Triumph of Illumination: Martin & Celebrity Cruise Line’s Stunning Celebrity Ascent Collaboration

Morten Gjotz

Celebrity Ascent is the fourth and most innovative ship in the highly awarded Celebrity Cruise Line Edge® Series. Selected for its long-standing reputation for cruise ship lighting performance, quality of light, durability, and reliability, an array of Martin Professional entertainment and architectural lighting solutions were incorporated into the ship-wide lighting design.

We had the opportunity to speak with Morten Gjotz, Global Sales Director for Cruise/Marine and Theme Projects for HARMAN Professional Solutions. He shared his thoughts on what’s most important in delivering stellar cruise experiences and what goes into transforming ships like the Celebrity Ascent into visual masterpieces, both day and night. Celebrity Ascent staff also shared their thoughts on the installation and their collaboration with Martin Professional.

Morten, thanks for joining us again. We’re interested to know – what was Celebrity Ascent’s design team envisioning for this install?

  • We’ve worked with Celebrity on many projects and they have a keen eye for blending very dynamic visuals and artistically-engaging elements throughout the ship.
  • We helped them realize their vision by suggesting a mix of Martin entertainment and architectural lighting fixtures and technologies to create unique looks that would be appealing both at night and during the day.
  • Some of the Martin fixture ranges and product families that were selected for this ship’s design included: MAC Aura, ERA, Exterior, VDO Atomic, and more. The installation also included a multitude of our JBL Professional ceiling, surface-mount, and landscape loudspeakers to further elevate the guest listening experience as well.
  • By integrating some of our most versatile product lines, we were able to create some truly unique looks and visually-immersive environments for the ship’s theaters, restaurants, pool deck, and a variety of other areas.
  • All in all, we’ve been honored to collaborate on a flagship project like the Celebrity Ascent. Partnering with international stakeholders like the Celebrity team, allows us to deliver on our worldwide commitment to GLOBAL and LOCAL presence in everything we do.

“…the entertainment technology on Celebrity Ascent is of paramount importance. Our guests, as you know, are very well-traveled, so they’ve seen a lot of entertainment. They’ve been to Vegas; they’ve been to Broadway. When they see our productions, they are mesmerized by the technology that we have and the way we use it. Because it’s not only about having technology; it’s how we use it.”
– Luigi De la Cruz, Cruise Director, Celebrity Ascent (click to see in the video)

Can you talk about the Pool Deck Pyramid as one of Celebrity Ascent’s most breathtaking visual features?

  • Sure. The Pool Deck Pyramid Wall is really a one-of-a-kind visual art sculpture that you have to see to believe.
  • Made up of hundreds of individually-lit pyramids and over 400 Martin Exterior Linear Quad Graze fixtures, it was designed to be a centerpiece for the ship’s pool deck area and is certainly one of the more iconic design features of the whole ship.
  • One of the reasons that Martin Exterior Linear fixtures were selected to build the Pyramid is the integrated color boosting technology in these fixtures that allow us to achieve some extraordinary single and mixed color brightness that seem to make the pyramid bubble with color and light, just as vividly during the day as it does at night.

”So the challenge has always been direct sunlight and I think again with each vessel, we’ve been able to upgrade and enhance that capability so that the guests can enjoy the full effect during the day and not have to wait until sunset to see the magnificence of the prism. The technology is a key element to that… This allows the guests to enjoy what arguably is one of the best displays on an open deck on any cruise ship. It is magnificent at night, but during the day, it allows for a lot more afternoon and early evening events… The prisms I think are a fantastic backdrop.“
– Christopher Vlassopulos, Manager Sound and Light, Newbuilding, Celebrity Cruises (click to see in the video)

Morten, what’s the collaborative process like between Martin and Celebrity for a project like the Ascent?

  • When you have so many moving parts and complex technical scenarios on a ship like the Ascent, working very closely to get every detail just right is incredibly important.
  • In my experience, one of the most important components of delivering successful projects is listening. From the initial scoping discussions we have with the design team all the way through to the final walkthrough, it’s so important to truly understand and become one with the client’s ideas and vision.
  • Once you can get in sync with the client’s wants, you can build the ideal solution recommendation. This may require suggesting alternative ideas that may veer from the initial plan and that’s okay. It’s important to share these suggestions as they come up to ensure the client has all the information to make clearly informed decisions for the best overall solution.
  • Followup is also a critical segment of the collaboration process. Meeting with the client regularly to ensure we are delivering on the intended goal and exceeding their satisfaction is vital. This allows us to proceed through each phase of the installation without anything missed. It ultimately ensured that we could accomplish each phase of the Ascent install to the client’s utmost satisfaction.

“The reason why I have so much energy every single day is because of so much positivity coming towards me. The comments from our guests… their reactions every time we perform a great show, a dance class, or invite them to one of our Celebrity activities, keep you going. You know that what we have to offer to our guests is actually worth it. They’re loving it, and we know that we’ve created memories that will last a lifetime.”
– Luigi De la Cruz, Cruise Director, Celebrity Ascent (click to see in the video)

How did you overcome unplanned technical challenges with this project?

  • With just about every ship install or any project for that matter, you will invariably run into unplanned obstacles to work through, identify solutions, and come up with a new plan that may have a better outcome than the initial plan.
  • Having a strong rapport with the ship’s designers and technical staff as well as Martin’s application experts and global support team, creates an immense resource pool to quickly minimize and eliminate any hurdles or delays.
  • Whether it’s needing a fixture with low noise-output for ultra-quiet performance moments like the Martin ERA range, conquering durability concerns in outdoor deck environments like the Martin Exterior architectural lineup, or finding a fixture that can be both a great wash light and provide stunning eye-candy like Martin’s MAC Aura fixtures, through our long tenure of outfitting many of the world’s most complex ships, we have the products, technology, and staff to tackle any technical or logistical challenge.

“With every vessel, we don’t leave any stones unturned. Whether it’s the technology, the integration, or the equipment itself, we try and better each vessel every time. With all of the lighting equipment, and indeed any of the sound or video equipment, we have the opportunity to upgrade to the latest and greatest and also work with the outfitters to integrate it in a proper fashion.”
– Christopher Vlassopulos, Manager Sound and Light, Newbuilding, Celebrity Cruises (click to see in the video)

What is Martin’s secret to maintaining long-term partnerships with the world’s top cruise lines?

  • It’s not really a secret as much as it is just good common sense in treating every client in the same way you would want to be treated in envisioning and building your dream project.
  • We look at each and every project we take on whether large or small with the same scrutinizing attention to detail.
  • With decades of technical expertise, our goal is always to help our clients achieve the best possible outcomes, meeting their diverse technical and creative needs.
  • We are wholly committed to turning our clients’ ideas into practical, long-lasting solutions.
  • Our highly-skilled, multi-national team ensures clients receive exceptional care throughout the project and ongoing support, long after the sale.
  • Its the successful completion of projects like the Celebrity Ascent cruise ship that allow us to continue to build one of the widest global reaches of any manufacturer.
  • As our customers have shared with us in their appreciation over the years, we continue to be wholly committed to traveling to and working with them – wherever their ships, staff, and projects are located, throughout the world. We look forward to making their next vision, a beautifully-designed and executed reality.

EXPLORE FURTHER
Get to know many of the products that were utilized on the Carnival Jubilee, including technical details, specifications, videos, and more.

READY TO TALK TO A SOLUTIONS EXPERT?
We’d love to discuss your projects and ideas. To locate a representative near you, please visit our WORLDWIDE LOCATOR.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to: the Celebrity Ascent team, Celebrity Entertainment, Videlio HMS, and Videlio Funa for their integral collaboration.

Morten Gjotz

Morten Gjotz is Global Sales Director of Cruise, Marine, and Theme Projects for Martin Professional and HARMAN Professional Solutions.

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