Ivan Dryer
Encyclopedia
Ivan Dryer is generally considered to be the father of the commercial laser light show
Laser lighting display
A laser lighting display or laser light show involves the use of laser light to entertain an audience. A laser light show may consist only of projected laser beams set to music, or may accompany another form of entertainment, typically a dance concert or other musical performance.Laser light is...

 industry. He is the founder of the world's first continuously running laser entertainment known as Laserium.

Dryer was a filmmaker in the early 1970s. On one project, he worked with Dr. Elsa Garmire, a California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...

 physicist interested in laser light art. (She had previously worked with other artists on special event laser shows.) Dryer was disappointed because the resulting film, Laser Image, did not have the pure colors and shimmer of laser light. Dryer realized that it was possible only to capture the special beauty of laser light by using the light itself, not in film or video form.

Dryer had the idea of bringing the Caltech laser to Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory is in Los Angeles, California, United States. Sitting on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood in L.A.'s Griffith Park, it commands a view of the Los Angeles Basin, including downtown Los Angeles to the southeast, Hollywood to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest...

. He, Garmire and Dale Pelton formed Laser Images, Inc. to create planetarium laser shows.

The first Laserium show opened to the public on November 19, 1973. It is thought to be the first on-going laser show that was not part of a special or one-time event. The Laserium shows inspired other companies and individuals to create laser shows and displays. Laser imagery spread from planetariums to become more common at other venues such as concerts and corporate shows.

Laserium shows went on to be played in 46 cities worldwide, and were viewed by over 20 million people. According to the company, Laserium was the longest running theatrical attraction in the history of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. The Los Angeles show continued until 2002, a run of 28 years. Laserium continues today in special events and on tour.

In 1989, Dryer received the first ILDA Career Achievement Award from the International Laser Display Association
International Laser Display Association
The International Laser Display Association is the worldwide non-profit trade association dedicated to advancing the use of laser displays in art, entertainment and education. It was founded in August 1986...

. Dryer's company Laser Images won 43 ILDA Awards for artistic and technical excellence, in the years between 1988 and 2000.

Dryer also served as ILDA's president from November 1990 to November 1992.

External links

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