Vol. 16, No. 2, July-September 2005 

ILDA's 2001 Awards for Outstanding Laser Displays

(Nov. 6, 2001) The International Laser Display Association's (ILDA) annual awards for artistic and technical excellence--the laser display industry's equivalent of Hollywood's Oscars--this year honored more than a dozen companies from around the world. The eleven artistic award categories covered virtually all aspects of modern laser displays, from the production of huge outdoor shows to the creation of individual graphic frames.

ILDA's winning artistic entries covered a broad spectrum of display applications that pushed technological and creative limits. Lightspeed Design Group of Bellevue, Wash., stretched the limits of display technology for its Sea World animation with 80K scanning at 30 frames per second. Laser Force, Inc., of Milwaukee, Wisc., took honors for a hand-drawn 430-frame animation sequence depicting a traditional Native American dance. LaserAnimation Sollinger of Berlin strived to visually convey an operatic aria with soft and subtle laser graphics. The wild, irregular sounds of a percussive bongo performance were brought to light with kinetic beams by LOBO electronic of Aalen, Germany.

The highest number of awards received by any single company was six, an honor shared by Audio Visual Imagineering, Laser Force, Inc., LaserAnimation Sollinger, and LOBO electronic. The highest number of First Place awards went to LOBO electronic, which took top honors in the ISP (ILDA Standard Projector) Beam Module, Beams/Atmospherics, Graphic Module and Indoor Show categories. LOBO was followed by Chicago's Strictly FX, which took first place in the ISP Computer Animation, ISP Graphic Module, and the ISP Graphic and Beam Module categories.

Due to the cancellation of this year's ILDA conference (originally scheduled Nov. 11-14 in Orlando), the results of the awards competition were presented in the Nov. issue of The Laserist, ILDA's quarterly print publication and Web site.

ILDA Standard Projector (ISP) Beam Module
1st: Movement, LOBO electronic GmbH
2nd: The Bongo Show, LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH
3rd: Operation Blade, LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH

ISP Cel Animation
1st: Franky’s Night Out, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc.
2nd: Indian Dance, Laser Force, Inc.
3rd: Dolphin, LOBO electronic GmbH
Honorable Mention: Pegasus Morphs Into A Jet,
Laser Force, Inc.

ISP Computer Animation
1st: Wolf Head, Strictly FX
2nd: Homero, Lightspeed Design Group
3rd: Pangolin ID, Pangolin Laser Systems
Honorable Mention (T): Metamorphosis,
LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH
Honorable Mention (T): Sea World, Lightspeed Design Group

ISP Graphic Module
1st: LaVida Loca, Strictly FX
2nd: Belle Nuit, LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH
3rd (T): Dead Man’s Party, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc.
3rd (T): One More Time, Strictly FX
Honorable Mention: Rhapsody In Balloon, Laser Force, Inc.

ISP Graphic & Beam Module
1st: Carol of the Bells, Strictly FX
2nd: Digital Get Down, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc.
3rd: Music, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc.
Honorable Mention: MicroManiac, Laser Spectacles, Inc.

Beams/Atmospherics
1st: Living Drums, LOBO electronic GmbH
2nd (T): Classglass, LDS Light Design GmbH
2nd (T): Aurora, LOBO electronic GmbH

Abstract
1st: Fight Song, Laser Fantasy International
2nd: New Year’s Day, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc.

Graphic Module
1st: LOBO 2001, LOBO electronic GmbH
2nd: The Sunshine Show, LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH
3rd: Love At First Kiss, Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc.
Honorable Mention (T): Spain: Rockin’ Gypsies,
Laser Fantasy International
Honorable Mention (T): Help, Laser Force, Inc.
Honorable Mention (T): Fatal Destiny, Laser Force, Inc.

Indoor Show
1st: Ostwürttemberg-Show, LOBO electronic GmbH
2nd: Proxi, HB Laserkomponenten GmbH
3rd: Citroën C5 Presentation, Laser Entertainment SRL
Outdoor Show
1st: Nam June Paik’s Laser Art at Seoul Olympic Park,
Sam Laser Display Co.
2nd: Mattel Pre-Toy Fair 2000, Laser Force, Inc.

Special Application
1st: Pacless, LaserAnimation Sollinger GmbH