City Theatrical's QolorFLEX NuNeon® at the Mirror Maze at American Dream, East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA 

The Mirror Maze at American Dream is a house of mirrors attraction that encourages guests to navigate their way through a maze full of interactive neon lights, electric beats, endless corridors, and twists and turns at every corner. Find out how American Dream’s Lighting Designer & Programmer, Nick Fazio, used QolorFLEX NuNeon, RGB to add bright accents to this mind-blowing landscape in this City Theatrical Case Study Q&A .

PROJECT BACKGROUND:

The Mirror Maze at American Dream is a house of mirrors with interactive neon lights, electric beats, and clever turns around each corner. This attraction encourages guests to navigate their way through a mind-blowing landscape.

CASE STUDY Q&A WITH NICK FAZIO OF AMERICAN DREAM:

City Theatrical (CT): Hi Nick! Can you tell us more about this QolorFLEX NuNeon installation in the Mirror Maze at American Dream?

Nick Fazio (NF): We installed 30 feet of QolorFLEX NuNeon, RGB within six acrylic tubes at the Mirror Maze attraction at American Dream. This attraction is located in the Merlin Court next to the Sea Life attraction.

CT: How did you use QolorFLEX NuNeon in this design? 

NF: We replaced existing tubes that had failing 120V LED rope light in them with the new acrylic tubes that encased QolorFLEX NuNeon. The older led rope was overheating and causing the existing tubes to crack. Since the update to QolorFLEX NuNeon, we have also started using QolorFLEX 5x8A Dimmers to program the new areas as well as the rest of the mirror maze lighting to change lighting based on the different songs playing, which depends on the season.

Shown below: The process of installing 30 feet of QolorFLEX NuNeon, RGB within six acrylic tubes for the Mirror Maze at American Dream.

CT: Tell us more: Is the lighting in the maze interactive?

NF: The lighting pulses with the music. We are using Xlights, a Christmas light editor, to run the overhead lights as well as change the pole colors to align with the music. The entire setup is controlled by a Raspberry Pi 4, which is outputting DMX as well as taking input from fire alarm and E-stop button to turn lights to white, play a scripted audio, and illuminate the floor to help visitors get out of the maze. 

CT: What was your installation like? 

NF: We created custom 3D printed brackets, which were attached to the QolorFLEX NuNeon using silicone at 12inch increments. We then tensioned the pieces between two 1/16” aircraft cables. 

CT: What were some of the unique challenges that affected the installation? 

NF: The most challenging aspect of the QolorFLEX NuNeon installation was getting the 30 feet of the product to lay out neatly and evenly space it within the confines of a 6-inch pipe. 

CT: Did any unique testing go into choosing or installing QolorFLEX? 

NF: We didn’t do much testing. I have been a longtime supporter and user of City Theatrical solutions. I had used QolorFLEX NuNeon previously and knew that it was the right product for the job.

CT: What was it like to work with QolorFLEX NuNeon? 

NF: QolorFLEX NuNeon was very easy to work with. QolorFLEX NuNeon has significantly increased the wow factor in this part of the mirror maze. The vibrant colors bouncing off the many mirrored panels looks amazing.

OTHER AREAS OF AMERICAN DREAM THAT USE CITY THEATRICAL PRODUCTS:

CITY THEATRICAL PRODUCTS USED:

To learn more about QolorFLEX LED Tape, Dimmers and Accessories, click here.