Columbus native returns with COSI show
At just 15, Michael Saul shot one of his first films in the “Street of Yesteryear” exhibit at COSI, when it was located in the old Memorial Hall building on East Broad Street.
Now 63, the East Side native has brought a film that he directed to the science museum’s planetarium.
“Mesmerica 360” is a fully immersive music-and-art cinematic projection show, created specifically for planetariums and giant-screen theaters. The hourlong experience features the music of percussionist James Hood (The Pretenders) set to moving images created by dozens of artists from across the globe, all under the direction of Saul, who attended the Columbus College of Art & Design for film and animation in the early 1980s.
“For me, it’s come full circle — having that experience of going (to COSI) as a kid and now bringing my show to the planetarium,” said Saul, who lives in Los Angeles but is in town through Tuesday, visiting to ensure the show kicked off on Friday without a hitch.
“Mesmerica,” which originally premiered in Los Angeles last year, essentially sold out its first 12 screenings at COSI, but more dates in August are expected to be added. Columbus is one of more than a dozen cities to host the experience.
The brainchild of Hood,
“Mesmerica” seeks to allow viewers to disconnect and not think for 60 minutes as they watch kaleidoscopic designs, rolling clouds, space scenes, geometric shapes and other artwork. The film is set to Hood’s music, which centers on the PANART Hang, a tuned metal drum.
“What we wanted to do was try to help people get rid Michael Saul
of all the negative feelings and let go,” Saul said. “We want the show to instill happiness in them, and hopefully they will find something in it that raises their spirits and makes them feel better about themselves for at least an hour.”
Saul said he enjoyed working on the project because it allowed him to explore a new medium — the planetarium — which challenged him technically and from a perception standpoint.
“You have to make sure not
to make people queasy,” he said with a laugh.
With the positive response here in Columbus and elsewhere, it seems he has succeeded in not giving people a stomachache.
“People are interested in seeing something different, unique and artistic,” Saul said, “but they also want to disconnect from everything and go inside themselves for a while.”