Luxmuraliss, 4Wall on North American Debut of Time at Washington National Cathedral Time, a light and sound installation by UK-based art collective Luxmuralis, came alive in North America for the first time across the walls of the historic Washington National Cathedral through a powerful year-long collaboration with 4Wall Entertainment. Time by Luxmuralis, an immersive experience brought to life through intricate projection mapping, dynamic lighting, and evocative sound design, transformed cathedrals worldwide. Featuring new US-inspired storytelling elements for its North American debut, the vibrant showcase of humanity's history was brought to life through the landmark effort of Luxmuralis artist Peter Walker and composer David Harper, alongside technical director Steve Rainsford, the Cathedral, and the lighting and audiovisual expertise of lighting designer K Rudolph and 4Wall DC senior account executive Jana Chovanec. "The overall creative direction for the Washington production was about truly introducing who we are in a way that feels authentic to our core aesthetic and curatorial process," says Walker. "Creatively, we're emphasizing our aesthetic, strong narrative visuals, and music that balances emotional depth with modern production. The goal isn't to over-explain who we are, but to let the audience feel it immediately." With 4Wall standing as a trusted vendor and long-time partner of the Cathedral, Chovanec was welcomed as an audiovisual consultant on the project, working alongside Rudolph, who served as a lighting consultant. Together, they ensured Time's interplay of color, light, shadow, movement, media, and architecture enthralled a brand-new audience. "Peter and Steve explained their desire to create small moments of individual observation and experience for the audience as they walked around the installation," Rudolph says. "Even though the projection mapping was the star of the show, each transition between the six main installations was an opportunity to look at subtler moments of color, movement, and light." A project of many firsts, as Walker had never been to the Cathedral, the highly intimate process of adapting Time for an entirely new space required flexibility, trust, and flourishing creativity. An eight month-long development phase was dedicated to research, brainstorming, and aligning Time with 4Wall and the Cathedral's widespread capabilities. "We worked closely with both teams to translate the concept into lighting plots, rigging plans, and production layouts," Walker says. "This stage involved constant back-and-forth reviewing, refining planning, and adjusting designs to optimize sightlines, timing, and impact. This was achieved largely through our lead tech Steve Rainsford. But we are always flexible when we install, so it was a great pleasure that the team at 4Wall understood this curatorial and artistic requirement that the plans were guides, not fixed entities." Immense levels of communication and confidence were vital for the project's success. From Luxmuralis team's unique style of operation to the UK time difference, the planning period was equally invigorating as it was complex, taking place solely online. "Explaining our knowledge of the Cathedral's highlights and working through technical requirements virtually were unique challenges," Chovanec says. "The challenges we were facing stemmed from the artist's team not yet being familiar with our gear, in addition to the comfort level of using their own equipment to produce the artwork." "Initially, there were nerves as there is trust in this type of project," Walker expresses. "It is not a corporate install, fixed and rigid, but a fluid process. We were delighted that the leads K and Jana fully understood our approach, and that the project required a unique approach. It was fantastic that they had an appetite to embrace and engage with the process in the way we do." Once Luxmuralis' creative vision, technical needs, and experiential goals were established, Rudolph and Chovanec devised a production strategy that kept the balance between artistry and efficiency at the forefront. "Jana's and my primary goal were to provide Luxmuralis the flexibility they needed to adjust projector and lighting positions during load-in and rehearsal, while concurrently creating a firm gameplan for our crew and the warehouse so everyone could anticipate any changes," Rudolph elaborates. "With the help of our production management team Joe Jamison, Logan Duvall, Ben Demerchant, and Abby Hirsch, we created a solid foundation that we could diverge from as needed to satisfy any artistic changes with minimal shop runs." As the Cathedral supported broader production and staging elements on site, Rudolph and Chovanec curated a gear package that upheld Walker's intent to preserve a fully immersive, uninhibited guest experience. To prepare, they researched previous cathedral installations and ensured their gear swaps resonated with Luxmuralis' typical selections. "Having 4Wall's projection, lighting and sound tech available as our palette for the project meant we were collaborating with a team able to offer us equipment of the highest caliber, which brought the experience to life for visitors," Walker says. Panasonic PT-RZ21K 16:10 DLP 21K Lumen Laser Projectors, Epson Pro L1755 16:10 15K Lumen Laser Projectors, and a variety of lenses were chosen to transform WNC's space into an engaging, mesmerizing celebration of history for guests to revel in. "The crisp projector setup and plethora of lensing options chosen for this event gave Walker a significant number of options to create and change his original conception of the space," Chovanec explains. "While AV gear tends to be cumbersome, we had our warehouse create masking for our projector installation pieces. Guests were able to lie down in the center aisle and watch the projection elements change. The gasps and awe-struck looks on their faces made this year-long collaboration worth it!" Rudolph selected a wide range of CHAUVET Professional fixtures to fully envelop the Cathedral in experimental and dramatic hues, while accompanying the Nave projection mapping and music of Luxmuralis composer David Harper. "I spec'd most of our stock of CHAUVET Quad 4's so we could freely move the fixtures as Luxmuralis needed," Rudolph explains. "Chauvet Well Fits were utilized in areas like the High Altar where services and other Cathedral programming necessitate our ability to strike and reset fixtures for each show during the run. COLORado Solo 2 Zooms provided enough beam flexibility to provide tighter cones or broader washes depending on their placement and purpose." Months of development resulted in only three days of setup, with Walker's first time on site occurring on the first load-in day. Despite the complexities of virtual planning, Time's execution was successful through the team's fervent efforts. "What was great was that we could see that 4Wall's team was built through trust, friendship, and collaboration. It felt like from both sides, we adopted and became embedded in each other's teams, even when discussing from a distance." Walker says. From online meetings to the final day of load-in, the process of bringing Time to life in the US was seamless. "Having team leads on site who had vast experience and knowledge and a venue which fully embraces the experience, made the project far smoother than it potentially could have been," Walker concludes. "Given the potential pitfalls of the process we use and the uniqueness of this approach, it was an extremely successful project." 
|
