PENMAN’S DAM

Ending a 40 year stint in darkness, the iconic dam has received a lighting upgrade to pay homage to its role in the city’s history.

Built in 1918 by Penman’s Limited Clothing Company to provide waterpower to operate the company’s mill, the Grand River dam’s original floodlights of the ‘60s had been removed due to complaints of excessive light pollution.

MBL introduced 6deg optics and the use of full snoots in order to carefully focus light on its intended target. The project intertwines 21st century and 18th century technology through the use of pre-programmed dynamic effects and colour schemes that are triggered to change based on the system’s internal clock and are also able to be controlled via a computer program or app.