1991 ILDA Awards
Presented at the 1991 ILDA Conference in Los Angeles, California
Hosted by Laser Images Inc.
From The Laserist magazine, Summer 1992 issue
From a theatre stage in Warsaw, Poland, to the rooftop of the World Trade Center
in New York City, laser displays from around the globe were honored in ILDA's
largest creative competition to date.
The 1991 competition for outstanding laser displays saw the highest number of entries submitted in the program's four-year history, evidence of the growing popularity of the medium. The broad scope of winning entries was also proof that laser displays are reaching out to new markets and new applications.
Award-winning displays, for example, included special laser effects for a Japanese amusement park, an educational exhibit at the Mexico City Archeological Museum, a live laser/music performance in Warsaw, Poland and an outdoor beam display that spanned the New York City skyline. Subject matter for the displays included advertising for such corporate giants as Coca-Cola and Marlboro, educational programming on topics ranging from DNA to natural history, and entertainment programs that encompassed everything from rock 'n' roll to an homage to abstract artist Vassily Kandinsky.
The 132 entries submitted by 14 firms were evaluated by a three-person panel who judged entries on professionalism, creativity and uniqueness. The judges represented a spectrum of laser applications from technical, artistic, and scientific fields:
- Michael Ceden's film animation credits included "The Little Mermaid," "Rescuers Down Under," and "American Tail." He also is a creator and animator of laser works for Walt Disney World.
- Dr. J. William McGowan, as director of the National Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, Canada, curated one of the world's largest holography exhibits. He also was a professor of physics at the University of Western Ontario.
- Craig Newswanger, the third member of the panel, developed special laser effects for Walt Disney Imagineering and designed the laser-illuminated fiber-optic sphere at Walt Disney's Epcot Center.
The 28 artistic awards were divided into nine categories, with awards going to ten companies. In the New Technology category, first place was awarded to Aura Technologies, Inc. of Chicago. Aura's new technology allows artists to use musical instruments to produce visual laser displays through the popular MIDI interface. Three honorable mentions also were awarded in this category to recognize new computer software techniques for creating laser displays.
1991 ARTISTIC AWARDS
Graphic Design: Static
1st: "Silver Surfer", Laser Fantasy
2nd: "Emotional Landing Strip", Laser Images
3rd: "Miss C.", Advanced Laser Design
Graphic Design: Animation
1st (tie): "St. Louis Science Center", Image Engineering
1st (tie): "Monster of Light", Laser Fantasy
2nd: "Tree Climb", Laser Fantasy
3rd: "Mask", Advanced Laser Design
Graphic Design: Showpiece
1st: "Mystic Loon", Laser Fantasy
2nd: "The Galaxy Song", Laser Images
3rd: "Elvis is Everywhere", Laser Fantasy
Abstract Design
1st: "Vassily Kandinsky", Laser Images
2nd: "Tom Sawyer", Laser Images
3rd: "Jellyfish", Laser Fantasy
Mixed Design
1st: "U Can't Touch This", Audio Visual Imagineering
2nd: "Khameleon Vogue", Laser Media
3rd: "Tear Down The Wall", Laser Images
Beam: Atmospheric Display
1st: "Lasercast", Science Faction
2nd: "Beam 15", Advanced Laser Design
3rd: "SummerFest Beam Sculpture", Bennett-Ross and Laser Artistry
Entertainment Application
1st: "Fairyland Theatre", Laser Fantasy
2nd: "Discovery Theatre", Laser Fantasy
3rd: "Penianze", Laser Media
Advertisement/Corporate Theatre
1st: "Coke 2", Advanced Laser Design
2nd: "UA", Audio Visual Imagineering
3rd: "Follow Your Dreams", Advanced Laser Design
1991 TECHNICAL AWARDS
New Technology
1st: "MIDI-controlled LGRASS", Aura Technologies
Hon. Mention: "RasType/Raster Text Display", Laserfx, a Bifrost Company
Hon. Mention: "Hidden Surface Elimination for Convex Solids", Laser Images
Hon. Mention: "Flock of Eyes/Computer Aided Animation", Laser Fantasy
Special
1st: "Realm of Light", Laser Fantasy
2nd: "Qu Ultalan Maya (Myster Maya)", Mundo Audiovisual
3rd: "Valley Laser Light", Science Faction
Floyd Rollefstad
Laser Fantasy founder honored for pioneering work and technical achievementsFloyd Rollefstad, president of Laser Fantasy International, has received ILDA's 1991 Career Achievement Award honoring a lifetime of technical and artistic achievements.
Rollefstad was honored for a series of almost single-handed technical achievements that have significantly advanced the laser display industry, including: 3-D laser graphic projection techniques, acousto-optic RGB technology for full-color graphics projection, and several unique fiber optic effects.
"Floyd Rollefstad has a persistent desire to be successful, to make fantasy come true," said Seiji Inatsugu of Laser Media, Inc., last year's winner of the Career Achievement Award. Inatsugu presented the 1991 award to Rollefstad at ILDA's annual meeting in Los Angeles. "He certainly has moved and shaken the industry," added Ivan Dryer, president of Laser Images, Inc. and recipient of the first Career Achievement Award. "We have been inspired by his work," said Dryer
In accepting the award, Rollefstad said he counted himself to be fortunate, because "not too many people get to participate in the birth of an industry. Artistically, we have incredible opportunities. We are the first people to ever use the amazing power of the laser to do artistic things."
In addition to his pioneering technical work, Rollefstad was also honored for bringing educational laser display programs to more than 1,500 high schools across North America.
"We're very proud of our education shows," said Rollefstad, whose company was among the first to produce full-length educational programs using laser displays. Educational shows include "American Dream," an historical program, "Learning to Fly," about aviation, and "Listen to the Whales," which covers ecology.
Rollefstad began creating laser shows soon after obtaining his masters degree from the University of North Dakota in 1977, the same year he cofounded Laser Fantasy. After producing shows in Chicago and Minneapolis, his company came to the West Coast in 1980 to perform in Seattle at the Pacific Science Center, where it still performs today. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Wash.
One of Laser Fantasy's best known works is at Washington state's Grand Coulee Dam, where laser images thousands of feet across tell a nightly story of the area's natural history. The show premiered in March, 1989 and runs during summer months. It uses 70 watts of laser power and sophisticated graphics projectors that produce full-color displays.
