The beautiful country of Sint Maarten is awash with lagoons, beaches and salt pans. Its capital, Philipsburg, is a picturesque mix of cobblestone streets and colourful colonial-style buildings.
One of the capital’s attractions is the recently-opened, and already popular, Pirate Experience; an immersive exhibition about the real Pirates of the Caribbean. It takes visitors through a pirate wreck of The Rusty Parrot where stories are brought to life in a series of impressive rooms, via interactive elements and activities.
As part of the work to get the exhibition ready in time for its opening in 2021, client Kalinago N.V. appointed Dutch design agency Tinker Imagineers to create the design elements of the Pirate Experience. For the show control and dynamic lighting control, which is key to the experience, Pharos Architectural Controls was brought into the team.
Pharos provided an LPC 1 and two RIO 08s from its Designer range of lighting control products. The LPC 1 is an all-in-one control solution ideal for themed entertainment and LED lighting installations. This made it the perfect fit to control not only the show that brings the Pirate Experience to life, but also the lighting control to add the ambient finishing touches.
The RIO 08 Remote Input Output device provides a convenient and scalable way to add relay outputs to any Pharos Designer range controller; in this case, the LPC 1. Complementing the inputs on the LPC itself, this ensured plenty of contact closures and relays to synchronise show control for other devices and systems as part of the immersive experience.
Each morning, projectors and computers are turned on automatically through the commands sent by the Pharos system.
The experience has been recorded with five different language soundtracks. The operator is able to set a group’s language preference on a web interface that is hosted on the Pharos LPC. This web interface was custom-designed for the Pirate Experience; demonstrating the flexibility and bespoke nature of the Pharos solutions.
As the exhibition experience begins, the doors open and close automatically, a video starts to play, sound effects can be heard, the lights dim then set the scene – all in a perfectly choreographed routine. This is all controlled by the Pharos LPC.
To proceed through the exhibition, visitors travel through five different themed rooms. The Pharos system also manages visitor flow and ensures they can only go to the next room when it is empty, as well as determining which language needs to be played as the tour group progresses from room to room.
Once the attraction closes in the evening, the computers, projectors, power and other elements of the experience are all turned off through the Pharos system.
The Rusty Parrot Pirate Experience is a perfect example of the power of the show control solutions Pharos offers, and how it can make all the difference to a tourist attraction, themed entertainment or show experience.
Project credits:
Client: Kalinago N.V.
Design: Tinker Imagineers
Construction & AV multimedia: Kloosterboer Decor
Photography: Raphael Dorra
