The idea of the group art show is nothing new: Separate rooms in one art gallery dedicated to widely varying artistic expressions, divergent visions coming together and playing off each other intriguingly. This artistic meeting of the minds presents five views of different works, but they’re all by the same artist. Derek Dyer’s A Cute Schizophrenia will feature five rooms with different media, all by him.

Perhaps the most familiar to people who’ve seen his work are the surreal portraits he calls “Liquid People.” The Liquid People series in this exhibit are all new photographs, taken within the last six months. He combines different techniques, from silver Mylar backgrounds creating a “funhouse mirror” look, to body paint on the models.

“I’ve been working on lighting a lot. In the past, I used a lot of experimental lighting. Now I’m using more professional quality, but still using color gels.” In previous works, he’s even experimented with little laser pens as a lighting technique. The “Liquid People” moniker fits: people really do seem more fluid—not static—as though exchanging energy flows back and forth with their environment.

A second room contains pictures he took on a trip to New York City last month. There are some from the World Trade Center area, giving view of the debris that is still being cleaned up. “It’s still pretty much a mess,” he explains. “There are places you can’t go without ID. There is a strong military presence, and about two cops on every corner. About 10-20 percent of the people in the area are wearing gas masks.

“The memorials are completely heartbreaking: mountains of flowers, postcards and posters. The photos will focus on what it looks like; it’s a strange atmosphere, but New York is still New York. It’s very sad though. People in that area are still crying, and there are still people waiting outside the WTC block for news of loved ones. It’s something everyone has to come to terms with.”

Another room will house abstract paintings. They are all new works, and some will deal with New York. In yet another room, there will be paintings of scenes from outer space; stars and galaxies like astronomical photos. Some are quite large—the biggest is a massive 7 feet by 4 feet. Then there will be the “laser forest” projection room, designed to be like a forest of projectors, putting the viewer in the middle of the art. These images have never been screened before.

Mercedes Westphal said in a SLUG magazine article, “walking into Derek Dyer’s studio, you’d think it was four or five different people’s studios.” That gave him the idea for this show. “It’s not like I’m trying to find myself artistically, Dyer maintains, “I think it’s important to try new things and expand your horizons, explore different dimensions of your creativity.”

He hopes to entertain multiple personalities of gallery-goers, as well. “I’m hoping to evoke every kind of feeling you can get while going to an art show. The New York pictures are a bit frenetic, yet also make you feel sad. The Liquid People are more upbeat and whimsical with their bright colors and energetic compositions.” The abstract room finds comfort in the regularity of geometrical shapes. He describes the forest room as “dark and electric.” And in looking at the space paintings, he says, “it helps me to look at human problems in an easier way. It’s a cosmic perspective, vast and a bit hard to comprehend, but it makes our concerns seem small.”

As in previous shows, many of the works are upbeat and colorful. But there are some darker themes that haven’t been explored in as much depth in his work before—like the New York images—giving his work more compassion and humanity than it’s ever had before. His previous group shows at the Warehouse Gallery have included Projections, with the projectionist for the Grateful Dead, and Heavy Metal, with all metal art and music.

This show is a benefit to raise money for his efforts to build the world’s largest mirror ball. “I had always wanted to be in the Guinness Book of World Records, and one day I opened the book in the store and that was what I turned to. I took it as a sign, that I had to beat the record.”

“Given all the problems in the world, I wanted it to have a meaning besides just be a big ball,” he explains. “So I decided to call it the Diversity Ball. I’m hoping to throw a big free concert in Liberty Park with all different kinds of bands, from Tibetan to country western to hip-hop. For the unveiling itself, I’m trying to get the Bee Gees.”

The current record for the largest ball is 7 feet 8 inches; it’s housed at the Mayan Club in Los Angeles. Dyer is attempting a full ten feet, requiring 31 square feet of glass to cover the outer surface. It will be paid for by Dyer’s art fundraisers or corporate donations. The inner core will be made of sculptural foam. With the core, glass and motor inside, the ball will weigh over 2,500 pounds. Where it will go after the unveiling is a secret. He estimates the total cost to build it at $7,000.

He’d like to start an annual event—a “Diversity Ball”—not unlike Burning Man, but smaller. “Everyone get together, party, wear crazy costumes. I’d like to make it an annual tradition.”

Koteba, the band playing at the gallery on Friday, Nov. 16, is a percussion-based experience that you have to sign a waiver to witness. Shades of Crash Worship? “It’s a cross between a really good rave, Crash Worship and Gwar—with a Broadway musical for good measure!” u

A Cute Schizophrenia. Warehouse Gallery, 510 W. 100 South, Nov. 16-17, 7-11 p.m. Information: 474-2122. Watch for flyers at local galleries—if you find a silver flyer, you can use it to get into the show free.