Prometheus

Prometheus research institute (SKB Prometei) was founded by Bulat M. Galeyev in 1962 in Kazan, Soviet Union. Began as an amateur student construction department and later became the joint research institute "Prometheus" of A.N. Tupolev State Technical University of Kazan and Tatarstan Academy of Sciences. The group combined kinetic electric light art with music. It developed several music-light instruments, including Prometheus-1 (1962; used to conduct the first in USSR performance of Scriabin's "Prometheus", including lighting part in author's transcription)^[1], Prometheus-2 (1963); in 1963-1964 used to perform visuals to the music by A.N.Scriabin, M.P.Musorgsky, N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov, I.F.Stravinsky, F.Z.Yarullin)^[2], Crystall (1966; during 1966-1970 used to perform visuals to the compositions Dark Flame by A.N.Scriabin, The Structures by P.Boulez, The Tears by A.Nemtin, The Firework by K.Debussy)^[3], and Prometheus-3^[4]. In their public performances the motion and the colour of projected light images were manually controlled in an attempt to correlate them with either the individual qualities or the themes or with both of these aspects of music. The group believes that the manual control of kinetic images to obtain such correlations offers more hope for this type of artistic medium than audio-kinetic art using electronic and electro-mechanical devices to control the correlations automatically. The Group organizes periodic All-Soviet Union Conferences on 'Light and Music' (third was held from 27 June to 4 July 1975 at Kazan)^[5]. Their work include light concerts, light-music films, light-music videos, light architecture, applied light-music, applied light-music, spatial music, slide and music films, laser experiments, computer art experiments, and video art experiments^[6].

Works

fragment from the concert using Crystall

fragment from the concert using Prometheus-2

Crimson Chime installation in Spasskaya Tower of Kazan Citadel, 1967

The system of dynamical lighting of Kazan Circus, 1968

fragment from the light-music film Eternal Movement, 1969

The light-musical panel Singing Cosmos, 1970

fragment from the light-music film Space Sonata, 1981

fragment from the light-music video The Temple (in the kitsch-style), 1989

fragment from the light-music video Dance of Vertical Lines, 1990

Collective self-portrait of Prometei institute, 1994

Russians Leave Europe, video installation, 1995

Electronic Court, video installation

Electronic Grimases in the Magnetic Field, video installation

TV Set Playing the Piano, video installation

The Op Art of Video Art, video installation

A.Jusfin and E.Bigushewa performing on Prometheus-1
Debussy's Fireworks played on Kristall
still from the light-music film Prometheus, 1965-66
still from the light-music film Eternal Movement, 1969
The Electronic Painter, installation based on conventional color TV set, 1975-80
still from the light-music film The Small Triptych, 1975
still from the light-music film Space Sonata, 1981
Spatial Music installation
Control panel of Prometheus-3
Light composition using Prometheus-3, 1987