E\T\C, the large format projection specialists, fresh from it’s spectacular success in illuminating Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s Jubilee, has wowed Guernsey with a series of breathtaking 40 minute projection shows for the island’s three-month long Victor Hugo Festival. Ten per cent of the island’s population turned out to see the free son et lumière show – specially produced by E\T\C – that recalled the dramatic life and times of Hugo, who spent 15 years in exile on Guernsey during the 1850’s and 60’s.
The free, three-day son et lumière was timed to coincide with Bastille Day, and also illustrated the rich cultural heritage of the island. It was held on the waterfront at Guernsey’s capital, St. Peter Port, and was a massive success, attracting over 5,000 people.
E\T\C’s Ross Ashton was approached by members of Guernsey’s Victor Hugo Working Party last year, following a son et lumière presentation at Chiswick House in London. The brief was to produce a 40-minute show about Hugo, paying particular attention to his time in Guernsey. Ashton asked writer Elizabeth Fry to collaborate with scripting and storyboarding, and together they researched the project. With Hugo being such a prolific creative force, there was no shortage of archive material – on Guernsey, and in France and England. Guernsey’s Prieux Library yielded an impressive stock of pictures, as did Hauteville House, his abode on the island. Ashton and Fry’s main challenge here was containing the show to just 40 minutes with the available material!!
E\T\C had the soundtrack – involving a narrator and four actors - recorded in Wales at KBMF Audio, engineered by Will Biggs. The show involves over 200 images, which were turned into scrolling artwork for the two 6Kw E\T\C xenon projectors and their rotating double scrollers. All images were original material, apart from a couple (e.g. Hugo’s daughter drowning) that Ashton had to ‘invent’, and all the quotes in the script were taken from original written quotes by Higo and those close to him.
Ashton hand tinted some of the pictures for the scrolls – in a process similar to the way they were coloured as originals. He rigourously followed the colour palettes of the original postcards and prints for this. Finding a large, pale projection surface, easily accessible to the public was a challenge! After exploring many possibilities, E\T\C and the Festival Committee came up with the Ship and Crown Pub combined with the villa next door on the Harbour Esplanade in picturesque St Peter’s Port. The pub also has a historic connection to Hugo in that his mistress Juliette Drouet stayed there.
They were blessed with glorious weather for the three show days, and the turnout – spoke for itself. Deputy Mike Burbridge, Chair of the Victor Hugo Working Party and a member of the State of Guernsey Government comments, “We were thrilled with the projections. E\T\C did an excellent job and produced work of outstanding quality. The public response has been incredibly positive and the whole event has boosted the island’s profile enormously.” | Click on the pictures for the large version |
