Claypaky is a developer of professional lighting systems for the entertainment sector (theatre, television,"Clay Paky At Dancing On Ice" , Live Design, June 2008 concerts,"Clay Paky lights the AC/DC tour" , Total Production International, February 2009 nightclubs and outdoor events "Clay Paky at the XIX Commonwealth Games" , mondo*dr, November 2010) and for architectural applications. The company is based in Seriate, near Bergamo, about from Milan, Italy.

It operates from a modern facility housing its R&D labs, main production plant and quality control, sales and administration departments. At present Clay Paky exports 95% of its production through a global sales and service organization represented by a dealer network active in more than 80 countries around the world.

On December 20, 2022, Osram sold the company to the Arri group. The company was then later sold to EK Lights.

History

The Claypaky company was founded in August 1976, taking its name from the shortened, anglicized form of the name of its founder, Pasquale (Paky) Quadri, one of the first entrepreneurs to realize that technological developments in lighting would have an enormous future in the show business and entertainment world.

In 1982 Claypaky presented the Astrodisco, which used a single lamp to project multiple rays of colored light across ceilings and dance floors. Five years later it launched Brilliant, a digitally controlled moving head and forerunner of a new generation of "intelligent" projectors. This was followed in 1988 by the Golden Scan, a programmable moving mirror projector and the first luminaire to implement stepper motor technology instead of servo motors.Rushton-Read, Sarah. "Alpha Males", Lighting and Sound International, June 2009 The Golden Scan became a commonly used lighting effect at nightclubs and rock concerts during the late 1980s and the 1990s. The London rock band Klaxons claimed the projector was the inspiration behind their light-themed, hit single Golden Skans.

Since 2000, Claypaky has developed architectural applications. In 2002 it moved its headquarters to a new industrial complex in Seriate, Bergamo, achieving certification for compliance with the UNI EN ISO 9001 quality standard that same year.

In 2011, Claypaky reported a revenue of more than 50 million euro, an increase of over 50% on 2010. It has a workforce of nearly 200 people.

Just before its founder died in 2014, the company was sold to Osram. Claypaky was acquired by the Arri Group in December 2022.

On 13 May 2025 Claypaky announced that Arri's share in the company had been purchased by Chinese company EK Lights.

Awards

YearAwardAward nameNominated product2019Best Debuting Product in LightingLDIProduct: XTYLOSBest Advancement in Lamp TechnologyPLSNProduct: XTYLOSOutstanding Lighting Product InnovationPALM Sound and Light AwardProduct: Sharpy Plus2017Best Hard Edge LED SpotPLSN Goldstar Product AwardProduct: Axcor Profile 900Award for InnovationPlasa AwardsProduct: K-EYELighting ProductWorld ShowProduct: Scenius2016Award for InnovationPlasa AwardsProduct: Scenius Profile2015 Indispensable Technology Parnelli Awards Product: Mythos Best Debuting Lighting Product LDI Awards Product: Spheriscan Lighting Product of the Year Live Design Awards Product: Mythos2014 Indispensable Technology Parnelli Awards Product: A.leda B-EYE Best Debuting Lighting Product - Honourable Mention LDI Awards Product: Mythos Award for Innovation Plasa Awards Product: Mythos Best Lighting Product PIPA Awards Product: A.leda B-EYE2013 Best Debuting Lighting Product LDI Awards Product: A.leda B-EYE Award for Innovation Plasa Awards Product: A.leda B-EYE2012 Best Debuting Lighting Product LDI Awards Product: Sharpy Wash Lighting Product of the Year Live Design Awards Product: Shotlight Wash2011 Empresa de iluminación del año Premios Producciόn Audio Company: Clay Paky Most Creative Use of Lighting LDI Awards Company: Clay Paky Best Debuting Lighting Product LDI Awards Product: Alpha Spot 800 QWO Indispensable Technology Parnelli Awards Product: SharpyRock Our World Awards Plasa Product: Sharpy Lighting Product of the Year Live Design Broadway Master Classes Product: Sharpy2010 Best Debuting Lighting Product - Honourable Mention LDI Awards Product: Sharpy Award for Innovation Plasa Awards Product: Sharpy Award for Innovation - Special Commendation Plasa Awards Product: ALPHA PROFILE 700 Important contribution to the development of the club industry Ciribelli Awards Company: Clay Paky2008 Award for Innovation PLASA Product: ALPHA BEAM 3002002 New Lighting Product LIVE AWARDS Product: Stage Profile Plus SV2001 Design Excellence PLASA Product: CP Color1999 New Product of the Year BEDA Product: Stage Line New Lighting Fixture of the Year LIVE AWARDS Product: Stage Line Club Lighting Effects of the Year ETA Product: Stage Line Budget Lighting Effect of the Year ETA Product: Stage Color 3001998 Al Miglior Concerto TELEGATTO TV Sorrisi & Canzoni Company: Clay Paky The Art and Technology of Show Business EDDY AWARD Product: Stage Line Luminaire of the Year EN TECH Product: Mini Scan HPE Innovative Lighting Product of the Year ETA Product: Stage Line1997 Club Lighting Effect of the Year ETA Disco International Product: Golden Scan HPE Lighting Product of the Year Entertainment: Most Promising Prototype LDI Product: Stage Line Honourable Mention: Best Big Booth LDI Company: Clay Paky Light Product of the Year TCI Product: VIP 300 Award for Product Excellence PLASA Product: Stage Scan1996 Best Light Show of the Year LIGHTING DIMENSION Product: CP Show New Lighting Product of the Year LIVE AWARDS Product: Golden Scan HPE1994, 1996 Full Sized Moving Light EN TECH Product: Golden Scan 31993, 1995, 1996 Light Product of the Year BEDA Product: Golden Scan 31995 Innovative Light Effect DISCO INTERNATIONAL Product: Golden Scan HPE Lighting Effect DISCO INTERNATIONAL Product: Golden Scan 3 European Company LIVE AWARDS Company: Clay Paky1994 Club Lighting Effect DISCO & CLUB Product: Golden Scan 3 Automated Luminaire LIVE AWARDS Product: Golden Scan 31993 Club Lighting Product DISCO & CLUB Product: Golden Scan 31992 Manufacturer of the Year DISCO & CLUB Company: Clay Paky Lighting Award BEDA Product: Golden Scan 21990, 1991 Lighting Effect DISCO & CLUB Product: Golden Scan 2

The MoMS - Museum of Modern Showlighting A project conceived by Pasquale Quadri (1947-2014) and formally opened in 2015 — the UNESCO International Year of Light — the Museum of Modern Showlighting (MoMS) is the first European museum that specifically covers all the sectors where show lighting plays a vital role.

The museum investigates the chronology of advances in lighting technology in parallel with the development of the socio-cultural context.

After a brief historical excursus on stage lighting beginning in ancient Greece, the exhibition focuses attention on the 1980s and the development of lighting effects that gained recognition through musicals such as “Saturday Night Fever”. It then comes to the present and the complex motorised projectors available on today’s market.

The museum has a library consisting of an historical archive of reviews and a multimedia room.

See also Stage lighting Stage lighting instruments Intelligent lighting

References

External links Official website