Clavilux
Encyclopedia
Clavilux is the term coined by the artist Thomas Wilfred
to refer to his mechanical invention that allowed the creation and performance of Lumia
, which was Wilfred's term for Light Art.
From Latin
, Clavilux means "Light played by key."
Wilfred built his first Clavilux, Model A from March to May 1919.
While Wilfred intended the term to refer to any device that could be used to perform Lumia, the name Clavilux was not widely adopted by other artists working with light. As such the term is closely associated with Wilfred and his mechanical vocabulary. The only other artist known to have built a Clavilux is W. Chrstian Sidenius, who was an ardent fan and later good friend of Wilfred's. Sidenius built a theatre behind his home to house his Clavilux and host Lumia recitals during the summer months.
Wilfred also built 16 smaller home Clavilux models which he also called "Clavilux Juniors." There are 7 known to be extant, most of which are in private collections.
Two full sized Claviluxii, Model E, (1924) and Model G (1936) were rescued in 2003. http://Clavilux.org [Clavilux.org], a 501(c)3 not for profit has been formed to restore the Model E to working condition and plans on public recitals as soon as the machines are functional.
Thomas Wilfred
Thomas Wilfred born Richard Edgar Løvstrom, was a musician and inventor. He is best known for his visual music he named lumia and his designs for color organs called Clavilux...
to refer to his mechanical invention that allowed the creation and performance of Lumia
Lumia
Lumia is the term coined by 20th Century Artist Thomas Wilfred to refer to art created from light.Lumia as conceived, was a self contained and silent art, not to be combined with music or dance...
, which was Wilfred's term for Light Art.
From Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Clavilux means "Light played by key."
Wilfred built his first Clavilux, Model A from March to May 1919.
While Wilfred intended the term to refer to any device that could be used to perform Lumia, the name Clavilux was not widely adopted by other artists working with light. As such the term is closely associated with Wilfred and his mechanical vocabulary. The only other artist known to have built a Clavilux is W. Chrstian Sidenius, who was an ardent fan and later good friend of Wilfred's. Sidenius built a theatre behind his home to house his Clavilux and host Lumia recitals during the summer months.
Wilfred also built 16 smaller home Clavilux models which he also called "Clavilux Juniors." There are 7 known to be extant, most of which are in private collections.
Two full sized Claviluxii, Model E, (1924) and Model G (1936) were rescued in 2003. http://Clavilux.org [Clavilux.org], a 501(c)3 not for profit has been formed to restore the Model E to working condition and plans on public recitals as soon as the machines are functional.