Spain - 50 minutes of total immersion – that is the aim of Lumina Catedral de Toledo. Since December 2023, visitors have been able to experience the multimedia production in the Gothic cathedral of Toledo in the centre of Spain. The main components are large-scale project mapping, precise surround sound, and a lighting design that makes the architecture of the cathedral appear even more impressive.
As the technical service provider, Meraki Cultura Audiovisual SL relied on a combination of LD Systems Curv 500 array systems for the sound and Cameo lights from the Zenit, Opus, and Evos series for the lighting of the temporary installation.
“Lumina Catedral de Toledo is a globally unique multimedia and cultural experience,” explains project director Alfonso López Rivera, managing director of Meraki Cultura Audiovisual SL. “The idea for this project was born from the desire to create an innovative experience that combines cutting-edge technology with culture, history, art, tradition, and spirituality to bring the cathedral to life in a completely new way.”
With a 29-person team of architects, historians, scriptwriters, AV engineers, communication experts, and more, Meraki Cultura Audiovisual created an overall experience that is both emotional and technically impressive, taking viewers on a sensory journey while respecting the cathedral as a spiritual place.
In order not to compromise the immersive staging, Meraki Cultura Audiovisual had to integrate the Cameo lights as invisibly as possible into the church architecture. For this reason, the focus when selecting the lights was not least on secondary factors such as size, weight, and quiet operation.
“At the same time, it was important that the movements and control paths were precise and linear, as details of the cathedral are repeatedly emphasised by extremely slow pan, tilt, and dimmer movements,” says Rivera. “With the Opus SP5 FC Profile Spot and the Evos W3 Wash Light, we can give the audience exactly the impressions we were aiming for.”
The Zenit W600-D Outdoor Wash Lights with daylight LEDs were also given a special task, as they were directed onto the beautiful stained-glass windows from outside, allowing the windows to appear in all their colourful glory.
The biggest challenge for the sound system was the size of Toledo Cathedral. “We needed compact loudspeakers that were able to cover the huge dimensions and, at the same time, enable high speech intelligibility,” says Rivera.
With its modular design, the LD Systems Portable Array System met all the requirements of the participants and enabled flexible adaptation to the structural and acoustic conditions on-site. “For budget reasons, we still had to use a few loudspeakers from the previous installation at the start of production,” adds Rivera. “These will now gradually be replaced by further Curv 500 systems. The sound will become more precise, transparent, and natural with every step.”
