Jackie Cassen and Rudi Stern,

Theatre Of Light

Personnel:

Rudi Stern (30/11/1936 - 15/08/2006)
Jackie Cassen (1935-2010)

The roots of Rudi Stern's Theater of Light go back to 1964 when he met Jackie Cassen and she introduced him to Timothy Leary.

Jackie Cassen had been experimenting with projections even earlier (1962).

Rudi and Jackie then spent the next five years together working on Light Shows which evolved into projections for Timothy Leary's 'Psychedelic Celebration Number One' in 1965/1966 at the Village East Theater and also on the Trips Festival.

Later they ran installations at The Electric Circus in the East Village area of New York (Rudi Stern's Theater of Light).

(Soon afterwards Andy Warhol sublet the Electric Circus renaming it The Exploding Plastic Inevitable. The Velvet Underground's Exploding Plastic Inevitable Light Show being designed by managed by Danny Williams until his sudden disappearance in 1966).

In a 1999 Interview with Davidson Gigliotti it appears that Rudi Stern met John Massara of Exploding Spectrum as he describes :

"....wonderful guy doing interesting stuff with liquids in Garnerville, New York, an English guy, English guy. His wife is still around. He also was involved with the Cheetah. He also brought his liquid gizmo, a chamber, and he squirted inks into it...."

 

See also D.M.T, a 16mm movie first shown in Spring 1966 at the Bridge Theater in New York featuring slides by Jackie Cassen and Rudi Stern.

December 9th and 10th 1966 El Monte Legion Stadium, Los Angeles, California

Timothy Leary's Hitchcock Estate, Millbrook, New York, 1966 (Left - Jackie Cassen, Right - Rudi Stern)

December 14, 1967 to January 13, 1968