His continued experimentation and further development of his work in glass, as a contemporary iconographic light artform, eventually transformed into computer aided art and bridged the senses of sight and sound.

In 1986, his first applications of this immerging creative style met with the public as a sound and light installation entitled The Underground Cathedral. This life-committed project has evolved, over more than a decade, to include live and electronic performance of original music composition as well as computer art and animation, documentary video, photography, and sound recordings collected during his travels.

In addition to having done several temporary installations and exhibitions in the United States and Poland, three of his graphic works are among the permanent collection of the Lodz Art Museum (Lodz: say Woodge) in Poland.

As interesting as the work Frederick has created, is his story of the struggle to solve technical problems and survive economic obstacles that lay in the path of realizing his vision, and the largest project of his life.

Frederick Abrams
Plus: An Amiga
Frederick had been searching for some method of further strengthening the visual impact of his work. The transition from the ancient craft of stained glass to computer aided art proved a natural one. This began with the transformation of a large stained glass map, he had made of Paris metro routes, into a series of graphic replicas using a computer aided design (CAD) system. At this time, he was beginning to recognize the immense possibilities available to individual artists through the use of desktop computing,

Frederick had been previously introduced to the Amiga by an animator at the top television animation studio in Barcelona, Spain. So, in 1992, when he heard of the release of the OpalVision card he was convinced that the Amiga could fulfill his plans, which at that point were strictly for a visual slideshow presentation.

The purchase of a computer was originally intended for a post-Olympic multimedia performance in Barcelona. But, while awaiting the shipment of a new A3000 from the United States, the Spanish economy crashed. Because of this, many programs associated with the Olympics were cancelled and major architectural projects were halted.

With his project plans unexpectedly and suddenly terminated, it was the use of his A3000 as a creative tool which would enable Frederick to continue independently and to pursue a new path into dimensions previously unseen.

However, having had no previous training, he knew almost nothing about computer technology. In addition, Commodore Spain had just closed and reliable technical support became difficult to find locally.

Plus: Digital Audio
In 1993, Frederick travelled to London, stopping off in Paris where he learned of the possibilities of composing and producing his own CD quality music. It was there that he purchased Bars & Pipes Professional and a Sunrize AD516 sound card with Studio 16 software.

In London, he met with David Pleasance, then President of Commodore UK, who was very interested in the work Frederick was doing. He was offered the assistance of Commodore's head of Technical Support in developing the performance. However, the first signs of Commodore's imminent collapse were evident and this was never to be.

In the midst of constant economic misfortune, from Commodore Amiga to Spain, Frederick returned to Barcelona and in total isolation spent the next year creating what was to become the soundtrack for his ongoing project.

Plus: Digital Video
Upon completion, Frederick made his way back to the United States for the first time in over two and a half years. This trip exposed him to digital video editing, which would later further the evolution of his project into previously unimagined territories. Both the NewTek Flyer and MacroSystem's V-Lab Motion (VLM) had just been released despite Commodore's demise. The VLM was PAL capable and Frederick liked the creative possibilities of MovieShop and the lower, affordable price. So, he purchased the V-Lab Motion card and a new Hitachi H57E Hi8 camcorder.

This presented another obstacle, however, since the V-Lab Motion did not directly support sound using the AD516. When enquiring about this, U.S. technical support put Frederick in contact with a person in Arizona who had worked out a method using ARexx to integrate MovieShop with Studio 16. Now, ready to further the evolution of his work, he returned to Barcelona.

Frederick was successful getting the AD516 working with the VLM, as he had been instructed; and with a little creative intuition, he devised a method for integration with Bars & Pipes, as well. Soon, he had managed to get all three programs (MovieShop, Studio 16 and Bars & Pipes) running on the same public screen and fully synchronized. But, because of the intense system requirements of these programs and limitations of the Zorro hardware, playback was sometimes problematic and would require occasional tweaking within each program to obtain smooth results.

Solving this problem showed Frederick that the Amiga remained a vital creative force, despite the ever diminishing support of developers and manufacturers. But, that problem was just one in a series of technical nightmares. Fortunately, for Frederick, it was then that internet access became widely available in Spain and on-line technical support became a very important part of his success. Through his own experimentation, and coupled with advice from people he met on the internet, he was able to solve other difficulties along the way.

With everything set, he spent the next year and a half learning and experimenting with digital video editing and developing his first two videos: About To Depart and Paquito. Upon completion in 1996, these videos were circulated to various European festivals and within four months had won six separate awards including categories of documentary, soundtrack and originality.

Equals: The Underground Cathedral
With the success of his work, Frederick was invited to present a live performance for the WRO International Media Art Biennale in Wroclaw, Poland the following year. Excited to participate in this rare multimedia festival, Frederick relocated to Wroclaw and completed an additional eight video documentaries.

Despite the crash of Spain's economy, Commodore's collapse, the challenges of working in a re-developing country emerging from the darkness of the Iron Curtain, and through seemingly never ending technical difficulties, Frederick premiered The Underground Cathedral - Work in Progress in May of 1997.

The now much evolved multimedia performance was backed by a large video projection screen and a soundtrack of audio recordings from underground metro systems; and fronted by Frederick and nine other live musicians. This one hour live performance was recorded, mixed with original video excerpts and combined with an interview for broadcast on television. The performance was later repeated as the opener for a festival held at the Center for Contemporary Art (Ujazdowski Castle) in Warsaw.

dhomas: "What does The Underground Cathedral set out to accomplish and why is it important?"

Frederick: "For me, as the physical, technical and artistic aspects of the project itself, the purpose and intent of The Underground Cathedral has undergone its own transformation through the passage of time. When I first thought of the title, what was in mind was the idea of designing and executing a monumental representation of a subway map in stained glass if for no other reason than as a statement of perseverance. Nearly three years were devoted to that single artwork and now nearly two decades have transpired since its inception while through dramatic evolutions and transformations from an ancient craft to high technology I have remained wedded to the same essential concept. Thus, the meaning for me personally has come to the point of recognizing a sense of purpose, of never giving up on a vision, a dream, a larger than life ambition... just as cathedrals and metro systems are projects which require human lifetimes to complete, if ever."

Presently, the project exclusively documents his travels throughout Western and Eastern Europe and the United States. Frederick plans to further the project by exploring other parts of the world where metro systems exist.

As important as the work itself is the proliferation of his vision through other metaphor and form - So, watch here for an announcement about Frederick's upcoming Interactive Underground Data-Travelling Website which will further his work. He has also just completed further development of his existing performance video into a musical documentary containing still photography, animation, special effects and sound samples, replacing the live musicians with MIDI instrumentation. This 65 minute film, and separate chapters from it, are now being distributed to various festivals throughout the world.

Project related music, videos, artwork, photography, etc. is expected to available for purchase in the near future. In the mean time, enjoy a small glimpse into The Underground Cathedral  with these sample images and sound clips.

2: Antenna Man	02_AntennaMan.aiff	831 K	19:29s
5: Greve	05_Greve.aiff	1190 K	27:64s
6: Mind The Gap	06_MindTheGap.aiff	934 K	21:68s
9: The Tunnel's End	09_TheTunnelsEnd.aiff	1249 K	29:01s
10: Samoobsluga	10_Samoobsluga.aiff	1375 K	31:93s

"It is my continuing goal to broaden the scope and perception of all creative forms beyond those narrowly defined as art, music, poetry and so forth, as well as bridging the gaps between ancient and primitive crafts and techniques with those of the present and future. I see this as an ongoing ever-evolving project, one likely to continue throughout my own lifetime."  -- Frederick Abrams.