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Article at the NZ Herald
10 March 2007
By Joanna Hunkin
AK07: Groupe F lights the fire at AK07
It is tipped to be the most elaborate fireworks display ever to hit Auckland, but do not expect "big sky fireworks" at tonight's A Little More Light show.
The free performance by French pyrotechnic troupe Groupe F marks the official opening of this year's Auckland Festival, AK07.
Tonight's events, MC'd by Craig Parker, begin at 7.30pm with entertainment by Don McGlashan and the Seven Sisters, and the Mamaku Project.
A Little More Light is set to begin at 8.45pm. Groupe F, which was responsible for Paris' millennium fireworks display over the Eiffel Tower and the opening ceremony of the 1998 Football World Cup, will present the 45-minute show in the Auckland Domain.
But production manager Jonas Bidaultsaid it was important for people to realise it was not just a fireworks display.
"I hope people will not expect big sky fireworks. It will be a show composed of musicians, live music, special effects, performers and, in the background, some big fireworks."
The show will use 400kg of explosives and automatic flame generators.
Since it was formed in 1993, Groupe F has grown from four members to the 18 in Auckland today - comprising street performers, engineers, architects and other professionals who have all become pyrotechnic specialists.
"We are not a fireworks company. We are maybe closer to a theatrical show."
Article at Newswire.co.nz
11 March 2007
Record Crowds Filled The Auckland Domain Last Night For The Launch Of Auckland Festival, AK07
Last night famed French Pyrotechnicians Groupe F packed out the Auckland Domain dazzling crowds with the most impressive fireworks performance ever seen in this city.
Auckland City events organiser Pak Peacock said last night’s crowd was the largest he had seen at the Domain for years.
Well known actor Craig Parker hosted the evening which kicked off at 7:30pm with local band the Mamaku Project entertaining the swelling crowd, followed by Don McGLashan and his band the Seven Sisters before Groupe F began their 45 minute display at 9pm.
Auckland Festival patron and Prime Minister Helen Clark jointly opened the Auckland Festival, AK07 with Mayor Dick Hubbard with rallying cries of support from the crowd.
Auckland Festival director David Malacari said he couldn’t have asked for a better evening or a more spectacular way to open this year’s arts festival which runs until 25 March.
“I have seen Groupe F perform all over the world and still I am blown away by their artistry, and I think everyone who saw their show A Little More Light last night would have to agree,” said Malacari.
Groupe F’s artistry has spread round the world like wildfire; the Eiffel Tower, December 31 1999, the Stade de France at the football World Cup 98, the Millennium Bridge in London, the Montmorency Falls in Quebec… Transfigured by fire, these prestigious monuments, towns and natural landscapes have become the sites of extraordinary pyrotechnical events.
In 1996, Groupe F invented and developed an automatic flame generator system, with the distinctive characteristic being its excellent flame control during rainstorms and the use of a fuel that is not particularly dangerous and non pollutant.
The switching on and turning off of these flames is instantaneous. An operator continuously validates the system by the aid of a push button. The operator can neutralize the system at any time. A control panel enables programmed sequences or manual sequences to be achieved. Such systems are continuously operated in a number of theme parks in France, Morocco and in Disney Park, in Tokyo, Japan. | | |