Korea’s Light of Life chapel maintains its beauty with K-Array
Published: WORSHIP
KOREA: Described as ‘the most beautiful chapel in the world’, South Korea’s Light of Life chapel has been completed in Gapyeong County in the province of Gyeonggi, using equipment from K-Array to reinforce the sound of its pipe organ without spoiling the church’s striking interior. The project was carried out by South Korean K-Array distributor Soundus, whose Kyoung-mo Kang described it as ‘one of the most difficult briefs I have ever received’.
The story behind the creation of the chapel is as remarkable as the building itself. It is constructed out of more than 600 Russian Red Pine tree-trunks, all collected one-by-one by an unnamed Korean businessman over the course of more than 10 years. His inspiration for building the church was his late mother, who prayed for him when he ran away from home at a very early age and never returned. The Light of Life chapel is intended as a tribute to her.
The result has quickly become a South Korean landmark, moving journalist Huney Kong to declare that it leaves visitors ‘speechless by it's subtle beauty’, adding that ‘the melody of the pipe organ flows elegantly throughout the pine wood and completes the beautiful space.’ Contemporary sculptor Jean-Patrice Oulmont also found himself inspired by the house of worship, carving his own work into the interior trunks.
However, the remarkable interior presented substantial challenges to Soundus, as the company sought to add loudspeaker solutions to the space without detracting from it. Adding to the difficulty was the circular, amphitheatre-like shape of the room.
‘It was so difficult because of the high expectations for quality and discreetness in such a small but complex space,’ explained Mr Kang. ‘The Pipe organ is a complicated instrument that requires an intelligent system and K-array was a superb support for this challenge.’
The solution comprises four ultra-slim KP52 wall-mounted line-array speakers, each hidden between beams of wood for maximum discretion yet delivering a maximum of 128dB with no risk of feedback. In addition, three KAN200 ‘Anakonda’ speakers have been installed, providing a unique solution to the chapel’s shape. The Anakonda is a 2m long, flexible, snake-like loudspeaker array, comprised of up to 32 modules housed in a fabric sock. Its extreme versatility allowed Soundus to provide even coverage throughout the chapel without harming the aesthetics.
‘The KAN200 Anakonda is a perfect solution for this particular architecture,’ enthused Mr Kang. ‘We could hide them in places that no other speaker could go. The Anakonda’s design really allows us to respect the architecture, especially in a building such as this one.’
He concluded: ‘There was a lot of pressure on this project. We did not want to spoil this beautifully designed space and K-array’s slim design and quality of sound made our lives easier’.