Immersive light installation transforms 17th-century church in Amsterdam

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. awakening / əˈweɪ kə nɪŋ / (n.) – the act of beginning to realize, experience, or understand something
    Example:

    After reading the article, she had an awakening about how much waste we produce every day.


  2. audiovisual / ˌɔ di oʊˈvɪʒ u əl / (adj.) – relating to both sounds and pictures
    Example:

    The teacher used audiovisual materials to make her lessons more interesting.


  3. extravaganza / ɪkˌstræv əˈgæn zə / (n.) – a huge, exciting, and expensive performance or event
    Example:

    The parade was a colorful extravaganza of children in cute costumes.


  4. cater to (someone/something) / ˈkeɪ tər tu / (phrasal v.) – to provide someone/something with their needs and preferences
    Example:

    The hotel offers special meals to cater to guests with different dietary needs.


  5. maritime / ˈmær ɪˌtaɪm / (adj.) – relating to human activities done at sea or on ships
    Example:

    The country has strong maritime laws to protect its ships and ports from illegal activities.


Article

Read the text below.

A spectacular light show inspired by the creation of the world has opened in Amsterdam. The display takes place inside the 17th-century church Oosterkerk.


All are projected in vibrant colors across the interior of this historic building. Visitors just need to lie back and enjoy the show taking place above their heads.


“The goal of this experience is really to allow people to take kind of a spiritual journey. So it’s really the objective is to freeze time and make them forget about it and have this spiritual awakening. So, we really want to give people the freedom of deciding how to interpret this experience,” says Sofia Recchi, global project manager at Fever & Projektil, the Swiss art collective behind the event.


The audiovisual extravaganza tells the story of the creation of the world. It’s called Genesis, an appropriate name given its religious venue.


Genesis, the story in itself, we’ve done before. We’ve done in different cities before. However, what makes it special is, as I said before, the architecture of this church. So, the story is the same. However, it’s been completely catered to this building. And that’s why also the church itself plays a part of the story,” says Lieve de Brauw, producer at Fever & Projektil.


The show has already visited Barcelona, Frankfurt, and Lyon, among other cities. But this is a special edition, due to the location.


The Oosterkerk was opened in 1671 when Amsterdam was a center of shipbuilding and the maritime trade of the Dutch East India Company. In 1969, in order to save the building from falling into ruin, the Municipality of Amsterdam bought the building for the symbolic sum of one guilder.


The church became a venue for concerts and exhibitions in 2022.


Genesis opened on December 13 and will run until the end of February. The show runs for 30 minutes.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Genesis is a spectacular light show inspired by the creation of the world, and it has visited several cities around the world. If this light show goes to your city, would you watch it? Why or why not? What do you think the experience would be like? Discuss.
  • According to Lieve de Brauw, Genesis has been completely catered to Oosterkerk, so the church itself plays a part in the story. If you were to organize a Genesis light show in your country, in which place should it be done? Why? What would you do to make it more special compared to the other Genesis shows in other countries? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • The Oosterkerk was saved from falling into ruin in 1969. Do you think it is important to preserve and protect old buildings? Why or why not? When is it appropriate to save such buildings? What do you think are the challenges of preserving old buildings and structures? Discuss.
  • Years after the church was saved, it became a venue for concerts and exhibitions in 2022. How do you think the government can change old buildings to fit modern needs while keeping their history? Would you agree or disagree with plans to use old and historic buildings for extravagant and modern events like a light show? Why do you say so? Discuss.