The Ark Encounter in Kentucky is unlike any other theme park on the planet, letting visitors walk inside a life-size model of Noah’s famous ark from the Bible’s flood account. In 2019, the park opened a brand-new building, the Answers Center, where it leads daily presentations in a 2,500-seat auditorium, offers memorabilia at a gift shop, and hosts guest speakers on a variety of biblical topics.
The most memorable single attraction in the Answers Center, however, might just be the awe-inspiring 70-foot-wide by 22-foot-tall, 4mm pixel pitch NanoLumens LED display that creates a digital backdrop across the entire presentation stage.
According to Mike Jonas, Project Manager for Clearwing Systems Integration the firm responsible for the technology installation, the NanoLumens display was an ideal choice to provide an eye-grabbing video display that can be used in a variety of ways.
“The Answers Center has a very large stage at 80 feet wide,” Jonas said. “A video wall gives them the ability to use the wall as a backdrop without needing actual drops or flyspace. In this case, a video wall really was the only solution as the desired result could not be practically accomplished with projectors. In addition, the video wall also serves as masking for the upstage crossover.”
The first major piece of original content developed for the Ark Encounter’s NanoLumens display is a 30-minute film entitled, New Beginning, that follows the wife of one of Noah’s sons as she recalls the pre-flood world, the ark voyage, and the new world after the flood. It debuted in April 2019, and is shown every day at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM. The park also recently began using the NanoLumens LED display to show daily feature films from the faith-based streaming service Pure Flix.
Clearwing has worked with the Ark Encounter since its construction and opening in 2016, so they knew exactly what kind of ‘WOW factor’ the owners were looking for in the new building.
“We had seen other NanoLumens displays and were impressed with the image quality, along with the warranty,” Jonas added.
The owners are extremely pleased with the quality and appearance of the NanoLumens video wall and are currently using it to provide a digital canvas for presenters, show educational videos about biblical topicsand promote new exhibits and upcoming events.
