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Festo components are now a permanent part of the automation
for your show. How did the cooperation with Festo come about?
Andreas Ehrlich:
The first contact we had with Festo was in the
sales office in Bielefeld. In 2005 we devised a system for a show
in which we wanted to implement a special compressed air
application, and we were looking for a partner who could
provide us with both the pneumatic hardware and the necessary
technical expertise. We got to know a Festo sales engineer. After
we had given a brief performance, he came backstage and gave
some suggestions as to how we could improve certain technical
processes. And that’s when we began working together. In the
years that followed, the expert from Festo was instrumental in
our success and development, providing us with Festo products
and sharing his knowledge of pneumatics. Whenever there was
a problem, he would time and again examine the technical details
and present us with possible solutions. He is the one who
introduced us to pneumatics.
Chris Ehrlich:
We rely on perfect technology that can deliver
maximum reliability during every performance. To illustrate just
how much we trust Festo, you only have to look at the saw that
I lie under every night. It’s controlled by a valve terminal from
Festo – a CPX/MPA, to be precise.
The time flies by for the audience. People are fascinated by
the smaller tricks and the interaction you have with them, but it
is the big illusions that really get them going. When is an illusion
perfect for the Ehrlich Brothers?
Chris Ehrlich:
When it is one hundred per cent reliable and one
hundred per cent emotional. The emotions of the audience are
hugely important. We aren’t just a show that presents technical
special effects. Technology provides the foundations on which we
can build a show that delivers maximum emotion for the
audience. You could say that we transform technology into
emotion.