Captivated by the elements

QUESTRA is behind the immersive audiovisual experience at the Church of Sant Gaietà in Mallorca

A historic place of worship is transformed into an audiovisual experience: with ‘ELEMENTS’, the Church of Sant Gaietà, in the heart of Palma de Mallorca, becomes a 360° multimedia spectacle combining light, sound and video projection. The installation tells a visual story centred on the four elements —water, fire, air and earth— with the figure of the Mallorcan philosopher Ramon Llull as the fifth element. For 25 minutes, visitors are immersed in an audiovisual composition developed by the artistic collective Dalumen Lab for Spiritual Mallorca, which fully integrates the church’s architecture. The system was installed by Auvipro Audiovisuales, which utilised installation solutions from LD Systems and Cameo, all controlled via the LD Systems QUESTRA platform.

Integrated Systems

The project requirements went far beyond a conventional audio and lighting installation. The goal was to combine audio, lighting, video and control systems within a unified architecture, whilst ensuring ease of use. Auvipro took charge of the complete integration of all systems – from sound and lighting design to visual projection and system control.

At the heart of the project is the LD Systems QUESTRA design and management software, which controls all AVL components. From switching on/off the projectors and controlling the media servers to synchronising lighting and audio scenes, all processes are managed via a single central interface. “With QUESTRA, we were able to consolidate the entire system control onto a single platform, thereby significantly reducing technical complexity,” says Hugo Lassos, Technical Lead at Auvipro. In addition to creating and managing automated workflows, QUESTRA also allows for manual control via an intuitive user interface – a decisive advantage for day-to-day operations without the need for specialist technical staff.

“With QUESTRA, we were able to consolidate the entire system control onto a single platform, thereby significantly reducing technical complexity.”
Hugo Lassos, Auvipro

Precise sound distribution in challenging acoustic environments

Due to their architectural design, church spaces place particular demands on sound technology. Long reverberation times and large dimensions require a system that operates both precisely and evenly. Working with Carlos Mariano Flores Sampayo, Field Application Engineer at Adam Hall Integrated Systems, therefore played a central role in the planning phase. Together with Auvipro, Carlos carried out an acoustic analysis of the church interior. The final choice was made in favour of the LD Systems CURV 500 system.

The compact array satellites were installed at a height of around 2.5 metres to ensure even sound distribution throughout the church. Combined with CURV 500 I SUB subwoofers this creates an immersive soundscape that perfectly complements the visual presentation. “For us, the CURV 500 offers the ideal combination of sound quality, coverage and unobtrusive design – perfect for sensitive, historic environments,” confirms Hugo Lassos.

The signal processing and distribution is handled by LD Systems IPA 424 T installation amplifiers equipped with X-EDAI Ethernet & Dante audio interface expansion cards. “Thanks to Dante, we were able to implement the entire audio processing and distribution system via the network whilst significantly simplifying the system architecture,” says Hugo Lassos. “The result is a clean, scalable and efficient infrastructure that integrates seamlessly into the overarching control system.”

„For us, the CURV 500 offers the ideal combination of sound quality, coverage and unobtrusive design – perfect for sensitive, historic environments.“
Hugo Lassos, Auvipro

Discreet lighting design for maximum impact

The lighting installation deliberately took a subtle approach to enhance the effect of the video mapping and highlight the church’s architecture. The Cameo Q-SPOT 40 LED spotlights create lighting accents on selected elements such as sculptures and other architectural details, whilst the PIXBAR 400 Short IP G2 LED bars emphasise the arches and passageways and create additional spatial depth.

All lighting fixtures in the ELEMENTS installation are seamlessly integrated into the QUESTRA control system and are controlled via TCP/IP in sync with the visual content – from scene playback in the Watchout software to controlling the media servers.

Efficiency and reliability through integrated solutions

Besides technical performance, efficiency in planning and implementation also played a vital role. Close collaboration between Auvipro (as technical integrator), the Dalumen Lab collective (as artistic directors and AV content designers) and Adam Hall Integrated Systems led to precise coordination of all trades and components right from the design stage. Supported by acoustic simulations, hands-on guidance and QUESTRA as the central hub, an integrated system solution was created that impressed all parties involved, both technically and creatively.