ADJ helps create beacon of Christmas joy
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The Katharinenkirche (St. Catherine’s church) is regarded as one of the most important examples of Gothic church architecture in the country. While continuing to serve the local United Protestant congregation as an active church, the imposing structure is a popular tourist attraction for visitors from across Germany and even further afield. It is also the town’s most recognisable landmark and its grand towers can be seen from a considerable distance in every direction.
Since COVID-19 put restrictions on the church’s usual Christmas celebrations, they decided this year to illuminate the building throughout the holiday season as a symbol of the festive light of Christmas joy that could be enjoyed by local people from a safe distance. The lighting project ran continuously from the beginning of advent in late November through to Epiphany on 6 January.
Based in the neighbouring town of Nierstein, Full House Eventtechnik was the company responsible for designing the lighting for the project and supplying the ADJ fixtures. Owned and operated by young and aspiring event technician Kjell Raaz, it offers audio, video, lighting and also DJ services to private events as well as concerts and productions.
Full House Eventtechnik has invested in 26 of ADJ’s 12P HEX IP and 18P HEX IP LED wash fixtures, 21 of which were used to light the Katharinenkirche for Christmas.
“I really like the 12P HEX IP and 18P HEX IP fixtures,” comments Kjell. “They were outside for six weeks straight in Oppenheim, with the temperatures going down as low as -5 degrees C, and they all worked with absolutely no issues. After the project I just sprayed some water over them, and they were clean and ready to be used again. I also really like that they don’t have trailing cables, like many other IP65-rated fixtures. I much prefer the locking power and DMX sockets located on the back of the fixtures themselves.”
For the Katharinenkirche project, Kjell used eleven12P HEX IP and ten 18P HEX IP fixtures to illuminate the entire exterior of the ornate building. Chosen to reflect the liturgical colours used by the church, the colour scheme of the lighting changed on Christmas day. During advent the building was lit in violet and blue and then from Christmas day until the end of the run the palette was switched to golden amber and cool white.
The colours alternated between adjacent fixtures and Kjell programmed slow odd/even colour fades for each of the two different looks to animate the display in a subtle way. In addition, at the start of the project the lights were divided into four groups. Initially only one group was illuminated, with additional groups added each week throughout advent to serve as a visual countdown to Christmas inspired by the advent candles lit progressively throughout the season inside the church.
