Where's Water? At The Barrymore Theatre!

Welcome to Madison Water Utility’s WHERE’S WATER? feature!

Remember when Public Television’s Mr. Rogers would visit the people in his neighborhood to learn what they did for a living or the arts and crafts they made? Those visits and the conversations they created were pure magic in their ability to make new links between our inner world at home and the world around us.

We hope WHERE’S WATER? will make some of those same genuine connections between the water our Madison Water Utility sources from our underground aquifer and how the citizens of Madison are using that resource in their everyday lives—from the practical to the extraordinary!

This month, we’re making our first WHERE’S WATER? stop at the Barrymore Theatre. Next month, join us as we learn how friends of all feathers enjoy water at the Henry Vilas Zoo.

Where’s Water? At the Barrymore Theatre!

It was one more Saturday night in Madison and all across the city any number of fantastic musical acts could be found crafting their art. Madison is so very fortunate to have one of the best music scenes in the Midwest thanks to the tireless work and talent of the musicians, venues, and promoters.

On this particular Saturday, Jed and Company, a relatively new-to-the-scene Grateful Dead cover band, was ready to jam out for three full sets at the historic Barrymore Theatre on Atwood Avenue. And the people were, too. Over 450 Deadheads came ready to travel back to what felt like the Barrymore days of old while grooving to some of their favorite gems like, “Shakedown Street” and “Eyes of the World.”

There was dancing, and electric guitar riffs, and most notably catching the eye behind the band, a drop-down screen featuring ever-changing otherworldly swirls and bubbles reminiscent of a lava lamp that perfectly undulated to the pulse of the music.

I knew at once this must be water at work!

At the first set break I made my way to the balcony to find the source of the backdrop magic. There I met Marcus Johan. Marcus DJs “The Good Kind” show for The Voice of Monona, WVMO, 98.7 FM. And somewhere along the line he decided to teach himself how the craft of old school liquid light shows.

Johan’s production, “Cosmic Flights Liquid Lights,” is the sort of thing they used to use to light bands at the height of the 1960s and 70s psychedelic rock scene. Bands like Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and of course, the Grateful Dead.

Using four old-school projectors he picked up from a liquidation sale at the administration offices of the old Sears Roebuck in Chicago, he runs their light through shallow glass plates filled with tap water, mineral oil, and dyes. Shifting the plates like a DJ spins a record, Johan fractures the bowl’s contents into unique ever-changing compositions.

It truly is science meets art in all the best ways. Science in that this process works because water and oil don’t mix, therefore allowing for unique shapes within the creation to playfully move about one another without combining.

And art for the way in which their creator simultaneously runs four projectors at once, subtly increasing the intensity of the visuals as the evening, the music, and the experience of the attendees crescendos into one whole-house vibe.

So the next time you find yourself enjoying music in Madison and notice the backdrop bubbling away, take a closer look, it may just be water at work, keeping dancers and musicians hydrated and happy. 

LEARN MORE

• See photos & videos of Marcus Johan’s light show on Instagram: cosmic_flights_liquid_lights
• Learn how to make a liquid light show on YOUTUBE. Search: “Liquid Light Show Tutorials”
• Discover the history & present of Madison’s Barrymore Theatre: www.barrymorelive.com
   

Written by Jody Berndt, Madison Water Utility