The source material for the projection comes from an archive of imagery that late artists Dorothy and Mel Tanner originated at the Lumonics Light and Sound Theatre in Miami in 1969, and continues to this day in our performances of Lumonics Immersed here in Denver. The Tanners’ light sculptures also play an important role. We think of the art pieces as the “Lumonics Light Orchestra”.
Here are some of the components of the projection:
1. Hand-painted 35 mm slides by Dorothy and Mel Tanner, a process that began in 1969 in the original Lumonics Light and Sound Theatre in Miami, FL and ended upon Mel’s death in 1993. Hundreds of these slides are in our archives and have been digitized. Here are some examples:
2. Lumonics video productions from 1978 until present that included the late Dorothy Tanner, Mel Tanner, and engineer John Hall, and Marc Billard who continues the productions at Lumonics Immersed and orchestrates the Lumonics Light Orchestra live.
3. Colorado car rides and hikes, from urban to rural areas, which Marc Billard records and produces. Mountains, streams, forests, streets and roads are the source material. Marc then transforms the imagery in production, and adds an original soundtrack. We think of the finished productions as “alchemized nature films”. No AI is involved!
The photos below are examples of some of the source material.
These photos are of Marc Billard using his 360 camera with a selfie stick and also his mobile phone camera to record in the mountains of Colorado. (along Peak to Peak Highway and the St. Vrain River):
One of the videos shown at Lumonics Immersed, Mountain Meditation 3 by Marc Billard,was accepted in the upcoming Tilting West: Defining A New Legacy Exhibition at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. The exhibit opens June 3 and ends on August 23, 2026. We hope you can see the exhibit. Here is an excerpt:
The music is a collaboration of Dorothy Tanner and Marc Billard (Tanner/Billard) that began in 1994 and ended upon Dorothy’s passing in 2020. Marc continues to produce music (and visuals) for Lumonics Immersed. The songs are produced using sound samples of instruments and voices from around the world, keyboards, and also can include some of Dorothy’s spoken word (Cosmic Rap).
2 comments
How do you (or did, in the past) create the freshest most exhilarating air, in the venue, to accompany the visual and the sound. I have not forgotten how exhilarating the combination of all was. To breathe, see and hear what you created was perfection!
Author
Hi Sheila! Dorothy’s favorite spray was Zum Mist Frankincense and Myrhh.