Responsive LED Lighting in Nightclubs

As well as being practical, the right lighting can be used to build experience – in a nightclub it creates atmosphere. Many people do not go to nightclubs to see the lights as the main attraction, most clubbers go for the music and to be with friends. In Brazil though a new club is breaking this tradition by using a creative lighting setup to form the central focal point, drawing clubbers in just as much as the music and the events on offer!

A night club called ‘The Year’ in São Paulo has a giant LED cage hanging over the dancefloor. It may not sound that revolutionary in principle, but you will never see a lighting arrangement like it. Instead of producing a pre-programmed lighting display, all the LEDs on the cage are controlled by the movements and temperature of the dancers below. This can lead to some visually stunning light shows that not only enhances the atmosphere, it also reflects it.

A sensor above the dancefloor monitors all the action in the club. It measures the temperature and movement of the dancer but also carefully monitors what is going on in the DJ booth. The intelligent lighting arrangement then turns these measurements into signals to switch the lights on and off. The overall effect is amazing and totally in tune to the mood in the club.

Other clubs have extravagant lighting displays but none are responsive like the one in The Year. With the advent of LED lighting more clubs are experimenting with extreme designs. A whole industry has developed with the sole purpose of installing incredible lighting displays in nightclubs.

Architect Guto Requena designed the LED cage seen in The Year. He envisioned the LED cage working as an extension of the clubbers bodies. He has previously won awards for his design of the nightclub HOT HOT, the interior of Walmart São Paulo and has several other national architecture awards under his belt. However, this is his first real foray into lighting design.
As well as the cage lighting there is a central disco ball but it instead of being a simple mirrored affair it is also packed with LEDs. Like the cage, it spins in speeds relative to the audience’s mood and movement. This adds another dimension to the clubs unique lighting array.

The Year is a 700 capacity nightclub located in the heart of the city’s Vila Nova Leopoldina area. It regularly plays host to world class DJs and is one of the most popular venues in the city, demonstrating the real pulling power that an inventive lighting display can bring to the nightclub environment.
What do you think of The Year’s lighting array? Would you dance along to it? Share your thoughts on our social media pages.