Five Decades In: How Claypaky Is Evolving Its Most Recognizable Fixtures

Claypaky has never been a brand that stands still. Even five decades in, their identity has always been shaped as much by forward motion as by history. We spent a full day at LDI talking shop with the Claypaky team, walking through product demos, and getting real time with the newest fixtures. The throughline was clear: celebrate five decades of innovation while setting the tone for what’s next.

Claypaky Ultimo Sharpy: A Sharpy That Grew Up

The classic Sharpy didn’t just succeed, it defined an era. Any attempt to modernize it has to respect that DNA while still delivering meaningful upgrades designers will actually feel.

Ultimo Sharpy does exactly that.

The most immediate difference is speed. Pan and tilt are noticeably faster than the Legacy Sharpy. Movement feels intentional rather than frantic, which matters when you’re programming contemporary looks that rely on precision as much as aggression. Continuous pan is now part of the toolkit, opening up new motion possibilities.

Color is another clear step forward. Ultimo Sharpy uses full CMY color mixing, giving designers far more control than fixed color systems ever allowed. Beam quality remains tight and punchy, but with improved uniformity and edge control that holds up across distances. It still delivers the energy Sharpy is known for, just with more finesse and far less compromise.

Arolla Aqua: Long-Throw, Refined and Expanding

Claypaky also used this moment to spotlight the expanding Arolla Aqua family, a line that continues to grow. Arolla Aqua LT Family of fixtures are designed for long-throw applications where distance, reliability, and consistency matter.

The key feature to flex across the Arolla Aqua range is the white LED engine. Instead of chasing multi-color complexity, Claypaky focused on delivering powerful, high-quality white light that holds together over long distances. Beam integrity, color temperature stability, and output consistency are where these fixtures earn their place.

Arolla Aqua S-LT

The Arolla Aqua S-LT is the more compact long-throw option in the family. It features a 350W white LED engine, tuned to 6500K, delivering a solid 21,000 lumens. It maintains a smaller footprint, making it well-suited for tighter rigs, architectural placements, or situations where space and weight are critical constraints. Despite its size, output and beam quality remain controlled and usable at distance.

Arolla Aqua M-LT

The Arolla Aqua M-LT steps things up with increased output and extended reach with a 550W white LED engine, tuned to 6500K, delivering a solid 28,000 lumens. It strikes a balance between power and practicality, offering designers a robust long-throw solution without pushing into oversized territory.

Across both fixtures, optical precision is a clear priority. Beams stay clean, focused, and consistent, reinforcing the idea that Arolla Aqua is about reliability as much as raw output.

Continuing the Road to 50

Rather than marking a single anniversary moment, Claypaky is continuing its broader “50 Years Of Innovation” initiative, a celebration rooted in both history and community. The Claypaky story begins on August 28, 1976, when Pasquale Quadri founded Claypaky, setting in motion a company that would go on to shape lighting across live entertainment, architecture, and beyond. Nearly fifty years later, that legacy is still actively evolving.

As part of the celebration, Claypaky is creating a special wall filled with memories from the global Claypaky community. Designers, programmers, technicians, and collaborators are invited to contribute stories, photos, and moments from both the past and present. It’s a collective reflection that reinforces how deeply embedded the brand is in the industry it serves.

Takeaway

Claypaky’s approach right now feels deliberate. Refine the classics. Expand where it makes sense. Build fixtures that work in real rigs, not just ideal ones. Ultimo Sharpy shows what happens when a classic is allowed to grow up, and the expanding Arolla Aqua family reinforces a focus on performance where it actually matters. Fifty years in, Claypaky is still building fixtures that earn their place in the rig, not just their spot in the catalog.