When the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) held its opening ceremony on November 1, Lighting Designer Roland Greil, together with technical vendor and producer Hilights, chose Claypaky Skylos fixtures to draw attention to the majesty of the Hanging Obelisk, the country’s first elevated obelisk.
Located in a 30,000-square-meter piazza in front of the GEM’s pyramid-shaped main entrance, the obelisk is the first artefact to welcome visitors to explore the wonders of the ancient world.
GEM is believed to be the world’s largest archaeological museum, housing around 100,000 artefacts, including the entire contents of Tutankhamun’s tomb. It is located on the outskirts of Cairo, about two kilometers from the Giza Pyramids complex. The GEM opening ceremony, attended by the Egyptian president, foreign dignitaries, royals, and celebrities, featured live music and dancing, projections on the museum façade as well as on a trapezoidal LED screen, drones tracing images of the pharaohs in the night sky, and fireworks, with the Giza Pyramids providing a dramatic backdrop in the desert.
For the opening ceremony, a state-of-the-art lighting system featuring more than 5,000 fixtures was deployed as part of a 360º Collective project by Live Legends and Roland Greil Design – Direction for Hilights Group. Greil is a Founding Partner of 360º Collective, which brings together experts from producing, creative, design, technical, operational, and production disciplines in a comprehensive 360° strategy to cover every aspect of a project.
Greil’s team was tasked with creating a striking visual experience that matched the scale and cultural significance of the historic ceremony. As part of the project, Greil positioned 24 Claypaky Skylos units around the Hanging Obelisk for the moment in the show when the artefact took center stage.
Much more than a classic searchlight, Skylos is a versatile fixture in every way. It features a custom 300W white light laser source that provides an extremely parallel, uniform beam; incredible light output with low power consumption; and outstanding construction with IP66-rated protection, ideal for operating in a desert environment.
Greil had previously used Skylos on Cro’s Cronicles Tour 2024. “GEM was the second show where I was able to use this incredible light”, says Greil. “The combination of its big lens with plenty of power and strong beam definition makes Skylos stand out”.
The opening ceremony featured a special scene dedicated to the Hanging Obelisk, and we needed to give it the spotlight it deserved. We wanted to light the obelisk beautifully and frame it in a way that kept the focus on it, he explains.
To that end, Skylos delivered powerful sky-tracking effects with stunning beams that added depth and grandeur to the unique outdoor environment.
Greil notes that, thanks to “its wide, very bright beam, Skylos was the right choice to frame the incredible Hanging Obelisk and give us a big sky look that enhanced the show’s enormous scale”. Greil also used 62 Claypaky HY B-Eye K15 and K25 units, which were employed as lighting for the entrance areas.
