Chauvet balances light at Holy Cross Lutheran
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“This is a very special building with its cavernous architecture, traditions, and modern ambience,” said Mann. “I love being pushed to utilise white canvases, such as the one we have here, with lighting. Black backdrops are fun and have their perfect place, but all lighting designers worth their salt dream of filling an ethereal space with atmosphere and power.
“Working heavily with white architectural environments over the past five years has truly forced me to hand the reins over and to trust the artistic licences of architects and designers,” continued Mann. “They’re pursuing an art, just as I am, and I’m honoured to help their creations shine.”
Aiding Mann in his quest to support the church’s architecture were 42 Chauvet Professional fixtures. Included in this collection were 16 Ovation E-260WW ellipsoidals, 12 Ovation F-145WW Fresnels, 10- COLORado 1-Quad wash lights, and four COLORdash Batten-Quad 12 linear units. DMX signals are sent to these fixtures via two RDMX-8 units; and the rig is controlled by a ChamSys MagicQ MQ50.
Hung overhead in two rows on the triangular ceiling above the stage, the Fresnel fixtures provide soft washes. The ellipsoidal fixtures are also positioned overhead on three rows to provide stage and key lighting, while the colour rendering washes are positioned throughout the church to accent its distinctive architectural features.
All of the fixtures in the rig have the output and focus to work well with the ambient light entering through the church’s windows, which are artfully located behind the stage and on either side of the sanctuary in two rows.
“It was really an enjoyable challenge working in this simple, yet beautiful space,” said Mann. “We benefited from a wonderful level of support during this process, particularly from our friend Greg Labruzzi. Among the things I really liked was balancing what we did against the ambient light in the building.”
