Projektor Pearson

I mostly misted out on the first era of late 60´s light shows that I´d read about in the UK´s music press, but I did get to see Country Joe & the Fish with a “wet slide” show.

At the time I knew nothing about any of the artists names so I couldn´t at first say who influenced me.

I can now say that the cut out patterns on the cover of “Electric music for the mind and body” showed me a way to make slides.

I´ve since learned that was the work of The Union Light Company. Also later found out that the grid mesh and hole punched in coloured foil slides I made were pre dated by Andy Warhol´s Plastic Exploding Inevitable light show.

Through most of the 90´s I was the deco artist at a large German warehouse style discotheque.

A couple of visiting artist/teams :- Art 4 U and Bamboolight were projecting on revolving screens etc etc and this kinda inspired me to use more projection techniques.

Later around 2005 I formed Projektor Pearson, an English eccentric illuminator, sole operator of “Licht om” psychedelic`n´analogue Light Show and through “Flowers & Garbage” a psych/prog/glam music program on a local radio station I got myself invited to do the Light Show at the first Moonhead Happening run by the 60´s & 70´s re-release label World In Sound.

Soon after Jazzrock band Karmic Society asked me to be their 5th band member. I also toured with Treacle People and amongst others did many shows for Loxley Beade, Space Debris, Buddha Sentenza and a couple of times for Doors cover band Love Street.

I´ve illuminated The Moonhead Happening, Hamm Open Air Festival, Kosmodrom, Beatfabrik, Maifeld Derby and several two to three day festivals:

• 8 times Mannheimer Brückenaward
• 9 times Mannheimer Winteraward
• 3 times PSI Rock festival
• 6 times PsyKA festival

Pandemic permitting I would like to continue the festival scene in future.

I´ve been fortunate to have a couple of enlightened ladies assist me over the years. Anna Rika and at present Liquid Lisa Egger.

I started with 4 various flea market/thrift store 150 watt slide projectors. 2 on self made “lazy susans” to pan left and right (a misconception seeing Bamboo slowly changing a slide, thinking the projector was on a turntable) with 2 hand operated colour wheels (don´t know if anyone else has used this “scratchin´” with light effect before?).

The other 2 were stacked one on top of the other with pos, & neg. slides focused on the same ground with a motorized colour wheel to animate the image.

My first projection stand was a black & white striped ironing board.

Soon adding Leitz 250 watt brighter projectors to split beam with plain glass plate forming mirror images or heat up liquid slides. Peter Peterson donated a couple of Martin mania oil wheel projectors plus an Aldis Tutor II.

Another local club goer friend gave me 2 Liesegang Trainer 400 overheads to add to the 2 flea market finds, plus extra lamps. Lastly a large format slide projector that can rotate it´s gate.

Tell tale time :- In the mid 70´s I built an eight foot high pyramid light contraption that contained coloured light bulbs with simple switching devices and hanging mobile to create shadows on the triangular sides. It was used successfully at a couple of outdoor events.

Then a friend going by the name David id who was Gong´s road manager/sound technician suggested it should be placed on stage when they performed at London´s Rainbow Theatre.

Unfortunately the theatre´s stage manager deemed it a fire hazard (I must admit the wiring was a bit dodgy) and cut the plug off. A strobe light was placed inside instead so the big white pyramid didn´t look too much out off place.

Sadly it was never to be seen again and my daze as a stage lighting designer were abruptly cut short, ...until the second half of the first decade of the next century.

Keith Pearson - May 2019 (Updated February 2021)

Projekt FX3 @PsyKa 2019 / Karlsruhe

Projekt FX3 @PsyKa 2019 / Karlsruhe

Projekt FX3 @PsyKa 2019 / Karlsruhe

Projekt FX3 @PsyKa 2019 / Karlsruhe

Projekt FX3 @PsyKa 2019 / Karlsruhe