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In the fall of 1964, he began working with light - electricity. He experimented with kinetic materials, and built a 4' x 6' light mural "programmed" to operate indefinitely. This piece was installed at the RED DOG SALOON in Virginia City, Nevada. ".. the first S.F. psychedelic light and rock 'n roll show.'' The main focus of his work, however, turned to the possibility of "painting" directly with projection. The transparent overhead projector provided a projection system uniquely suitable. Working in his studio with live and recorded sound, Ham developed a technique of spontaneous projection painting (electric action painting) involving simultaneous composition - execution - and presentation. Ham's utilization of electricity for the action painter's method of spontaneous composition and execution, introduced several relatively revolutionary elements, including the final step in the abandonment of not only the easel, but the canvas as well. Electric action painting, true to nature itself, ceased to be a "frozen" moment or "finished" object, and became a series of uninterrupted projected imagery existing only during the time of projection. The "act" of painting and "the " painting , now existed simultaneously. This unusual quality of momentariness and impermanence required a new painter - viewer relationship. Viewer "participation" for such a "present tense" art, suggested attendance not only for occasional public presentations, but during studio "sessions" as well. As one cannot rehearse spontaneity, the studio sessions have never been related to as "rehearsals", rather as "shared" experience. Following months of studio work, in January, 1966, Ham presented three weeks of electric action painting performances in San Francisco. Asisted by Robert Fine with music by William Spencer and Oscar Daniels. Of these performances, Alfred Frankenstein, San Francisco Chronicle Jan. 1966, said: "Saturday night... Ham demonstrated the latest and one of the most successful of the numerous efforts which have been made to add the dynamic of motion to abstract painting. What I like most about Ham's method is that is is the artist's hands at all times. It is a performance. It is action painting that ceases with the action... " Philip Elwood, SF Examiner, January 1966: "Instant art... this is a remarkable happening; a brilliant and beautiful collection of instants which become a whole, like a series of exquisite.. solo choruses. Each individual must gain something by the experience: it is like a living active Rorschach." The Family Dog Avalon Ballroom
Light Sound Dimension
In February, 1967, Light Sound Dimension made its first public appearance at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Alfred Frankenstein, San Francisco Chronicle, February, 1967: "... exciting experiment in light and sound ... The technique is highly improvisational ... still... the typical composition created on the screen with six or eight projectors Friday night clung as faithfully to principles of abstract form as any carefully premeditated painting... no obvious effort was made to synchronize visual and aural effect but no such effort was needed. The two always go together no matter what."
R. A. Ogar, Berkeley Barb, Aughust 11, 1967: "New era for light and sound ... describing the total effect is impossible... perhaps the most amazing feature of Light Sound Dimension - given its formal structure - is the fact that the entire performance is improvised and spontaneous. Nothing is prearranged... It's all sheer genius." Philip Elwood, San Francisco Exmaniner, October 20, 1967: "Overwhelming dimension.. the recent Light Sound Dimension offerings in ...Live Oak Park Theatre were the most satisfying presentations in the all-senses field of expression this reviewer has ever experienced."
THE LIGHT SOUND DIMENSION THEATER Alfred Frankenstein, San Francisco Chronicle: "Unique work in light and sound... visually the show is very complex and difficult to describe; all one can really say is that the visual effects grow and at the same time grow on you: the whole thing has a living , proliferating quality because it is entirely improvised as it develops to the sound of music... light and sound improvise together for an hour at each showing. No one hour is ever like another. And there is probably no theatre like this one anywhere else on earth." T. Albright, San Francisco Chronicle: "In the course of 45 minutes or so Ham and his assistants... fill the screen with more visually splendid tableaux than one is likely to see spending a day touring a dozen art galleries." Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner, January 15, 1969: "Still the best light show... in the ensuing 36 months since this writer first reviewed Ham's screened improvisations, a staggering amount of music-and-light combinations have gone down... yet in returning, once again, to the L-S-D in their own little theatre at 1572 California, I was taken further out on a more refreshing, boldly imaginative light-sound than I've ever gotten from the more traditional psychedelica that surrounds us... Ham's wall-to-wall art projected visuals are utterly unique." After the close of the Light Sound Dimension Theatre in 1969, Ham designed and constructed a multimedia studio for continued light sound experimentation. The development of this new light art has required a parallel development of space for research and "practice". Since 1965, Ham has designed and constructed several studios as well as the Light Sound Dimension Theatre. They have provide an important laboratory space for the technical developments necessary, as well as the opportunity for sustained practice, and an important laboratory space for the technical developments necessary, as well as the opportunity for such an impermanent "one time" art form. Studio sessions prior to the Museum show were described by Ralph Gleason, Philip Elwood and others. Philip Elmwood: "The trio is rehearsing nightly for a San Francisco Museum of Modern Art series, which promises to be spectacular to eye and ear... the performance cannot be described with words... Even the practice sessions generate such complex sensual reaction that emotional readjustment is necessary when the house light comes on." Ralph Gleason: "... the images are remarkable in their diversification ... accompanied by the improvised music which at times reaches the intensity of a cosmic upheaval... It is an amazing experience and should be impressive at the Museum." Paul Williams, Crawdaddy, March, 1967, New York: "Light Sound Dimension, the first really tight mixed media group I know of ... light and sound really work together; and no matter how familiar you are with the best the Filmore has to offer, you'll agree that Ham and Light Sound Dimension are on another level altogether... Their impact on the arts should be tremendous." EUROPE Claude Maigre, Journal de Geneve, 10.7.71: "Power to one's imagination... resting on the properties of the overhead projector, the light show goes beyond the anecdote aspect of a pseudo-scientific gimmick, to enrich painting with a new media... truly continuous creation... no less than a dynamic form of painting, an instantaneous painting, infinitely perishable... the attention ;quality' of the spectators, mostly young, testifies to the power (attraction)." Annecy Action Culturelle December, 1972: "Music to listen to With Your Eyes." SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
Although Ham's work shares certain common qualities with other light art, it is distinguished by certain unusual accomplishments, His dedications to the improvisational "action painter" method of working, has been demonstrated for more than 35 years, in spontaneous performances of electric action painting of rare beauty and compelling power. His unusual ability to spontaneously "compose" abstract visual projections into an "organized" structured form, distinguish his work from most of the other multimedia light show events. Bill Ham has pioneered the "Age of Light Painting".
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® Bill Ham 2001-2009 |
Following these performances, Light Sound Dimension continued studio work with occasional concert appearances, and a six week summer series in Berkeley's Live Oak Park Theatre.
In September, 1970, Ham traveled to Europe where he lived for the next three years in the French Alps near Lake Geneva. He met Sophie Houdet who began to assist Bill with the light show. Bill constructed his studio in Sophie's Alps Barn and there, was joined in studio work by the French jazz group XTET. Bill and Sophie's first daughter Tara was born in November 1971. Bill presented a performance of Electric Action painting at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris with tapes of the Light Sound Dimension music in February, 1971, and a special series of performances for one week later that year in Montreux, Switzerland with the Light sound dimension musicians from San Francisco, including Marshall and Granelli. In addition, to other presentations with tapes, he presented performances with several European jazz groups and expatriate U.S. jazz musicians including, Steve Lacy, Oliver Johnson and others (City University Paris, Bordeaux Sigma Festival, Houses of Culture in France and Switzerland, Nancy Jazz Festival, etc.).
