[click to enlarge]
Plexiglass Podium= Traditional?
It may seem strange, but what may have been new in the past has now become 'traditional' or 'old style'.
So it is with the plexiglass podium. These were particularly popular 15-20 years ago. They were generally produced by manufacturers of acrylic products. These firms made things like brochure holders, clear cases for models, and signage. It fitted well within their expertise and abilities. The plexiglass podium was ideal for the established church that didn't need to move it often, and kept the it permanently towards the side of the stage (out of the way of praise and worship). Over time however the weight and
Pastors were transitioning from wooden pulits which they could effectively hide behind, to the transparent plexiglass podium, allowing a more transparent feel to the preaching. The single stem minimalist (no hiding possible) lectern like the arc has been a natural progression of the lessening barrier between preacher and congregation.
So the style of modern sanctuaries at the leading edge has moved on. There is still however some demand for lecterns like the plexiglass podium, much like there will alsways be demand for wooden pulpits. Pastors however realised the shorcomings of them (the weight, brittle joints and for some churches the tendency to reflect light in all directions like a prism)
For this reason, we designed the 'Optic Pulpit' . This combines the look of the 'traditional' with an aluminium frame that makes it more lightweight. At 15kg/33lbs it is not lightweight, but is a vast improvement on the regular plexiglass podium (normally over 20kg/ 45 lbs). The Optic is currently available only in Australia or to other countries upon special request.
Click to to see the Optic plexiglass podium on our australian site.
Increasingly injury aware society, a lightweight lectern instead of a heavy plexiglass podium can be a better choice.