Chad Ellenburg from Pleasant Valley Church in Winona, MN brings us this haunting commemoration of the Twin Towers.
This stage design was created for a series called Ground Zero, built around the idea that every encounter with Christ in Scripture marked a defining moment—where nothing remained the same.
To represent the “rubble,” the team used 2″ foam board from Menards (similar to Home Depot). They cut sections with five openings for the rear panels and three for the front, creating a subtle forced perspective.
At the center of the design was the Ground Zero cross, serving as the focal point of the series. It was made from 1″ foam board, base-coated with gray paint and detailed using splatters and spray techniques to mimic the look of burned debris.
LED lighting was used throughout the setup to bring everything to life.
To complete the background, they layered painted 4′ weed block—textured with a push broom and white paint—against a wall of stacked cardboard boxes, adding depth and contrast to the scene.
This looks amazing. You have done a fantastic job on this project. Did you use any gobos to get texture on the building sections.
No, the holes cut in the individual sections helped to cast some neat shadows and light patterns, but no gobos. We painted it flat gray an then used a wet sponge to splatter black. Thenm some spray black to give the look of fire damage.
Looks amazing! I know that Styrofoam can be a pain to cut. How did you do it?
Just saw this. We used a jigsaw. Not to bad.