Casa Magica chooses Robe for epic projections
Published: WORSHIP
WORLD: Robe lighting was chosen by visual artists and large format projection specialists Casa Magica for the daily Lux Eucharistica evening show, part of the 2013 International Eucharistic Congress staged in Cologne Cathedral and organised by the German Bishop’s Conference.
The production, which combined projections, lighting, a-capella singing, organ music and spoken word, used six large format projectors fitted with single scrollers, manufactured and supplied by PANI/Hardware Xenon. These were supplemented by lighting from four Robe Robin DLS profiles and a single Robin MMX WashBeam, all sourced from Dortmund-based Niclen.
The projectors were positioned symmetrically, four around the transept and two at the start of the long central nave in the west. Fitted with special wide-angle lenses, the field of projection covered all the structures on both horizontal and vertical planes, highlighting the cathedral’s Gothic architecture, playing up the presence and role of light in religious symbolism.
‘Support lighting was absolutely crucial to the look and feel of the work and to fill in some of the areas around the projections,’ explained Casa Magica’s Sabine Weissinger.
Robe fixtures were chosen for their small size and light weight and fulfilled the need for truly multi-functional luminaires. The requirement was to keep the technical installation as unobtrusive and concealed as possible so as to fuse with the surroundings. Their main task was to accentuate the crossing columns in steep, narrow, clearly defined up-light, providing side lighting to the speakers on the altar platform, and intermittently filling the nave with coloured light where the projection left some shadows. Four Robin DLS Profiles were located at the edges of the main altar platform in the transept, while the MMX WashBeam was at the far end of the choir. This was chosen for its ability to produce a very tight collimated beam of light that cut through and traversed the entire length of the cathedral – around 160 metres – accurately hitting a spot on the west rear wall.
‘It was a complete honour that our products were chosen to accompany such an amazing, unique and completely fantastic work,’ said Robe sales director Harry von den Stemmen. ‘We hope very much to work with Casa Magica again in the future.’