Exhibit Lighting of the Greatest Treasures of Humankind
Posted by Kerri Galgano on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 @ 03:34 PM
Exhibit Design and Art Direction: James Kelly
Exhibit Installation Coordination and Lighting Design: Emilio Bras
After years of international negotiations, the Milwaukee Public Museum has opened its exhibit of the "Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible: Ancient Artifacts, Timeless Treasures", the largest temporary exhibit ever produced by the museum. With over 200 objects from multiple international and national lenders, "Dead Sea Scrolls & the Bible" takes you in a journey through the Holy Land during the period the scrolls were written, to their discovery in the 1940's, and the transmission of these early scriptures to the books that today shaped the beliefs of Judaism and Christianity.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the late 1940s through mid-1950s has been called the biblical archaeological equivalent of unearthing King Tut's tomb. The scrolls were discovered in a cave along the western shore of the Dead Sea by a Bedouin shepherd chasing his goats. He tossed some stones into a cave, heard pottery breaking and went into the cave to investigate, finding scrolls encased in jars. That began an investigation of the scrolls that continues to this day.
"These are the greatest treasures of humankind," said Milwaukee Public Museum president Dan Finley. "You can't put a value on these words. These words changed the world."
Located in the Steigleder Special Exhibit Gallery of the Milwaukee Public Museum, the 16,050 square foot exhibit includes:
- A fragment of the Copper Scroll, a one-of-a-kind scroll written on deteriorating metal that took scholars more than four years to cut open and translate.
- A fragment of a version of the book of Daniel dating from between 50 B.C. and A.D. 50. This is its first display in any exhibit of Dead Sea Scrolls.
- A fragment from Ecclesiastes dating from the second century B.C.
Emilio Bras, Milwaukee Public Museum Lighting Designer and Exhibit Installation Coordinator, used a LSI track grid of individual 12', 2 circuit squares, for a total 88 individual dimmable circuits.
"This layout allows us to reach any desirable lighting angle and control regardless of the physical layout of the temporary exhibits." noted Bras. "I used line voltage series fixtures such as the 280 Series and the 290 Series. From the low voltage series, I used the 36 Series as well as the BP75 Image Projector. A number of accessories were also used throughout to achieve a desired look or control like louvers, color filters and linear spread lenses."
The exhibit will be at the Milwaukee Public Museum for a limited time. For information on the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible exhibit, please click here.
Lighting Services Inc was very proud to be part of this exhibit. To view more images, please click here.