Radiant Carnival – Cameo lights up the alternative Stunksitzungen in Cologne

When the so-called “fifth season” awakens in Cologne, Germany, the time of the countless carnival meetings begins. In addition to the big carnival meetings, the cabaret-style Stunksitzung has made a national name for itself on the Rhine. The Stunksitzung is the forefather of the “alternative carnival session” and at the same time the largest format of its kind. In the 2022/23 carnival season alone, 46 Stunksitzungen took place at the E-Werk venue. The Cologne-based event and media technology service provider al-media was once again responsible for the lighting technology at the Stunksitzungen. Together with lighting designer Jojo Tillmann, the team relied almost exclusively on Cameo spotlights.

The al-media team has been active as a technical service provider for the Stunksitzungen for many years and knows the E-Werk inside out – after all, the full-service company’s warehouse is located in the immediate vicinity of the iconic E-Werk and Palladium venues. In 2021 and 2022, al-media owner André Lyrmann invested in a broad Cameo portfolio, ranging from ZENIT® W600 washlights to OPUS® SP5 profile moving heads and OPUS® H5 beam moving heads to F-Series LED Fresnel spotlights. After the 2021/22 stunt sessions were cancelled due to the Corona situation at the time, the spotlights finally came into their well-deserved use.

Stage lighting

A total of 15 OPUS® SP5 profile moving heads serve as front lights, back lights and for gobo use; the EVOS® W3 units are used as lighting for the live band, and as side and effect lights. The Elferrat, placed on a gallery above the stage, is illuminated from behind by four compact F1 T Fresnel spotlights with Tungsten LEDs, and is also lit with eight F2 T POs (pole-operated), which are simultaneously intended for various individual positions and offer even more power than the F1 T with their 12,500 lm luminous flux. Next, 11 more F2 T POs are used as general front lights to bathe the stage in bright light when required. Furthermore, al-media integrated 20 ROOT® PAR 6 WH PAR spotlights (RGBAW+UV) at various positions in the stage setup. The stage lighting is rounded off by powerful beam effects from six AZOR® B1 Beam moving heads.

Hall lighting

For the flexible and atmospheric illumination of the hall, including the audience, Jojo Tillmann and al-media relied on 28 ZENIT® W600 washlights. The E-Werk’s permanently installed equipment also includes numerous Cameo Q-SPOT LED spots, which were integrated into the lighting design.

“The contact to Cameo and Adam Hall came about through JoJo Tillmann. We felt we were in good hands right from the start. The advice and support are excellent, and the spotlights work very reliably. Over the entire playing time of the stunt sessions, we only had one defect, which we were able to fix quickly and effectively ourselves thanks to the help of Cameo support.”
André Lyrmann, Owner al-media