'Behalt' comes to life with advanced lighting project
The special effects on the "Behalt" mural that the new lighting system provides includes red filters and wavy filters that make fire scenes appear to be moving.
When Heinz Gaugel painted the 10-foot-tall, 265-foot-long cyclorama, "Behalt," decades ago, depicting the history of the Anabaptist faith and illustrating the heritage of the Amish and Mennonite people from their Anabaptist beginnings in Zürich, Switzerland in 1525 to the present day, he wanted to create a passionate work that would tell the story of the trials, tribulations and successes of the Anabaptist people.
Little did he know that one day his work would get lit up and honored the way it now stands.
Members and friends of the center were invited to attend the board meeting on Tuesday, April 27 at the center, where they were treated to a tour through "Behalt" that featured three speakers showcasing the mural, complete with the new lighting system that brought the cyclorama to life in a new way.
For AMHC executive director Marcus Yoder, "Behalt’s" story is incredible in and of itself, but adding the lighting creates a whole new level of excitement.
“Our aim is to create an experience with history where people can be fully engaged,” Yoder said.
Yoder joined "Behalt" tour speakers Mark Oliver and Ray Miller in conveying the mural’s story in vivid detail to the members, and the lighting enhanced their story as featured historical figures were easily displayed and highlighted.
The lighting was put in place by David Beachy, owner of Current Systems Inc. from Dover. Beachy has done an extensive number of electrical and lighting jobs around the community, many of them in large churches and buildings. However, this particular effort was new to him and his crew and created some interesting challenges they were eventually able to solve.
“This was a first for me,” Beachy said of the "Behalt" lighting project. “I had the privilege of having Marcus call me, and I came in and we stood here discussing it. We started dreaming about what might be possible.”
Beachy said it took more than two years from the initial discussion to completion, and it was a process securing the funding to create such a monumental undertaking. Then when they were ready to begin, COVID hit and threw another wrench into the plans.
In this case Yoder said the pandemic was actually a blessing.
“In a strange way, it was actually fortuitous because we had to shut down, and it gave David and his crew the perfect opportunity to get in here and work,” Yoder said. “I’m not sure we could have had this completed yet otherwise.”
Getting all of the equipment in place was half of the equation. Making the programming all work alongside each of the tour guide's personal paces and storytelling techniques was an altogether different task.
Beachy said he called upon Kevin McGrobe, whom he had trained in audio and lighting, to make the magic happen.
“He’s much better at it than I ever was, so I was excited to give him a chance to create,” Beachy said. “I use him exclusively when we do church lighting and bigger projects like this one. He is so good at training people and showing them how to use the software.”
McGrobe has plenty of experience because he operates the lighting and sounds at Ohio Theater in Sugarcreek.
McGrobe and Beachy went to work, putting in 88 hours of their expertise on the lighting and programming.
Beachy said the biggest challenge was getting the angles of lighting right for each figure and scene depicted in the mural. The challenge is people view the mural from all types of different angles, so they worked hard to make sure each scene was properly lit from whatever the angle might be.
He said they built four different lighting fixtures near the center post of the diorama, and another challenge was synchronizing the lights so it didn’t create a traveling light illusion but rather a snap-to spotlight effect that draws people's attention directly to each featured scene or individual on the mural.
In addition, they worked with different color settings in the lights, allowing for everything from bright white to a more serene, less harsh lighting. They also used filters to create the illusion of movement, something they used in most of the scenes depicting fire, on which they also placed a red light.
“We wanted to make some of the lighting more dramatic,” Beachy said.
The end result was something that made Beachy become emotional because the story and the painting took on a very sincere meaning to him as he worked on it, and it became something of which he was very proud to be a part.
Beachy was pleased after watching the tour that evening, satisfied with the results. Yoder said it is going to bring the mural tour to a whole new level.
“What this lighting does is it allows us to move from a historical tour to an experience,” Yoder said. "We are starting to talk about it differently now. There will be times when one of us is having a tough day and we will come in, turn the lights on a particular scene and sit here — let the piece speak and experience peace. It is that kind of experience we want to share with the public."
For those who have already seen "Behalt," the lighting will present a new take on the cyclorama and its story. For those who haven’t ventured to Berlin to witness the power and story behind Gaugel’s art, it should provide a unique take on the Anabaptist experience.
The Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center is located 1/2 mile south of Bunker Hill at 5798 County Road 77. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.