New York, New York

For the 2011 edition of the New York BizBash Expo & Awards, held annually at the Javits Center,  we stacked together 15′ Ribbonesque frames to create a back wall that was then dressed with Circle Surrounds showing our portfolio. We wanted to demonstrate new ways of using some of our popular rental items to produce entirely different looks; something you can expect a lot more of in 2012!

LDI Conference – December -Orlando, Florida

This year we returned to the LDI Show, which was at the Orange County Convention Center. We debuted yet another new structure at this show – the Waveform (see more pictures of the Waveform as a Stage Set at the EDPA Show in Las Vegas). This structure is a 6-faced box-like form with an undulating front surface and it works great with lights on the interior. It can also be rearranged to make several different walls and columns – keep an eye out for this structure in the coming year. With 2011 coming to a close, we can look back and say that we’re very proud and honored to have completed such great work. Be sure to browse through our blog to get a more in depth look at all of these projects as well as those that we did not include. A special thanks to everybody who has worked with us and we look forward to what’s in store for 2012!

- Browse our extensive list of rental fabric structures – just updated for the 2012 Season!

- We have several different products that can be used to create dynamic entryways and tunnels

- Works great with all different kinds of lighting

- Simple to build, transport, instructions and assistance available

- Lightweight structures  provide ability to easily change look of stage with same products

- 3D models and design services also available

- Browse through the images below featuring all different kinds of tunnels made from rental products such as our Flexi Tunnel, Mod Tunnel, Arches, Wave Tunnel, Circle Surrounds, and Ribbonesque

This fall at the Pink Powered by Moss booth at the LDI Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando we took a different approach.  We approached the show as a tool for market research. Under that umbrella, we present the Wave Forms. These 4’ x 4’ units stack to create a textural backdrop, wall, ceiling treatments and towers.  Arrange the Wave Forms in different configurations to create dynamic textures.  Take a look and let us know what YOU think!

On Saturday, October 1st, the second annual Bring to Light festival took place in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This nocturnal art party was held simultaneously with several other Nuit Blanche events throughout the world that have been gaining steam as an international celebration ever since the first Nuit Blanche that originated in Paris in 2001.  Over two dozen cities participated, including Brussels, Amsterdam,  Montreal, Toronto, and Washington. For New York’s version, a large section of the Greenpoint was chosen as the site, utilizing parks, warehouses, streets, as well as the waterfront which provided a breathtaking view of the Manhattan skyline. As to be expected, the major element used in many of the installations was light and we saw all kinds of it at this festival; from projection, to LED’s and video-mapping. We were also involved with the festival as sponsors, providing our fabric screens for some of the installations. In addition we worked alongside artist Chakaia Booker creating a series of screens altered with different textures and washed out with strong spotlights in a piece called Shadows. It was great seeing the crowd interact with the screens and create a performance piece of their own. Check out some photos from Bring to Light below and stay tuned for some more on Shadows . . .

Last night, we sponsored one of Bring to Light’s workshops involving MadMapper which is one of the leading tools for video projection mapping today. If you’re not already familiar with this up and coming technology, you should check out a few videos of the growing art-form. MadMapper is software which provides an easy-to-use interface for mapping three-dimensional points to a two-dimensional plane which allowing you to create dynamic visuals that are completely adapted to the surface on which you’re projecting. Architectural works provide an amazing canvas for this technology, which we’ve seen recently on iconic New York structures such as the Manhattan Bridge from last week’s DUMBO Arts Festival or the New Museum (pictured above).

For this workshop, we found that our Pinkometry series provides ideal surfaces to demonstrate the capabilities of projection mapping. These pieces can be easily stacked and angled, and the end-results can be stunning. We definitely look forward to seeing what possibilities lie ahead for this emerging medium. Expect to see even more dazzling light forms at the Bring to Light festival in Greenpoint, Brooklyn this Saturday starting at 6pm!

Each year, the DUMBO Arts Festival seeks to highlight Brooklyn’s commitment to and presence in the arts community by presenting the best in local, national, and international art amid the breathtaking backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.

The DUMBO Arts Festival attracts 200,000 visitors over 3 days with the participation of over 500 artists from a variety of disciplines, 100 studios, 50 galleries and stages, and 100 programming partners.

We were able to make it over on Saturday night to catch a glimpse of some of the great video and projection exhibitions which begin at sundown. With so much to see; it was difficult to fit everything in but below you can find some pictures of some of the installations which caught our eyes. You can see a full list of exhibits as well as descriptions and more info on the artists at the festival’s website.

One area which stood out in particular was the waterfront at Brooklyn Bridge Park. With the new glass building designed by architect Jean Nouvel housing Jane’s Carousel just having opened in September, in addition to spectacular views of Manhattan, this area became a natural gathering point. There was also a very cool exhibit placing a series of projectors in front of screens and inviting spectators to jump in the line of the light casting shadows visible on the other side.

Another highlight of the festival was a video projection installation called “Immersive Surfaces.” Video-mapping technology was used to cover 30,000 sq. feet of the Manhattan Bridge Archways creating a truly dynamic experience for the large groups of spectators gathered in neighboring plaza and tunnel below.

Didn’t get the chance to visit the DUMBO Arts Festival this year? You happen to be in luck as this upcoming Saturday (October 1^st) Bring to Light will take place in Greenpoint, Brooklyn simultaneously with all of the other Nuit Blanche (White Night) events occurring in cities throughout the world and Pink Powered by Moss happens to be a sponsor! Look for more news and previews to come later this week  and be sure to RSVP on their Facebook page for the most up to date information. . .

View video from Immersive Surfaces