Nov 02

All the Immersive Art to See in Denver

All the Immersive Art to See in Denver

EMILY FERGUSON  NOVEMBER 1, 2022  11:46AM   WESTWORD

Thanks to Westword’s Cultural Editor, Emily Ferguson for including Lumonics Immersed in her article,  All the Immersive Art to See in Denver.

“Denver continues to be immersed in immersive arts experiences, with more to come. The Denver Immersive Gathering, a major confab for immersive artists and fans, will run from November 4 to November 6; get the details on DIG 2022 here.”

(here is the section on Lumonics; click on the link for all the immersive experiences listed in the article:)

 

The late Dorothy Tanner and her husband, Mel, started creating immersive experiences decades before the trend. Photo: Candace Hill

 

 

Immerse yourself in Lumonics.  www.lumonics.net




Lumonics Immersed
Saturdays, 8 to 10:30 p.m.
Lumonics Light and Sound Gallery, 800 East 73rd Avenue, Unit 11
The Lumonics art collective started offering immersive experiences decades ago, long before the immersive concept was exploited by companies that realized it was the perfect way to capitalize on iPhone-wielding influencers. Lumonics Light and Sound Gallery, which is devoted to the light sculptures of the late Mel and Dorothy Tanner, now offers weekly editions of Lumonics Immersed, an event designed to provide healing while the sculptures’ glowing lights pulsate to ethereal music produced by Dorothy and composer Marc Billard, the Lumonics studio’s creative director. “Dorothy used to call it a vacation from yourself,” Barry Raphael, the gallery’s archivist, told Westword last year. Tickets are $20.

Oct 29

Dorothy Tanner at Work and Play

Photos of Dorothy Tanner (1923-2020) working in the studio at Lumonics.

“The major challenge for me in art is to keep under control the tyranny of a logical mind. The spirit that moves me is capricious, unruly and irreverent. Most of my work grows out of intuitive impulse–the rest gets underway by just playing.”

Dorothy Tanner and Jabberwocky

Dorothy Tanner and Messenger
Photo by Todd Powers

Dorothy Tanner and Skeeter

Dorothy Tanner and Habitat

Dorothy and Future Past

Oct 29

Sketch and Sculpt

Mel and Dorothy Tanner worked with the same material, acrylic glass, in very different ways. Dorothy liked to have a lot of material around and then begin her construction. Mel Tanner always sketched first, often filling the sketches in with colored pencils so that they were very precise. The drawing(s) very closely resembled the completed sculpture.

Here are some examples of Mel Tanner’s sketches compared to the photos of the completed works:

 

Sketch of Visitor by Mel Tanner

 

 

 

 

 

 



Visitor by Mel Tanner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sketch of One Two Three by Mel Tanner

 

 

 



One Two Three by Mel Tanner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sketch of Post-Egyptian by Mel Tanner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post-Egyptian by Mel Tanner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Post-Eqyptian by Mel Tanner

 

Sketch of Island by Mel Tanner




Island by Mel Tanner

 

Mel Tanner sketches what will be a lighted wall for an installation

 



 

A lighted wall and ceiling installation by Mel Tanner

Oct 28

Four Years Ago Today: Denver Mayor’s Award

4 Years Ago Today:

While it hadn’t been officially announced yet, Dorothy Tanner was notified that she was the recipient of the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture in the Innovation category for the City and County of Denver, 2018.  Denver Arts & Venues sent the Zerosun Creative team of James Joliat and his associate videographer Tyler, to interview Dorothy in preparation for a video for the award ceremony on Nov. 15 at the McNichols Civic Center Building.

Zerosun Creative team of James Joliat and his associate videographer Tyler preparing to interview Dorothy Tanner at Lumonics