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1988 ILDA Awards


Inaugural year of the ILDA Awards
Presented at the 1988 ILDA meeting in Stone Mountain, Georgia
Hosted by Stone Mountain Lasers

 

From The Laserist magazine, Spring 1989 issue

In the past 15 years, laser display has become a viable option for those interested in merging art and technology to form a visual stimulus. The next decade promises to bring about even greater advancements in this medium that originated 20 years ago, but which is only just gaining acceptance in industries like advertising, entertainment and art.

Permanent laser display installations and viewing facilities are scattered around the country and are expensive to operate. Shows are usually not documented for art purposes, and public awareness about lasers is still limited. But now a group of dedicated laser professionals are making progress to establish the medium's credibility. This past fall, ILDA presented the First Annual Awards for Outstanding Laser Display. Laser professionals from all over the world gathered at Stone Mountain Park in Stone Mountain, Georgia to view the winning entries.

Sixty-eight entries from 11 companies competed for awards in 18 categories ranging from Static Images and Sequenced Show Pieces to such applications as Atmospheric, Architectural and Technological.

Walter Gundy, president of Image Engineering, Corp. and coordinator of the event said that in addition to recognizing and encouraging creative achievement, this year's Laser Display Awards will "hopefully challenge and stimulate others to get involved." Further, he added that ILDA-sponsored events such as this, will "build morale for individual companies as well as for the industry as whole."

Two laser projectors were provided for the ceremony, allowing attendees of the awards ceremony to be treated to a laser presentation of some of the winning entries. Other winning entries were presented on slide or video.
 

THE JUDGING PANEL

The Judging Panel represented artistic, practical, and technical interests. Entries were judged according to: creative application of the medium, professional application of laser display, entertainment value, and unique application of laser technology.

  • John Whitney, Sr., a computer graphics pioneer who conducted some of the first experimental, computerized film sequences, represented artistic interests. Whitney, is considered as the "father of computer graphics and visual music coordination."
  • Larry Majorana, a technical engineer at Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a laser system designer.

  • Jim Feldman, a theatrical and club lighting designer, works with lasers and other special effect lighting at the Palace in Los Angeles.

Entries were viewed on VHS or 35mm slides to allow more equality in presentation. Whitney was disappointed in the video and slide transmission, however, feeling the electric quality of the lasers was lost. The means to document the technology adequately is still two to four years away, he explained. High Definition Television (HDTV) a hotly debated but inevitable new television standard, will allow the laser operator to record transmissions in vivid, life-like resolution and color.

Whitney was also concerned that technical sophistication was lacking in some of the entries, but felt this was due partially because of the newness of the medium and the lack of communication. "The creative process was like reinventing the wheel," he described. He suggested an International Center for Laser Display be established so artists and technicians could share up-to-date knowledge.

Laser Media's Creative Director, John Goss, was responsible for organizing the judging of the competition. Overall, he was pleased with the results. "The panel leaned towards compositions that were unique and experimental, awarding prizes to entries they felt were outstanding examples in each category," he explained.

 

1988 ARTISTIC AWARDS

Single X-Y Head: Static - 5 second Graphic

1st:   "Growing Plant", Laser Media
2nd:  "Explosion", Laser Media
3rd:   "Mermaid", Laser Media
Honorable Mention:  "Mexican National Emblem", Mundo Audiovisual

Single X-Y Head: 5-30 second Graphic

Best:   "Ice Skater", Laser Media
Honorable Mention:  "Chevrolet Logo", Image Engineering
Honorable Mention:  "Grid Hand", Laser Media

Single X-Y Head: Sequenced Show Piece

Best:   "The Conversation", Laser Fantasy
Honorable Mention:  "Hodori", Image Engineering

Multiple X-Y Head: Static - 5 second Graphic

Best:   "Fast Scan Logos", Laser Fantasy

Multiple X-Y Head: 5-30 second Graphic

1st:   "Sexy Robot", Laser Media
2nd:  "Floating Fiddle", Laser Media
3rd:   "Peach Time Lapse", Laser Media

Multiple X-Y Head: 30-60 second Graphic

Best:   "Devil Playing Fiddle", Laser Media

Multiple X-Y Head: Sequenced Show Piece

Best (tie):   "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades", Laser Media
Best (tie):   "Walk Like An Egyptian", Laser Media
Honorable Mention:  "Georgia on My Mind", Stone Mountain Laser

Beam Sculpture

1st:   "Seoul Olympics Beam Matrix", Image Engineering
2nd:   Laser Spectacles [no title given]
3rd:    Laser Spectacles [no title given]
Honorable Mention:  Science Faction [no title given]

Atmospheric Effects

Best:   "Downtown Miami Beam Matrix", Laser Productions (LaserNet)

Advertisement

Best:   "Reebok lets U.B.U.", Image Engineering

AV Show/Corporate Theatre

Best:   "Trade Show Booth", Audio Visual Imagineering

Technological Application

Honorable Mention:  "Laser Pipeline", Science Faction

Architectural Application

1st:   "Boston Clock Tower Renovation Celebration", Image Engineering
2nd:  Science Faction [no title given]

Entertainment Application

Best:  "Live performance collaboration with dancer/juggler/performance artist Michael Moschen and high-wire artist Phillippe Petit", Science Faction

Multi-Media Application

Honorable Mention:  "Xerox Office System Presentation", Audio Visual Imagineering

New Effect

Honorable Mention:  "Wasalandia Amusement Park (Finland) 3D Laser Theater", Laser Media

Miscellaneous: Music Video

Best:  "Herbie Hancock", Laser Images

Miscellaneous: Interactive Pre-Programmed Theme Graphics

Best:  "Light Play Boards; using keyboards to bring up pre-programmed effects", Laser Media

Miscellaneous: Action Film Effect

Most outrageous application: "Using 'Laser Dream Machine' software in an erotic adult film", California Technical Associates
 


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No reproduction of text or images on this site is allowed without written permission of ILDA or other copyright holder(s). "ILDA" and the ILDA logo are trademarks of the International Laser Display Association.
 

 

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