German airport has prayer booth
BERLIN — Feeling nervous before your flight? Travelers at one German airport can now receive spiritual solace by entering a booth and listening to a prayer of their choice before boarding the plane.
The prayer booth at Stuttgart Airport’s Terminal 3 features 300 prayers from various religions in 65 languages, airport spokesman Johannes Schumm said last week.
“Often, passengers still have a bit of time before their departure at the gate,” Schumm added. “The prayer booth is an offer by the airport’s chaplains to provide a moment of contemplation.”
Designed by Berlin artist Oliver Sturm, the former photo booth offers a vast variety of prayers, including the Christian Lord’s Prayer, the Jewish Shma Israel and the Islamic muezzin’s call to prayer. The Hindu Hare Krishna chant, Tibetan monk chants, Buddhist sutras, prayers of Shamans from New Guinea or Mali, even American TV preachers are also available on the touch-screen display.
The Gebetomat, which roughly translates as “Pray-o-Matic,” was designed by Sturm in 2008. Its red cabin has a gray curtain and an adjustable swivel chair. The booth is free and will be available for three months at Stuttgart Airport’s boarding area next to Gate 310.
The artist, who could not immediately be reached for comment, writes on his home page that “all prayers are real prayers of believers, gathered in worship, prayer rooms, homes.”
Sturm has designed several prayer booths in recent years that have been installed at schools, universities and museums.
— The Associated Press
Bible museum nearing finish
WASHINGTON — With a subject sacred and central to diverse faiths, the Museum of the Bible aims to appeal to religions of all kinds, and to those who don’t believe in any.
Washington’s newest museum — set to open Nov. 17 in a 430,000-square-foot building a few blocks south of the National Mall — will be chock-full of artifacts and exhibitions focused on the Bible’s long history and social impact. It will also sport high-tech activities and displays that will connect the ancient text to contemporary life in fun and engaging ways.
The museum, which is the $500 million brainchild of Hobby Lobby chief executive Steve Green, will showcase some of the rarest of biblical texts — from Torah scrolls to 14th-century illuminated manuscripts — alongside an amusement-park-like ride called Washington Destinations that takes visitors on a virtual aerial tour of Washington sites and an immersive experience of Jesus’ Nazareth. There will be a children’s area emphasizing courage, and an entire floor dedicated to Bible stories.
The museum takes a hightech approach to the visitor experience, offering custom tours tailored to time and interest. Guests receive digital guides that are connected to every gallery on the three main exhibition floors. As visitors approach a gallery or artifact, information or an activity is triggered on their devices. State-of-the-art video, augmented reality and interactive displays complement the historic and textual artifacts.
A nonprofit corporation founded in 2010, the museum has renovated the former Washington Design Center. The project has meant demolishing the interior, lowering the ground floor to add basement space and building a glass enclosure on the roof. When construction is complete, the museum will house a 472-seat performing arts hall, a banquet area that can seat 420, a restaurant and rooftop garden. The glass-enclosed top floor offers views of downtown.
— The Washington Post