Robe moves the mountain at Masada
- Details
The area is operated by Israel Nature and Parks, a government organisation that manages nature reserves and national parks across the country. This environment is also a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
Robe BMFL Blades and IP rated Robe ColorStrobes are now a main part of the light show designed by Eran Klein & Ben Alon from Cochavi & Klein light architects which supports the new large format (approx. 120m wide and 60m high) video images which are mapped onto the mountain’s rugged terrain.
The lighting supports the moving images and the narrative as it covers this vast canvass with a series of special lighting and effects, complete with a dramatic soundtrack by Shlomo Gronich, telling the gripping story and history of the Mountain.
There had been a light & sound show onto the mountain for over 30 years, but with the march of time and technology plus people’s rising expectations, it was time to modernise and present something for a new generation!
The recent revamp has taken the whole Masada cultural pilgrimage to a new level of experience and excitement.
The design and production were delivered by Breeze Creative, directed by Oded Avraham with script and song-writing by Oren Neeman. The new lighting kit has been supplied by Danor Theatre and Studio Systems from Hod Hashron who were involved in the original lighting installation and supported the show since 1986.
The five BMFL Blades are housed inside weather domes and additionally enclosed in weatherised hides which are closed and sealed when not in use. The eight ColorStrobes are built into two banks of four, partially protected by a permanent wind shield cover across the back.
These 13 fixtures replace more than three times the number of generics in the last installation and are more powerful, flexible and effective and draw considerably less power.
All the fixtures are synched to the multimedia playback machine for the show, including the four 25K projectors, and the implantation naturally had to be rock-solid, reliable and built to stay in place and keep working for at least 10 years!
The lighting console is a Compulite Vector and the lights are controlled via an Enttec DMX system. The distances between the moving lights and the control are around 500m.
The 50-minute From Dusk to Dawn shows play every week of the year after sunset on Tuesdays and Thursdays - with private viewings arrangeable by request.
(Jim Evans)
