Clostermann Entertainment - Magical: Tree Giant for Gasometer Oberhausen

For its "Magical Places" exhibition, the event center and industrial monument Gasometer has commissioned Clostermann Entertainment to create a giant tree replica.

With its spectacular exhibitions and events, the Gasometer is more than an industrial monument. Since two decades, it has developed into the landmark and the entire RUHR region's identification sign that cannot be overlooked. Built in the late 1920's, Europe's largest disc-type gas holder is an impressive reminder of the heavy industry that characterized the Ruhr for more than a century. The coming exhibition “Magical Places” is a journey around the world to the World Heritage Sites of architectural and natural masterpieces and monuments. It is supported by the German UNESCO Commission.

The tree is going to be 40 meters high and is a highly realistic replica of a rain forest tree. It will be the central spectacular exhibit of the coming 2011 Gasometer exhibition “Magical Places” to move and amaze visitors in the 100-m-high interior of the Gasometer.

Already the single branches of the tree are between 11 m and 13 m long, with the whole tree top spanning about 23m in diameter. After the general structure has been completed at the manufacturing facilities of Clostermann Entertainment in Ettlingen in January, Clostermann’s finishing specialists will continue to attach a total of 30,000 leaves and branches manually on site at the Gasometer. Even with most of the structure sculpted from styrofoam as the lightest suitable material, the whole tree will still weigh about 6.5 t with just the tree top at 2.2t.

Wolfgang Volz from Gasometer Oberhausen has created the plans for the exhibition and the 40-meter high sculpture: “This giant rain forest tree stands for the monumental “Tree of Life” as a symbol of the beauty, fertility and vulnerability of the eternal cycle of nature.”

Is it going to be the largest realistic tree replica of the world? The record application with Guiness World Records has been submitted.

Gigantic "Rain Forest Tree" for "Magical Places" exhibiton by Wolfgang Volz, Gasometer Oberhausen

About Clostermann Entertainment Group

Clostermann Entertainment creates the dreams, the fun and the thrill that theme parks are made of. For more than ten years, Clostermann attraction products have served clients in international theme parks, museums and shopping centers all over the world. Find more information on: www.clostermann-entertainment.com

Interview with Clostermann Entertainment Group

Clostermann Entertainment is a German company specialized in designing animatronics, theming and scenery primarily for dark rides and attractions with special effects. Recently, the company has worked to design special effects for the interactive haunted house "The House" with Alterface. We have also seen its work in attractions like Atlantis Abenteuer at Europa Park (Germany), Transdemonium at Parc Astérix (France) or Gargoyles Battle Magic Ride at Everland (Korea).

At the Euro Attractions Show 2010 in Roma, NewsParcs had the opportunity to meet Anne Walter Koschwitz who has responded to our questions about the actuality of the company.

NewsParcs : Could you tell us the highlights of your company for 2010 ?

Anne Walter-Koschwitz : One of the highlights of this year was the "Eisberg" project for the Vienna Prater. This dark ride was designed with a peaceful interaction concept: It is an interactive ride through Antarctica, where a team of young explorers sets out to document one of Earth's last untouched lands. Equipped with special cameras, guests are in competition to take as many pictures of penguins, arctic wolfs and whales as possible. By taking the pictures, they trigger special effects and surprising actions.




Clostermann achievements for Eisberg. This walrus sprinkles visitors with water! © Clostermann Entertainment (Click to enlarge)

A W-K : In the last year we have also taken big steps towards becoming an entertainment provider. Besides still providing the services as an entertainment producer, we have developed entertainment concepts for shopping malls and travelling exhibitions, which will give us the chance to grow with our products and keep the values that we produce.

One visible highlight of this development was certainly the premiere of our first travelling exhibition "Bees - Nature's Hidden Heroes" at the Odysseum in Cologne (Germany). For this, we designed and produced various scenic elements such as animatronics, interactive exhibits, models, graphic panels, sound equipments and other decorative elements.

One cannot help but notice that quite some theme parks turn to educational programs, a development that we want to enhance with our products.
 


  « Bees – Nature’s Hidden Heroes » exhibition.  © Clostermann Entertainment
NP : What are your future projects for 2011 and after ?

A W-K : Right now, we are working on the designs and concepts of some very interesting museum projects that are planned to open in October 2011 and in spring 2012. We are also working on the concepts of our next traveling exhibition about Galactic life and the forces of evolution.

Another concept are our Interactive Shooting Galleries, which we are planning on promoting some more over the next year.





Clostermann offers various interactive shooting galleries with theming as varied as a bacteriological laboratory, a seabed, a house of horror "Eyecatcher", and a classic Wild West! © Clostermann Entertainment (Click to enlarge pictures 3 and 4)

Eyecatcher Shooting Gallery 
NP : What are your last products and new developments?

A W-K : We have been intensively absorbed in taking interactivity some steps further. We have found innovative answers to interactivity with the latest theming update of the 5D haunted attraction “The House” and the Jeep Safari Ride that we both presented at EAS this year. Central for this innovation was also our proprietary Modular Shooting System which is a great advancement for interactive rides.

NP : Could you give us more details on this Modular Target System?

A W-K : The Modular Target System is an advanced effects control concept that can be easily adapted to any attractions. Unlike other systems, the effect units of the system work in a decentralized mode. Through this modular assembly, single effects or targets can easily be exchanged, upgraded or integrated into existing attraction..

NP : What could you tell us about the Jeep Safari Ride?

A W-K : The Jeep Safari Ride will also work with this system. It is based on the Fun Car Rides by FAB, where the driver can steer the car  within a rail and determine the speed of the vehicle. Now, other passengers of the ride can target specific scenes in the themed landscapes to trigger special effects and animatronics responses.

The theming is produced by Clostermann Entertainment and can be designed according to customer's wishes, even the shooting system that can be a gun or a camera  What we presented at EAS this year was an Asian Jungle theming that sends guests on an adventurous journey through a jungle of wild tigers, mysterious mountains and fascinating ruins.
 

Jeep Safari Ride model ar the Euro Attractions Show © Clostermann Entertainment and NewsParcs (Click to enlarge)
NP : You were not at the IAAPA Trade Expo this year?

A W-K : No, we have much work, so we decided to skip the IAAPA Trade Expo to focus on our projects and the Euro Attractions Show.

NP : Thank you very much for your answers!

Here finally two additional videos: the first is the animatronic that was on the Euro Attractions Show booth, and the second a making of Gargoyles Battle Magic Ride.
 


Interview by François Mayné.
Pictures: © Clostermann Entertainment unless otherwise stated.

Click here to read this article in French.