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October 21, 2010:
eGlobal Travel News Australia / New Zealand
Hurtigruten Illuminates Sami Rock Formation
Finnkirka, the elegant sea cliff at the entrance to Kjøllefjord in Finnmark, takes on the form of a monumental cathedral and is an old Sami sacrificial site.
Hurtigruten has for decades presented Finnkirka as Europe’s most elegant cliff. Now it is built up to be one of Hurtigruten’s major winter attractions in the north.
It is a holy place that emerges in front of the eyes of the guests onboard the Hurtigruten ships as they enter Kjøllefjord. A cathedral formed rock formation rises from the water. The cliffs are shaped like a church: the so-called “Finnkirka”, “The Sami church”. In the past, this location was used as a sacrificial site by the Sami people, and even today the locals still worship this special place.
Some time ago, the local population and Hurtigruten came up with the idea of keeping the holy splendour of the Finnkirka ablaze with light even during the winter months. The very special lightshow premiered October 18. Light artist Kurt Hermansen set the glowing stage for the Finnkirka. “Its almost like words cannot describe this spectacle. You just have to experience it”, enthuses Vebjørn Jacobsen, head of the Finnkirka project at Hurtigruten.
Light plays a crucial role throughout the whole Hurtigruten voyage – even in winter. The sun is only marginally over the horizon, and north of the Arctic Circle it does not appear at all for several weeks. Yet the winter landscape of the Norwegian coast shines in fascinating colours in the twilight. During the winter months, the colour palette ranges from arctic blue and snow white to fiery yellow and soft mother of pearl.
“The interplay of light and shadow is wonderfully mysterious”, is how Hurtigruten guest Iselin Marshall from France describes the impressions of her winter trip.
Another mystical experience is the Northern Lights, the highlight of any journey in the cold winter season. Those who have witnessed the fascinating polar lights are sure never to forget this sight. It is a natural spectacle that does not happen at the press of a button. It requires a bit of luck. That is why the Hurtigruten ships follow “the traces of the Northern Lights” and support the search for the glowing phenomenon with varied activities onboard and wintery land excursions. French guest Marshall was particularly impressed with the tour to the North Cape in early January: “The sun appeared for just a few minutes, creating a very mystical atmosphere.”
And while the Hurtigruten guests still enthuse about their excursion to the North Cape or the dog sledge tour over a crispy roasted fish cake on the outer deck, the Northern Lights suddenly appear. They complete their whirly dance in the dark sky, they jerk, shine and disappear again. British guest Graham Denby is deeply fascinated: “What a very special and truly impressive experience.”
The magical Finnkirka light show can be experienced daily on board the Hurtigruten vessels until the end of the winter season in March.
Hurtigruten is a world leader in expedition cruising and is represented in Australia by Discover the World Marketing. For more information see your local Travel Agent or contact Hurtigruten on 1800 OCEANS (1800 623 267) hurtigruten@discovertheworld.com.au.
GRIVEN
Via Bulgaria 16
46042 Castel Goffredo
Mantova - Italy
Norway - A gorgeous sea cliff light show at Finnkirka powered by GRIVEN
Premiered on October, 18th 2010, the newly designed lightshow at Finnkirka (Norway), has been successfully powered by batteries of GRIVEN’s Powershine S units. Finnkirka, whose meaning is “Finnish Church cliff” owing to its cathedral-like appearance, is a natural rock formation which has become a major tourist attraction. Originally a place of worship for the local Sami people, Finnkirka is located at the entrance to the Kjollefjord in Finnmark and is regarded as one of the most beautiful sea cliff in the world. The newly conceived colour changing light display, created by the renowned Lighting Designer Kurt Hermansen in cooperation with the Norwegian company MULTITECHNIC AS, will from now on be daily experienced aboard Hurtigruten coastal steamers by many tourists until the end of the winter season in March. Prior to this year, the Finnkirka had played host to concerts and masses during the summer but remained deserted during the long, colder months. The creation of this new attraction is the result of a joint effort of Hurtigruten, Norwegian world leader in expedition cruising, and the local population, both of which strongly desired to unveil the holy splendor of Finnkirka also during the winter season.
Light plays a crucial role in these extremely northern territories, even, or especially, in winter, when the sun is only marginally over the horizon and north of the Arctic Circle it does not appear at all for several weeks. Yet the winter landscape of the Norwegian coast shines in fascinating colours in the twilight: the colour palette ranges from arctic blue and snow white to fiery yellow and soft mother of pearl. Basing on the natural interplay of light and shadow, an astonishing lighting concept was developed by the appointed lighting designer Kurt Hermansen, who wanted to revive the glowing shine of the northern lights and colours on these church-like cliffs, creating a very mystical atmosphere. “I wanted to enhance the existing environment with an emotional but at the same time very natural concept of light. To do so I needed a powerful, RGB plus White colour changer which could also be able to withstand the stormy weather of Norway. GRIVEN developed a “polar” de-icing version of the existing Powershine S in just a few weeks, so that my choice was obvious!” states Kurt Hermansen.
Specified by GRIVEN’s exclusive distributor for Norway, the company MULTITECHNIC AS, and installed by the local company ABUS Enterprenør AS, 27 IP66 Powershine S RGB+W units were provided with 4 different optics degrees - 6°, 10°, 24° and 37° in order to meet the demanding requirements of this project. Strategically located on the two main rocks of Finnkirka - the so called “Ytre and Indre” Finnkirka, which are about 300m far from each other- the Powershine S RGB+W units have successfully brought this dynamic lighting concept to life. A custom version of Powershine S RGB+W was expressly developed for this challenging project by GRIVEN’s engineers. An integrated de-icing system with electrically heated glass assures a comfortable functioning of these projectors in the utmost severe weather conditions. Mr. Bjorn Lund, Sales Manager of the Oslo based MULTITECHNIC AS - a leading supplier of technology and service to the professional architectural and entertainment light, sound and multimedia market - played a key role in this installation from the very beginning till the final testing. Once again a perfect blend of artistic flair and technical expertise allows the pleasure of enjoying a truly impressive experience.
Product specification: MULTITECHNIC AS
Installation: ABUS Enterprenør AS
Lighting Designer: Kurt Hermansen
Programmer: Lars Hermansen
For further info please contact: bjorn.lund@multitechnic.no www.multitechnic.no
