Laser Artists Honor Alice Coltrane's Legacy in Hammer Museum Exhibit

Author: Gabrielle Camassar; Contributor: Zak Forrest

Artists Nicole Miller and Zak Forrest are bringing abstract laser art to Hammer Museum’s recent exhibition “Alice Coltrane, Monument Eternal,” which is inspired by the life of jazz musician and devotional leader Alice Coltrane. The exhibit consists of a variety of visual arts and artists, and runs from February 9–May 4, 2025 in Los Angeles. The exhibition is part of a larger initiative called “The Year of Alice," and in partnership with the John & Alice Coltrane Home.

Behind-the-scenes shot from Forrest's testing at our studio in Laurel, MD

Forrest recently visited our studio to test and tune the cues he designed, to make sure the colors, sizing, and timing of each look matched what they wanted it to look like once it reached the Hammer Museum at UCLA. The show is made up of mesmerizing abstracts as well as words and phrases Miller drew from Coltrane’s Vedic star chart, which morph between each other. Some of these mantras include “Venusian disruptive body”, “a body made of words”, and “Turiya,” being the Hindu term for religious teacher, a name which Coltrane adopted after she transitioned to a Hindu spiritual path and founded an ashram. 

Photo courtesy of Zak Forrest and Hammer Museum

These words traced with laser, coupled with abstract shapes, created a unique display. The references to the chart are kept oblique, Miller said, out of respect: “I wanted to figure out a way to honor her instead of mining from her."

Photo courtesy of Zak Forrest and Hammer Museum

Forrest used a single Skywriter M-2 and the ILDAC32 WAV player to play the show, which is somewhat unusual, as the ILDAC32 is more often used for test patterns, lumia, static beams, and animations. “The show was built using QuickShow to generate the mantra as text and then it was run through analog modular synthesizers to generate all the mutations and abstracts,” Forrest told us. 

Forrest chose the ILDAC32 for its simplicity and easy installation. “I liked its form factor and turn-key design. With the LA fires preventing my presence, the ILDAC32 enabled me to provide the museum with a plug-and-play setup,” Forrest said.

You can view a snippet of the exhibit here, courtesy of Zak Forrest and Hammer Museum.

Forrest, who has worked with Miller on laser installations in the past, was excited to collaborate again to help bring this exhibition to life. The unique look of laser light combined with Forrest’s knowledge of abstract laser shows ensured that Miller’s contribution to this exhibit was both successful and impactful.