Featured in Photonics.com

"Creating Art with Light"

By Hank Hogan, Contributing Editor,
Photonics.com

June 10, 2010, USA:

Sorcar's artistic creations with laser was the top news in the article "Creating Art with Light" by Hank Hogan, in Photonics.com the online magazine. It stated:

"A workhorse of industry and research, lasers also have a home in the arts. On stage, they've danced with performers. In museums, they've been behind almost magical portraits.

For artists, this new tool has allowed them to do new things. However, they'd like to see further improvements in laser capabilities and robustness. Also, for some projects improving laser safety and cutting laser costs are key.


A scene from Manick Sorcar's (above) "Dancing with My Soul", and
(below) "Enlightenment of Buddha", winner of the ILDA Artistic Award. Ghostly fire of laser
in combination with live performance

In one case, the light fantastic trips the light fantastic, with laser animation combining with live action on stage. Artist P. C. "Manick" Sorcar, CEO of Denver-suburb Arvada, Colo.-based LaserLight Magic and Sorcar Engineering, is the man behind these scenes. One of his award-winning shows depicts a dancer regaining her confidence, while another shows a demon trying to disrupt the Buddha's meditation. A third, which is under development, will show a little girl dreaming of being underwater, rescuing trapped fairies.

In these shows, lasers power the animation. They're projected from the rear onto a special screen with the actors moving in front of it.

"The key is to use a screen that will remain virtually invisible, yet show the laser graphics nicely without any penetration or spill over into the audience," said Sorcar.

He added that while the screen remains unseen the live performers must be clearly visible. That's done through a combination of lights.

Sorcar noted that the development of semiconductor lasers has made all this easier, since they can simply be plugged into an outlet and don't require water cooling. However, the technology could be improved further still, he said, if the lasers could be made either much more robust or were transportable inside a plane. Lasers shipped today for international tours go inside the cargo hold and can arrive in a far-from-perfect condition

A scanner, safely

One thing Sorcar doesn't have to worry about is eye safety. His productions do no audience scanning, a practice in which lasers are sent through an audience to create an effect that has been likened to being inside a fireworks show. Often a supplement to a live performance, audience scanning has also been used for artistry. Those who do audience scanning have to meet maximum permissible exposure levels in the US and a few other countries. Complying with those regulations presents an artistic challenge. "Meeting the safe, legal audience scanning level 'dims the color', which may make it a less exciting experience," said Sorcar.....

For complete story, press here for the online article.

 

Copyright © 2024, Manick Sorcar Productions