From 2004 for 15 years on New Year's Eve the London Eye had become a focal point for London's marking of midnight, the events were produced by Jack Morton Worldwide and Director of Production was Jim Donald with various show producers across the years. The capsules contained Martin Vipers and SGM Q7s, the Eye structure was lit with VL3500 wash lights from a floating pontoon below and Claypaky Mythos 2 were deployed around the site. The spectacular firework display was originally designed by Christophe Berthonneau of GroupeF and since 2010 has been designed by Darryl Fleming for Titanium Fireworks.
Durham and lighting design associate Paul Cook created the lighting of the wheel and it's integration into the fireworks display, the colours and dynamics of the lighting programme were precisely synchronised with those of the fireworks. The Event was broadcast live by the BBC at midnight and is now featured in news reports around the world alongside the Sydney Harbour Bridge and New York Times Square celebrations, thus fulfilling the original brief to put London on the New Years Eve tourist map.
Photos courtesy of Jack Morton Worldwide
2018 photos (2-6) by Kois Miah
For fifteen years Durham spent New Years Eve in a tent with Jim Douglas at Cleopatra's Needle opposite the London Eye in the cold and the rain watching months of work pass by in ten minutes.
Then taking a launch with the fireworks team to greet Paul Cook and our lighting team on the Eye pontoon, and then back to my family who had watched from the Marriott behind the Eye.
Happy New Year!