Helen Ong
I met with Helen Ong, designer for San Tai fireworks who are competing in Montreal for the second time, having won the Bronze Jupiter in 2001. Helen is the cousin of the owners of San Tai, the son and daughter – Andy and Teresa Chin, are also present as part of Team San Tai.
San Tai were originally slated to open the competition this year and I was intrigued as to the reason why they switched with Soldi. It turned out that although Helen is a citizen of a Commonwealth country, due to the ceaseless “war on terror” she found out at the last minute that she needed a visa to enter Canada. Fortunately, the Canadian High Commission in her home country, when told of the extreme importance of having the lead pyrotechnician of San Tai be in Montreal, they issued her a visa within two hours, rather than the several days that it can normally take.
San Tai was founded in 1951 and primarily manufacture shells and “toy” fireworks. They entered the display business in 1985 and help organize international competitions in Asia. Helen told me they had been very busy in Taiwan last year but had competed in Germany in 2008 in collaboration with IP. They also have a very close association with Bugano (of Switzerland) and have worked on several projects with them. Indeed, they are using Bugano’s wireless PyroDigital firing modules for their display in Montreal.
San Tai are renowned for being a high quality manufacturer of “Japanese-style” shells. Helen told me they had produced many specialty pattern shells for Saturday’s display including shells that have movement such as jellyfish and windmills as well as shells that produce Dora anime figures as well as cats and fish.
The theme of the display, D’accord, is a play on words based on the Copenhagan accord on climate change. Helen is very passionate about the environment – San Tai are now producing low environmental impact fireworks – and this is reflected in the display. Starting with We Are The World, the soundtrack progresses through themes that represent the damage we are doing to the planet but then hope springs up and new life comes back after some interventions by Tibetan bells and Monks chanting – Helen wanted to assure the audience that there are no technical problems with the soundtrack at that point – finally culminating in the rebirth with A New Day by Celine Dion. Helen said the finale will be serene and harmonious, rather than the frenetic finales we are used to.
San Tai manufactured all the shells for the display, the largest calibre being 10″. The rest of the products are sourced from the best manufactures in China together with Bugano fountains. Tony Bussman, of Bugano, was responsible for the implementation of Helen’s design (both musically and for the scripting) but, unfortunately, won’t be in Montreal to witness what promises to be a very interesting display.
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