On May, the Ibirapuera Park Multimedia Fountain, in São Paulo, presented a special tribute to Ayrton Senna’s 21-year legacy. In a session before the official debut – an “avant premiere” – the Ayrton Senna Institute, in a partnership with Divina Comédia, the company responsible for the fountain presentations, unveiled the “Ayrton Senna – A Hero’s Saga” spectacle, which will be open to the public on May 1st, at 8:00 PM. The presentation will also take place on May 2nd, 3rd, 9th, and 10th.
In the presentation – supported by Pão de Açúcar and the City of São Paulo – clips of Ayrton Senna and his feats are projected over water, in a spectacle that combines sound, light and lots of colors. It’s the first time an athlete is honored by one of São Paulo’s most iconic landmarks.
The spectacle draws a parallel between Senna and water since the rain was often his great ally on the track, and he was known as “The King of the Rain”.
“We’ve started working on the spectacle at the end of February, and I believe people are going to really enjoy it. It’s an honor to homage such a great Brazilian idol, like Ayrton”, says Divina Comédia director, Ayrton Martini.
“Our script was based on the ideas explored by Joseph Campbell’s in The Hero’s Journey. A hero is someone who commits himself to a mission, faces big challenges and achieves something greater than anyone could have imagined, and then comes back with a message to his people – a message of hope, of overcoming – and other teachings. This is very much in line with what Senna represents to all of us”, says Martini.
The presentation tells Ayrton Senna’s story through relevant statistics, historic races, the driver’s bond with children and iconic images of him hold the Brazilian flag. Among the clips projected, the audience will see Senna’s first triumph in Formula One, the victory at the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix and scenes from his three world title wins. Another highlight of the 11-minute presentation is what many consider the best lap ever, when Senna overtook four cars during the first lap of the 1993 European Grand Prix, at the Donington Park racetrack, in the UK. The feat is told through video clips, music, the movement of the water and the fountain’s special effects.
“It’s a very special feeling to have a tribute to Ayrton Senna be paid in such an emblematic location, the Ibirapuera Park. I’m sure fans will be moved, remember historic moments and learn a little more about our champion’s legacy”, says Bianca Senna, the Ayrton Senna Institute’s branding director, and the driver’s niece.
The soundtrack features classical music and popular songs from Senna’s childhood and youth. Senna’s favorite artists are highlighted, such as Phil Collins, as well as others who recorded an album in his honor. Among the tracks chosen are snippets of famous symphonies, as well as heavy metal and progressive rock songs. The show also features a previously unreleased track: a cantata from the Alexander Nevsky movie soundtrack, by composer Sergei Prokofiev, received a heavy metal makeover by São Paulo musician Mizinho Carvalho. The track “Simply The Best” (dedicated to Senna by Tina Turner during a concert in which he was in attendance) drives the moments in which the driver shows the most courage. Two sambas are written in his honor (by samba-schools Gaviões da Fiel and Unidos da Tijuca) are also heavily featured.
The multimedia fountain’s sound system is spread out around the lake and was programmed to make it feel like Senna’s car is racing around it.
The spectacle was directed by Ayrton Martini (Divina Comédia), written and narrated by Cleston Teixeira, edited by Mox Produções and sound designed by Estudio A Gandaia, which also programmed the fountain.
Watch a few scenes from the “avant première”. The content is only in Portuguese.”
