Cleo Odzer; Oliver Coquelin; John Humen; Cheetah

John Humen, Artist of the Night, Designing with the Light.  * CHEETAH disco NYC *

In the late 1960's, New York City was John Humen's artistic playground.                                                                                                       

John’s good fortune to have all the benefits of a teenage muse, Cleo Odzer, and disco visionary, Olivier Coquelin, presented a creative opportunity to exhibit artworks throughout many of Manhattan’s night life “in-crowd” places.

His most ambitious achievement was the Cleo De Light Machine built into the ceiling of the “new” Cheetah located at 52^nd street and 8^th Avenue.  Covering a massive area of 10,000 square feet that was alive with a gigantic center rotor and four outer rotors illuminated by a multitude of flashing lights, which some believe was the world’s largest indoor light machine of the time.  The lights of the center rotor were controlled through an imbedded program to tell the story of a groupie meeting a lead musician for an encounter with destiny. Photographs are shown below.

The next light exhibit was to be the result of research done with the help of Dr. Robert V. Pole of IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center and J.H. Becker, Manager of Exploratory Device Development for Xerox in Rochester, New York.  Briefly described, an enormous black vinyl “canvas” coated with a “special” liquid crystal formula was laser activated into ever changing colors and shapes of predetermined designs.  Perhaps, the successful prototype was the first controlled Liquid Color Display.  Funding was not available for John to continue with the LCD and he chose to obtain international patents on a “Floating Chamber Machine” that could smoke a cigarette and blow out perfectly formed smoke donuts.  A positive displacement device that could alter volume during operation, with only three moving parts.  Not a gas explosion engine, but, a gas expansion engine utilizing the Sterling cycle.

John’s artistic collaboration with Cleo and Mr. Coquelin continued for years.  John took an accompanying photo of Cleo and Cooky at Oliver’s penthouse, since he was gracious to share his home with his artistic collaborator.  John’s favorite room at the penthouse was the fur wrapped bedroom, which by no coincidence is similar to the rug wrapped mattress room at the Cheetah on the second floor just above the kiddies soda bar.

John, having multi-media 15 minutes of celebrity status, was approached by Allen N. Rodd, Product Manager for the Sawyer’s Slide Projector Division of GAF Corporation to develop an accessory for their slide projectors that would impart motion to still 35 mm slides.  Our young 20s artist, having experience with developing artworks for Technamation Corporation that are animated through polarized vectors and very optics oriented by his collaboration with Norman Rothschild, Senior Editor of Popular Photography Magazine, having done a light effects movie Esthetic Light Won; was, as destiny would have it, already there.   GAF embraced the occasion with a letter that gave the young techknow artist the freedom to glorify their exhibit at the New York City 1969 Photo Expo with the “Light Blender Bender” that enchanted those interested in adding motion to their own personal 35 mm slides without alteration.  GAF is quoted; “…I’m sure we can resolve the financial aspects of this very easily.”

Although New York City was not blacked-out by John’s first lightshow at Steve Paul’s The Scene, The Scene was blacked-out due to technical difficulties, an experience of no light.  Groupies television interviews staring Cleo and Cooky was filmed at The Scene and photographed by artist John Humen, shown below.

As a matter of lifestyle and fashion statement, John drove his world's fastest 1950 production sedan around town, a very sexy looking English vehicle with curves everywhere, yes, a Jaguar.

When 18 year old Bernadette Peters first met John Humen, there seemed to be an existing bond of eternity, a kind of destiny.  They spent time together during Bernadette's off-broadway years.  John was last seen with Bernadette as she left her dressing room to sign autographs, before exiting a Broadway Theater, in 1971, to drive off in her chauffeured limousine, with John at her side.  Years later Bernadette did a television show with a actor that looked, somewhat, like John Humen.

John had his on stage opportunity, at the invitation of world famous Bell Research Laboratories, to perform in a "play", Experiments in Art & Technology, EAT.

Attached are articles, letters, photographs, artworks, etcetera; which are the personal property of 2014 © copyright John Humen with notice hereby established to protect reproduction of any kind.

Cheetah 53rd ART, is a four foot square lacquer air brush canvas of John Humen that was part of his gallery show at the original Cheetah located in Manhattan on 53rd Street.  1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Cleo and Cooky photographed by John Humen at Olivier Coquelin's penthouse in Manhattan.

Cleo and Cooky at a TV interview with Alan Burke, photographed at Steve Paul's The Scene by John Humen as stated within the foregoing text.  1970 (c) copyright John Humen

John Humen spent years with his muse Cleo Odzer. She affectionately called him MILKSHAKES for his drink of choice was a brandy alexander. In later years, they met serindipitously by eternal design.

                Cleo de Light 52nd street, is referenced in the forgoing text.1966 (c) copyright John Humen

World's Largest indoor Light Machine video                                                      1970 (c) copyright John Humen (aka) John 2 Humen.

                    Cleo de Light 52nd street, is referenced in the forgoing text. 1966 (c) copyright John Humen

              1966 (c) copyright John Humen

              Design Cheetah 52nd street soda bar Glow Lights, is an ever changing pattern of colored lights.

                             SHADOW LIGHT SCULPTURE  john humen (c) copyright

NEON LIGHTS SPELL "PEACE" "LOVE" etc

BLEEMER 1969 (c) copyright John Humen

 Light Blender Bender invented by John Humen was an accessory to 35 mm slide projectors to impart motion to 35 mm slides without alteration to the slides. The facing light port was placed in front of the slide projector lenses and the triangular mirror light tunnel (above) would be aimed at a screen to show the motion imparted to the 35 mm slide.  GAF Corporation commissioned John Humen to glorify their exhibit at the 1969 Photo Expo in New York City which resulted as a successful  marketing test.

BELOW is a 2021 copy of my 1969 ABOVE

BELOW 2021

IT took OVER a half century for THEM to find THEIR way.

 Design Cheetah 52nd street soda bar Light Sphere, consists of cube with a rotating light on each of the six sides contained within a sphere attached to the ceiling of the kiddies soda bar. It was a low voltage light show of six Light Spheres. 1966 (c) copyright John Humen

                                                 

Technamation 1, is discussed within the forgoing text.

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Red, Blue, Green individual electronic channels controlled by Silicon Rectifiers, fired by capacitor discharge, allows light blending of each color at various intensities to provide all the colors of the rainbow.  This device is an example of the lighting electronics custom built by light artist John Humen for different lighting effects.  John Humen built most of the light controls at the Cheetah located at 52nd street and 8th avenue.

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Disco art EYElusion, was part of an art exhibit that moved to and from "night spots" within Manhattan.

 GAF, is a letter to artist John Humen acknowledging an agreement with GAF Corporation to exhibit John Humen's artworks and his invention, "Light Blender Bender", at the New York City Photo Expo 1969.

                                      IBM, Dr. Robert V. Pole's letter to John Humen.

Disco artist 1, is John Humen.

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Disco artist 2, is John Humen

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Disco art Salvation Sheriden Square, is a four foot square lacquer air brush canvas that was part of an art exhibition that moved to and from "night spots" within Manhattan.  It was photographed in the Salvation at 1 Sheriden Square.  Jerry Schatzberg was co-owner and girl friend Fay Dunaway was on the Board of Directors. 1966 (c) copyright John Humen

NOT wolferine

 Disco designer John Humen.

                                                         COPYRIGHT (c) John 2 Humen

 Design Technamation 2, is discussed within the forgoing text.

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Disco design Le Drugstore, is a newspaper article showing Mr. Coquelin and an architectural sculpture executed by his artistic collaborator,  John Humen .

 Disco design lights, is a newspaper article noting John Humen added a new light exhibit to the Cheetah which is seen in the photos of the Cleo de Light Machine.  The lights have the form of an eye and at the center is a round rear projection screen of ever changing images.

POP photo, is a letter to John Humen from Popular Photography Magazine, Senior Editor, Norman Rothschild referencing their collaboration on a motion picture project and the Cheetah.

Disco design Museum, is a newspaper article which quotes light artist John Humen; "an experience of light, bringing a museum to the mass public."

BUCKINEAR

Xerox, acknowledges light artist, John Humen, was involved with various researchers at the Xerox Corporate Exploratory Development Laboratory and was given a working knowledge of the chemistry required for the implementation of "Liquid Crystals" to change color with temperature.

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Scene design, is self explanatory.

1966 (c) copyright John Humen

Scene, Hendrix, Cooky, is a self explanatory double exposure.

 Cleo and Cooky at Olivier Coquelin's penthouse in Manhattan photographed by John Humen

 Olivier Coquelin's penthouse in Manhattan, photographed by John Humen, of Cleo and Cooky and "the groupies" album on stairway to fur covered bedroom.

Cleo and Cooky at Olivier Coquelin's penthouse in Manhattan photographed by John Humen

         A four foot square LUMIA at Cheetah designed by John Humen 1966 (c) copyright John Humen.                                                                         www.lumia-wilfred.org

                          Floating Chamber Machine Light Effects 1966 (c) copyright John Humen

                                   Teddy the SCENE manager 1966 (c) copyright John Humen

 four foot square canvas at 53rd street Cheetah 1966 (c) copyright John Humen

 Bleemer trademark for slide projector accessory invented by John Humen that adds motion to still slides.

                         Jaguar MKV, 1950 worlds fastest production sedan owned by John Humen.

                          1950 MKV Jaguar and John Humen, Blonde Bonding with Black Beard
                                                       John Humen1965 (c) copyright

            Manhattan, on the town, Jaguar MKV Cleo, Cooky, and JohnHumen 1968 (c) copyright

for COOKY: he ain't just whistling dixie!  GREAT TIMES
from: cleo's MILKSHAKES to you.   GREAT TIMES
Thanks to the fantastic humor of Alan Burke, TV host, their all smiles.

                                 

Double exposure with John Humen's four foot square canvas at Cheetah 53rd street

 private suite and private guest Cleo and Cooky
photograph taken by John Humen

 SALSA creation at the CHEETAH

Our Latin Thing (video trailer) shows Cleo de Light Machine, designed and built by John 2 Humen, in operation, at the Cheetah disco.

Our Latin Thing (video clip)

Scott Muni's "Rolling Stone" exhibits John Humen's painting that was moved to the "Salvation" location at 1 Sheridan Square as requested by Feye Dunaway.