|
Athens Olympic Meteor
|
|
|
About the |
 Mitch Benoff has been working with light as an art and entertainment medium for over 30 years. He began this work at the M.I.T. Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS), while a student. At first working with lasers, he created an interactive laser set for dance and eventually created laser lighting displays for clients ranging from Universal Studios to the music group Chicago. At the the CAVS, he began working for renowned artist Otto Piene, who became Director of the Center. Together they won two international competitions and have three permanent installations (Konstance, Munich, and Honolulu). These pieces primarily featured high quality prismatic glass employed on an architectural scale. Benoff was also a co-creator, with his then MIT teacher Ed Allen, of an 8-page feature article in the July, 1972 issue of ESQUIRE magazine, presenting a redesign of the Boeing 747 interior, featuring a "planetarium with real stars", a large "theater" for viewing the landscape below, and on-board computer stations in the pre-laptop era. Since 1993, he has concentrated his work on variations of his breakthrough light sculpture insallation "Speed of the Earth", which has been presented in 10 public settings. His most recent installation was the 400 foot long Athens Olympic Meteor, which rocketed up Mt. Lycabettus, the tallest hill in Athens, during the 2004 Olympics. The piece was commissioned through an international competition by the city of Athens and the Olympic committee. Benoff is also a musician, record producer, and a Professor at Berklee College of Music, where he teaches Music Production. Benoff holds a BA from Brandeis University and MSVisS from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He can be contacted at info@speedoftheearth.com |