JACKSONVILLE, FL — Northern Florida’s Immaculate Conception Catholic Church recently saw an upgrade in gear — the first in three decades — with the addition of about 20 Chauvet fixtures. A selection of Chauvet Professional Ovation E-190WW ellipsoidal-style fixtures, COLORado 1 VW Tour and COLORado 1-Tri Tour PAR wash lights comprise the church’s permanent inventory, used for services and special events.
More details from Chauvet Professional (www.chauvetprofessional.com):
Trinity Audio Video Lighting of Orange Park, FL, specified and installed the gear. Completed in 1910, the church is built in a late Gothic revival architecture style, featuring a cruciform floor plan, pointed arches, tracery on the windows, buttresses and pinnacles, high spires, and an interior high vault. With the addition of the LED fixture these traditional features are enhanced for a mix of old and new.
“The church wanted to change the altar and stage lighting to LED,” said Ronnie Polowy of Trinity AVL. “Some of the lights were placed in difficult places to reach and bulbs hadn’t been changed since the last time they painted, some 30 years ago.”
Two Chauvet Professional Ovation E-190WW fixtures light the center copula, about 50 feet above the altar. “The copula features a beautiful gold leaf pattern, enhanced now by the Ovation E-190WW—my favorite fixture of the church’s gear,” Polowy said. “The copula had not been lit up in more than 30 years because of the difficulty in getting to the old flood lamps. We mounted the Ovation E-190WW fixtures on the left and right pillars. They do a wonderful job lighting the copula from 40 feet away. We looked at different options and had some problems with the programming, but once we decided to go with Ovation E-190WW ellipsoidal fixture it went in without a single problem. I was very pleased.”
Two Chauvet Professional COLORado 1 VW Tour wash lights illuminate the front of the altar with cool or warm white light, while six COLORado 1-Tri Tour light the copula and the altar. Two COLORado 1-Tri Tour uplight the copula on the right and left side, and four more light the altar: one on each side and two in the center. Ten Chauvet DJ COLORband PiX linear lights wash the wall behind the center altar.
To program the lights, Trinity AVL created eight presets with a Chauvet DJ Obey 70 controller. The church mainly uses the bright warm white fixtures for services, and the color presets for weddings and special occasions.
