Computer Art Faszination 1997

Laser – in principle, only an exactly bundled beam of light. Paired with high-tech and creativity, it becomes a medium with unrivalled fascination: Be it in a smaller setting or in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators, be it on screens or projected freely into space – laser presentations have always put the masses under their spell.
In general, all laser applications can be divided into two areas:
- Laser animation: The laser beam paints an image in generally 16 million colors onto a projection surface, e.g. a wall, a screen or a Water Screen. The effect is comparable to some kind of moving neon advertisement (see image), with the difference being that laser animations – in contrast to all other available media – can be used even under more unfavorable conditions, such as strong light interference, disadvantageous projection angles, or large image formats. In connection with other media, laser is particularly suited to accentuate important image content.
- Beam shows: For beam shows, stage fog is the actual projection medium. With it, the laser beam is made visible and can generate spatial effects of dazzling beauty in tune with the music. These are often used as gleaming highlight of large events or for the emotional anchoring of an advertisement slogan.
Long gone are the pioneering days, when single beams generated simple effects on so-called optical banks with a potpourri of mirrors and relays, only working with permanent re-adjustment of the systems. By now, compact and maintenance-free projectors are on the market, requiring almost no moveable parts (see image) and thus even conquering the hallowed halls of arts.
 
One of the first and most fiercely debated applications of lasers in art was the staging of “Ring of the Nibelung” by Harry Kupfer in 1987 at the Wagner Festpielhaus in Bayreuth. Several permanently installed laser systems created beam webs and scenes of light, not ending, as usual, at the stage portal, but directly involving the audience in the action on stage.
 
A wholly different path was taken by a team of artists for an installation in an Austrian innovation center: Here, tracks were mounted between ceiling and floor in the middle of the stairwell, on which industrial robots fitted with fist-sized projection heads moved freely between all floors and projected 3D graphics onto walls and ceilings (see image). In order to provide the daylight projection with sufficient laser power, the projection heads were supplied with light from a central laser system via fiber optics.
 
Outdoors, laser can play to its true strengths: In contrast to a regular beam of light, a laser beam loses only an inconsiderable amount of thickness and thus intensity even over large distances, making it visible over enormous distances depending on the weather conditions. The dimensions of such installations are exemplified by the picture of the „Cultural Delta South“, where a laser triangle with a side length of ca. 18 km was projected onto the night sky above the South-German city of Aalen.
In principle, projections of laser graphics are possible in any dimension: For example, Laser Trucks facilitate the projection of graphics onto buildings or mountain massifs at any location on the globe. Unfortunately, persistent rumors surrounding the possibilities of laser projections have been circulating for years: There is talk of three-dimensional laser graphics, floating freely in the air or even being written into the sky.
With a lot of luck, the latter is the most realizable one – however, in addition to a laser system with sufficient power and a permit from the competent aviation safety authority, a good relationship with the weather gods is also required, as nothing will be visible without a homogenous and closed layer of clouds.
 
The “projection of moving holograms” by “crossing two laser beams”, which is often used as an explanation in this context, is not even in its infancy. If at all, such projections are today only possible under ideal laboratory conditions, with drastic compromises regarding projection quality and with a ludicrous material usage inside a diminutive cube.
 
However, a realistic three-dimensional effect can be achieved with simple methods by using the polarization procedure, known from 3D cinema and 3D videos. Having said that, the observers need to wear special glasses for this purpose, stand as close as possible to a defined spectator position and keep their head straight at all times. Furthermore, this procedure has the problem of the laser’s typical color brilliance being lost.
Due to this host of disadvantages, a wholly different path is often chosen for the spatial reproduction of laser graphics. For rear projection, a transparent water film is used, offering the impression of a laser graphic hovering freely in space without the need for glasses. While previous water screens, with their semi-circular fountains, were only usable outdoors, highly transparent, rectangular Water Screens are becoming increasingly common. These do not only avoid torrential flooding indoors, but can also be combined perfectly with other media such as light, slides and video.
The above examples impressively show that the medium laser, once confined to discotheques, has matured and become a powerful creative tool. It breaks through the barriers of two-dimensional projections and can make projects of almost any dimension become reality. It appears as if the only limits are set by the creativity of the designers…