R.A. Rodriguez has revealed how its large turntable bearings were put to use for Kylie Minogue’s legend’s slot at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2019.
Periaktoi are devices used for displaying different theatrical effects as they rotate. The company supplied periaktoi for Minogue’s performance at the festival; the singer stood in the centre of one periaktoi as the big reveal at the start of her set.
R.A. Rodriguez collaborated on the project with Next Stage, a UK-based specialist in the provision of bespoke staging products for the live events industry.
The periaktoi were to feature triangular towers that spin on a turntable bearing. The idea was that a gold mirror on the outside of the back frame would slowly turn out of sight to reveal Kylie as she stood on the inside at the start of the set, while a disco ball effect on the interior edge would add to the visually impressive effect.
“We were given an artist’s impression of the periaktoi with some rough dimensions – enough for us to work with,” said Luke Johnson, director at The Next Stage. “In short, they had a concept of the show and asked us to design and build a prototype against a tight lead time. R.A. Rodriguez specified the turntable bearing according to our requirements and delivered it in just seven days, which was ideal for the project. It allowed us to finish the prototype build on time, after which it was signed off by the customer and we could proceed to production build.”
With four periaktoi planned for Kylie’s Glastonbury stage set, each housed its own KDL.U.0744.00.10 turntable bearing.
KDL bearings are made from carbon steel or stainless steel and are shipped pre-lubricated ready for use. All KDL bearings are of a four-point contact design, which allows them to support axial, radial and tilting moment loads. The bearings consist of a single row of balls with a ‘gothic arch’ raceway, and either spacer or spacer balls to ensure smooth running, or one-piece separators for low frictional torque.
