A phone call in September 2005 presented a unique challenge to Videoscope Systems Consultant, Carlos Aita. The Jewish Museum in Prague had accepted a proposal from Canadian artist Melissa Shiff to create a video sculpture called ARK for its 100th anniversary.

The aluminum and acrylic sculpture would measure 4 meters high by 3 meters wide. A sand blasted plexi-glass surface would serve as a projection screen for video about the history of the museum and the Jewish community. Melissa knew exactly how the projection should work. She needed two synchronized images that could blend into one across the bow of her sculpture.

The challenge for Carlos was to find the equipment that would do the job. There were a few additional complications. The Ark would be installed on the street outside the museum, so equipment had to function reliably in summer and winter temperatures. The images were to cover the whole surface of the sculpture, but the throw distance of the projectors mounted inside was only eleven feet: too short for such large images. And, of course, the Ark was not shaped quite like a normal screen.

To create the images, Carlos recommended two 4,000 ansi lumen Sharp XG-PH50X projectors. Very bright, they had an added feature: the ability to shape the projected image by dragging the corners to suit the surface of the screen.

To cover the large, contoured and inconsistent surface of the Ark, custom lensing was the key to success. Carlos worked with Navitar to provide lenses that could handle the short throw distance.

Carlos recommended industrial Denon DVD players to ensure reliable playback daily from dusk to midnight for 6 months in Prague (September 14, 2006 until January 14, 2007) and beyond.

Next, to deal with the weather, Carlos provided BATKO housing for each DVD player/projector pair. This custom housing protects and heats or cools the equipment as required, to keep it within the proper temperature range.

The final challenge was to automate play and synchronize images. Carlos was able to program an Extron MLC226IP to handle the equipment. This Media Link Controller turns the equipment on and off according to the time of day and synchronizes DVD play.

Before the Ark travelled to Prague the whole edifice was constructed in Toronto for testing and debugging. Carlos spent several days on site to ensure that everything would work properly in Europe. He also provided training and created a video tutorial on programming the Extron panel, in case changes were required on site.

So a year after the first phone call, the Ark was ready for its September 2006 debut. Running until January 14, 2007, it lights up the night in Prague with images of Jewish Cultural artifacts and history.

Artist Melissa Shiff explained that the Jewish Museum in Prague… "functions as Noah's Ark did in the Old Testament – to salvage and save what might otherwise be destroyed by natural disaster and catastrophe. Therefore ARK seemed to be the perfect metaphor for … this museum that was able to salvage thousands and thousands of objects during the Holocaust." (Jewish Museum press release)

Videoscope specializes in custom system design.
We take pride in delivering user friendly systems.
From the Ark to the boardroom, if you have an A/V challenge, contact us at Videoscope.
Toll Free: 877-387-2673. Offices in Toronto and London, Ontario.

Web links for more information
about the Ark:
www.melissashiff.com/works/ark
about the Artist:
www.melissashiff.com