SFCINEMATHEQUE

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Saturday, April 19, 2014, 12:00 am

Behind the Screens: Deconstructing the Joshua Light Show

Workshop with Joshua White in person

THE KANBAR FORUM, THE EXPLORATORIUM

Piers 15/17

San Francisco, CA 94111-1456





presented in association with Cinema Arts at The Exploratorium

Note: This all-day workshop, from 11am–5pm will include a break for lunch (meals not provided).
Admission: Included with museum admission ($20 for Bay Area residents!).
To RSVP, contact cinemaarts@exploratorium.edu.
More information can be found here.

The Joshua Light Show, innovators of the light show and based in New York City, will present a day-long workshop providing a rare, in-depth glimpse into their creative process. Hosted by Joshua Light Show founder, Joshua White, the workshop will begin with a talk about the development of light shows and the Joshua Light Shows position in that history. Following this talk, Joshua and artists from the Light Show company will break their work down, providing a close look at each of the parts of the show, which together create the immersive light environment for which the Joshua Light Show is known.  Guests will have the chance to participate in hands-on play under the watch of the artists, and special guests are expected.


Go behind the scenes to learn the fascinating history and techniques of the legendary Joshua Light Show in this unique, all-day workshop.


Since light shows first appeared in late ’60s-era Bay Area ballrooms, improvised light performances have become integral to the live music experience. In this workshop, Joshua Light Show founder Joshua White and his collaborators Ana Matronic, Brock Monroe, Dennis Keefe, and Briged Smith will give the history of the art form and share the secrets to their trade—providing detailed demonstrations and deconstructions of each lighting element. Throughout the day they’ll invite hands-on experimentation with everything from liquid gels and mirrors to digital techniques.


Immersive and improvisational, the visually striking performances of the New York City–based Joshua Light Show are unlike any other cinematic experience. Cinema Arts is honored to host their first-ever, intensive public workshop. To attend, please send an RSVP to cinemaarts@exploratorium.edu.


Trained by pioneering Bay Area light show artists in the mid-’60s, Joshua White established the Joshua Light Show in 1967. Considered the essential and trailblazing artists of the genre, Joshua and his team served as Artists-in-Residence at the Fillmore East, where their innovative manipulations of light accompanied major artists of the era (The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, etc.).


In the early 2000s, a group of artists worked with Joshua to reimagine the light show, combining his traditional methods with innovative video and digital manipulations and introducing the light show to the art world. This new iteration of the Joshua Light Show is a collective of more than 10 collaborators who have performed at a variety of institutions, including London's Barbican Centre, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Mondavi Center.


(text from The Exploratorium)