Aktuelle News & Schlagzeilen

AVL equips Rumbach Street Synagogue with Robe

Budapest’s Rumbach Street synagogue, designed by Viennese architect Otto Wagner and completed in 1872, has recently been restored and re-opened to the public after decades of dereliction following a partial reconstruction in the late 1980s/early 1990s, which ran out of funds, and this more recent effort which was finished during the pandemic.

In addition to being used for prayers and other spiritual activities, the main chamber (sanctuary) and other related spaces have been reimagined and kitted out with modern technologies. AVL Trade was chosen to integrate a lighting and AV system into the synagogue as the final detailing of the restoration project which has transformed the venue into a set of modern event spaces for Hungarian Jewish umbrella organization Mazsihisz.

AVL Trade’s Csaba Csanadi (pictured) has worked on the project for over two years - the initial approach and invitation for the company to tender on the project came just as the pandemic was starting. He specified a selection of Robe fixtures including 12 x T1 Profiles, 12 x Spiiders and 16 x LEDBeam 150s.

The sanctuary will be used for concerts and other performance events. The retractable Bimah in the centre sinks completely into the floor via hydraulic lifts, enabling the space to be used for 300 capacity concerts and religious services using a small stage. When the stage is located centrally in the room, the capacity is increased yet further.

AVL’s lighting design took the octagonal architecture and structural form of the sanctuary as a starting point. One of their first jobs was establishing flying points, which involved working in the restricted wooden roof space 25 metres above the floor of the chamber and drilling unobtrusive holes through the ornate ceiling without damaging its surface, then rigging motors and winches safely and securely around the joists. This facilitated hanging trussing below providing technical positions for lighting, audio, and video.

The two main lighting positions are an 8-faceted truss, flown above the Bimah in the central space and a straight truss in front of the stage area. T1 Profiles are rigged in both positions. The Spiiders were picked for their washing capabilities and colours and because they can produce effects and a bit of craziness using the individual pixels or the flower effects. The LEDBeam 150s can be displayed anywhere in the room as needed - on the stage floor or rigged on the truss to highlight the ceiling and other architectural features.

All the lights are run over ArtNet with a portable ChamSys console as part of the package, which can be set up in various positions around the room. As well as the sanctuary, Rumbach Street synagogue now has a permanent interactive exhibition/museum on the third floor narrating the story of Hungarian Jews through one extended family, the Pulitzers (Politzers); plus a 40-seat conference hall and a large kosher café.

(Photos: Louise Stickland/Paul Clarke)

www.robe.cz

© 1999 - 2024 Entertainment Technology Press Limited News Stories