Wheels of Light – Designs for British Light Shows 1970–1990 – Kevin Foakes
Wheels of Light: Designs for British Light Shows 1970–1990 / ISBN 9781909829206 / 176-page hardback, 6.4 x 8.7 inches, published in 2023 by Four Corners Books (UK)
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An intimate history of the lost art of the psychedelic light show
The latest volume in Four Corners’ Irregulars series on forgotten and fascinating subcultures of British visual history, Wheels of Light charts the history of light-show art in Britain from the 1970s on. Emerging from avant-garde art performances of the 1960s, light shows became an ultra-hip accompaniment at gigs and clubs in the 1970s. Swirling colored oils and kaleidoscopic patterns were projected across bands and venues, while 360-degree painted “panorama wheels” would slowly rotate in projectors, showing only a section of the image at any one time. This book brings together images and the panorama wheels made by key projection companies that sprang up in the UK during this time, including Optikinetics, Pluto and Orion, and tells their story.
