LUMENAURA ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: MIKE GOULD – DANCES WITH LASERS
DANCES WITH LASERS AT LUMENAURA is an exciting, interactive installation that transforms the night with stunning laser displays synchronized to music and dance. Visitors are invited to bring their best moves and gaze upwards in awe at the sprawling projection as they dance this monumental spectacle to life! Artist, Mike Gould, is known nationally for his innovative laser installations. Fascinated by the convergence of art and science, Gould draws immense inspiration from the vibrant community and the joy that his work ignites. Please join the fun during LUMENAURA’s Festival Weekend and take part in creating the magic! (Gould’s “Dances with Lasers” interactive installation is hosted by Waubonsee Community College 18 S. River St., Aurora during LUMENAURA Fest Weekend, October 11-13!)
Artist Statement My artistic focus has always been concentrated on the interplay of art and technology: primarily the interaction between the audience and light. I try to raise light to its purest level, illuminating our world in novel ways to inspire and awe the beholder. And what better way to condense the perfection of light than by using lasers - monochromatic until combined, linear until artistically altered, coherent until molded by the esthetic enterprise? A purity of color, a movement of line and form, a brightness to rival the natural noon; that is my direction.
Mike Gould is a Michigan-based laser, graphics, video and electronics artist. He was born and has spent most of his life in Ann Arbor. In addition to his laser activities, Mike works as a commercial photographer. Mike has been working with lasers, electro-optic components and industrial design for several years. Previously, along with his Illuminatus Lightshow troupe, Mike has designed, created, and presented laser art for thousands of people attending events at leading Michigan hotels. These include the Marriott Hotel in Grand Rapids, the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, and the Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit. He as also presented at events including Ann Arbor’s FoolMoon, Detroit’s DLECTRICITY and light festivals in Scottsdale, AZ and Napa, CA. He had a 3-month installation at the MOXI Museum in Santa Barbara, CA and an appearance at Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM. In 2018 he and his gear flew to Salt Lake City, UT, to provide laser effects for the movie Hereditary.
As principal designer/builder/artist with Illuminatus, Mike has assembled, inspired and motivated an experienced crew with talent in electrical engineering, machining, software, lawyering, business, and optics. Illuminatus is a familiar sight at Detroit and other Maker Faires, where the artist and crew demonstrate and explain laser technology.
International Laser Display Association Awards
2023 Artistic Award: Laser Fine Art, Atlantic Beach, NC
2022 Artistic Award: Laser Fine Art, Dartford, England
2019 Fenning Award for Technical Achievement, ILDA Conference, Orlando, FL
2017 Artistic Award: Laser Fine Art, ILDA Conference, Bratislava, Slovakia
2016 Artistic Award: Edited Video, ILDA Conference, Baltimore, MD
2012 Artistic Award: Most Innovative Application, ILDA Conference, Alan, Germany
Selected Projects & Exhibitions
2024 Human Beams Michigan Theater, Jackson, MI
2023 Laser Borealis Albuquerque Balloon Museum, Albuquerque, NM
2022 Human Beams Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Ann Arbor, MI
2021 Lumia ypsiGLOW, Ypsilanti, MI
2021 DLECTRICITY Michigan Science Center, Detroit, MI
2021 MOXI The Wolf Museum, Santa Barbara, CA
2020 Lunchboxing with Lasers Napa Lighted Art Festival, Napa, CA
2019 Soleri, So Laser Canal Convergence Water+Light+Art, Scottsdale, AZ
2019 Dances with Lasers Hurst Planetarium, Jackson, MI
2019 Lunchboxing with Lasers FoolMoon Art Celebration, Ann Arbor, MI
2018 Lasing Nang Talung Olbrich Botanical Gardens, GLEAM Festival, Madison, WI
2018 Special Laser Effects Film: Hereditary (Ari Aster, writer/director)
2014 Edifice Re-Edification FoolMoon Art Celebration, Ann Arbor, MI
2013 Halftime Show Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI
2012 Stratus 10 ArtPrize, Grand Rapids MI