Interactive kinetic laser display to wow art lovers at ArtPrize this fall

Posted: Jul 9, 2012 at 5:40 PM [Jul 9, 2012]

Ann Arbor, MI  (July 9, 2012) – Imagine a work of art that is 16 feet wide by 24 stories tall, consisting of swirling abstract laser light being projected by an equally abstract aluminum sculpture sited in the lounge area of a major hotel.  Now imagine being able to control the light by waving your hands around: you raise your hand, and the display gets brighter top to bottom.  This is Stratus 10, a piece of artwork to be located at the JW Marriott hotel in Grand Rapids this September, an entry in
the 2012 ArtPrize competition.

 

The projector is equipped with six “laser cannons”, each sporting a very powerful
laser in three colors, two each of red, green, and blue.  The lasers shine through custom-designed optics that convert the thin beam into a wall-filling abstract kinetic pattern.  To make things more interesting, the entire piece is controlled by someone moving their body in front of a Kinect, a device that detects movement.  The Kinect was originally intended as a game controller, but has been adapted by many artists as a means to control various works of art.

 

Ann Arbor-based laser artist Mike Gould has been working on this for over a year in preparation for this year’s competition. Gould has been working with lasers,
electro-optic components and industrial design since the early seventies.  A classic early adopter, in 1972 he mail ordered a helium-neon gas laser and promptly adapted it for use in a ‘Son et Lumière’ presentation at the University of Michigan School of Education.  He has a core team of experts in lasers, electronics, computers, etc., working with him on this.

 

He and his team are actively seeking sponsors to support this massive undertaking.  Prospective donors are encouraged to visit the project’s website at mikegouldlaserartist.com.

 

ArtPrize is the world’s largest international art competition held in Grand Rapids, Michigan over a three-week period, September 19-October 7, 2012.  Over 1500 artists have registered this year.  There are a number of prizes available, the biggest being the $200,000 grand prize, which is awarded by a vote of attendees.  There are also juried prizes.  ArtPrize draws over 300,000 visitors, from novices to art world movers and shakers.  162 urban venues will display the artists’ offerings, from museums to hotels to soup kitchens.

 

 Artist Statement

“My artistic focus has always been concentrated on the interplay of art and technology: primarily the interaction between the audience and light.  I try to raise light to its purest level, illuminating our world in novel ways to inspire and awe the beholder.  And what better way to condense the perfection of light than by using lasers - monochromatic until combined, linear until artistically altered, coherent until molded by esthetic enterprise.

 

A purity of color, a movement of line and form, a brightness to rival the natural noon; that is my direction.”

 

His motto: 
Lux Plus Esto
Let there be more light

 

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