Printed Canopies Soar over Koch Theater

The New York City Ballet is no stranger to enchanted swans and ethereal spirit creatures, but for design firm Carmona Design + Events (www.carmonadesign.com), a fairylike forest sylph was a new source of inspiration for the décor of the ballet’s Spring Gala, which featured a performance of August Bournonville's La Syphilde. To play off their trademark lighting design and projected imagery, the firm shot black-and-white photographs of classic white tulle, an echo of the temptress' costume, with a 35mm SLR camera. Three 25 x 40-foot canopies were then printed with the help of Big Image Systems’ (www.bigimagesystems.com) Infinitus airbrush and inkjet printer onto seamless scrim fabric. After deliberating on the placement of the canopies – too low, and the guests are suffocated; too high, and the effect is lost – a crew of six spent five hours installing the canopies with rented Kedar Rails.