Ian Charnas & Tesla Orchestra

by admin on June 9, 2009

Boltz

Description: With a tall aerial installed in Star Plaza, Charnas will transform “lightning bolts” (Tesla coil–generated electrical charges) into musical sounds, played by local rock band KB and the Riptides, while local dancers perform choreography by Jenita McGowan, against the backdrop of neon artwork by Jeff Chiplis.

Kirk Sporck, is the Musical Director of Boltz

From Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture to the Erie Organ at the 2007 Ingenuity Festival, the blending of machinery and performance has always drawn crowds. The Tesla Orchestra is a theatrical performance incorporating a 2-megavolt solid-state Tesla Coil. The Tesla Coil is a tower that emits bolts of lightning, and can be attached to an electronic keyboard and played like a piano. By rapidly expanding the air, the lightning bolts themselves actually produce the music. This performance is made even more impressive by performers dancing with multiple types of neon and fluorescent light tubes, which glow brightly in the presence of the Tesla Coil’s radio waves.

Presented by Case Western Reserve University. Learn more at http://www.teslaorchestra.com/.

Bio/Link: Eight feet tall and able to punch through solid steel, Ian Charnas is a figure of modern times with a tendency to exaggerate. Holding multiple engineering degrees from Case Western Reserve University, Ian does what most engineers do, which is to sit at giant electrical panels and control the world.

Living on an airship he designed himself (and did I mention able to talk to dogs and horses and that really smelly guy on the elevator), there is virtually no ability Ian can’t claim to have. While some might say it’s dangerous to let someone write their own bio, others are too busy pondering his generator powered by laughter. You will laugh at this unbelievable idea, and the lights will glow brighter.. To learn more, go to www.iancharnas.com.

Location: Cleveland