Selected Works 2021
Tend Towards Infinity
Amay Katharina
Conceptually rooted in Arthur Koestler's book Ghost in the Machine, Tend Towards Infinity is an ideal abstract expression of a structurally stable system. Composed using a precise computer algorithm, it lays out the information in a hierarchical order, where each unit (rectangle) is working as a “whole” with self-assertiveness as well as a “part” to maintain the overall structural integrity of the system. Each direction invokes a certain sense of perception. A top-down approach calls for a combination of parts of information into a whole, whereas a bottom-up approach calls for disintegration of the whole into parts. Consequently, each unit of information appears to behave as a part and a hole simultaneously - a phenomenon Koestler famously described as a Holon (Whole-Part). Using this part-whole concept as a point of departure, this work reflects upon the systemic breakdown of economic, political, and cultural paradigms that glued us into a structurally stable society. Due to the pandemic these systems have failed us and thrown the world into a spin. What would it take to build systems that work with a better sense of autonomy and coordination with other systems to create a more futureproof society?
Microbial Cosmologies
Anastasiia Raina, Meredith Binnette, Danlei Huang, Yimei Hu, Georgie Nolan
Microbial Cosmologies is an immersive project where five designers, inspired by scientific research, imagine a future of mobility in the post-COVID world that is entirely built around the most successful type of organism on the planet—the microbe. This project addresses the relationship between humans and microbes and our need to adapt and respond with agility to the new world around us and heal the deleterious effects of injustices revealed by the pandemic. Employing speculative design, industrial design, mechanical engineering, AR, VR and Machine Learning we set out to create a world in which humans redefine our relationship with nature to make space for inclusive human/nonhuman assemblages and develop methods for designing for, with and around the microbial world within and around us. Click the image to go to the full project.
Avian Queen
Anna Chupa
I spent several days in June 2018 recording details of Modernist Architecture in Barcelona for a series that would capture the spirit of the connection I felt for the city and Catalan culture. The Avian Queen is the first in a series of king and queen gegants quilts. The Barcelona gegants (giants) are wearable puppets that are a highlight of parades and Catholic feast days. I have superimposed this giant against a backdrop of the Casa de les Punxes designed by architect Josep Puig I Cadefalch. The iron arches of Gaudi’s private garden in Park Guell morph and blend and into the giant’s wings; both live and ornamental birds are caged within the giant’s torso. Oversized roses from the Palau Musica’s column capitals, designed by Lluís Domenech I Montaner, anchor the lower right corner and left middle, while other architectural ornaments from the Palau (e.g., stair risers, wall tiles, arch details) provide framing elements. A faux border repeat pattern was created from the giant’s face. An irregular interior border design provides contrasting asymmetry.
Generative Art - The New Kind Of Art
Bogdan Soban
All submitted works were generated using one of my generative programs developed in Visual Basic. The images are composed of different numbers of layers which were found somewhere in the depth of a deformed Mandelbrot fractal. Each layer was painted with a different, mostly black and white coloring palette. The Mandelbrot formula for iterations is so modified that the fractal partially loses its standard view. The lower part of the image is processed with a program that draws tiny geometric elements.
Anthro-eco Mental Scotoma
Bonnie Mitchell
A 'Mental Scotoma' is a figurative blind spot in a person's psychological awareness. This phenomenon typically arises because of cognitive dissonance and affects how we view reality. If a fact is deemed inconvenient, or not easily understood, or conflicts with our belief system, we dismiss it and do not recognize that it exists. This unconscious denial often occurs in an effort to protect the ego or one’s way of life from change. As sentient beings, many of us sense the negative impact we are having on the environment yet we continue to live unsustainable live styles. Our ability to feel the direct impact of our actions is dampened by our desires. Why do we, as a society, not all sense this connection and act to rectify the situation? Click the image to go to the full project.
Still Life
Chiara Passa
“Still life” is a VR artwork that analyses the processes of nature by investigating the relation with it and what is represented in art nowadays as still life. The VR artwork puts in question what is really dead in nature and what is still alive in history of art, by speculating on landscapes, paintings and objects, and so creating through virtual reality an object-oriented space formed by a vibrant still-life environment designed all around the spectators.
Alexa Sent Me a Hug
Corrine Whitaker
I feel a need to get intimate with our bodies once again. To touch the sensual, the soft and juicy. To be one with myself, without intervention. No more hiding. No more running away. Here I am. In images.
I began with the mouth: we all have one. That makes us equals. The mouth is the cavern of identity, leading into the deepest recesses of our selves. Speak, smile, say: the mouth is an early indicator of who we are. It contains lips, teeth, saliva. Whole worlds of wonder. Alexa sent me a hug. I send you these body images, as sensual and vibrant as zeros and ones can make them.
Impressions of Longmen
Crystal Zhen
I created this artwork when I backed onto my hometown Luoyang, which was inspired by the Longmen Grottoes. The magnificent Longmen Grottoes is ancient sculptures priceless to Buddhists, and I try to express my feelings about Buddhism when I saw the grottoes. Longmen Grottoes, as one of the four nationally famous grottos in China, is a rare cultural treasure. The city of Longmen is located on the Central Plains of China, my hometown, being the birthplace of the Huaxia civilization. It was more than 1500 years' history, and the biggest Buddha statue is even 17.14 meters high. I did not convey religious thoughts by creating these illustrations, but to record my surprise at the large-scale statue art after seeing the Longmen Grottoes. Because statues have been unclear after years of wind blowing, the paintings were created with my imagination. The background of the illustrations was created based on the study of the carving texture of the Buddha statue. I used similar colors, want to make viewers feel calmly. I hope everyone who sees the artwork will feel peaceful and touch a new culture, that's why I created.
Fibonacci
Hans Dehlinger
The generative background of this Aesthetic Event (an alternative reference for Art, introduced by the Philosopher Max Bense) is based on the mathemathical properties of the well known Fibonacci Sequence. Horizontal gridlines with distances 1, 1, 2, 3, 5 (beginning of the Fibonacci Sequence) are used to display randomly
tilted lines in each grid section. Additionally, a few randomly sections are filled, and are maually enhanced. The generation process is strictly algorithmic (Python program). Order of some sort is a wanted effect for any Aesthetic Event. The order, inherent in the mathematical properties, contributes to the order in the Aesthetic Event – a plausibele hypothesis in my judgement.
Beijing Suite 16
Jen Grey
Beijing Suite 16 is based on a digital photo archive Prof. Jen Grey created while visiting famous landmarks in Beijing, China. The images were re-processed and archived by the artist before beta testing in VIA, the proprietary software program developed by Sherianne Ki Sun Burnham. The program is set to run continuously, recombining elements of pictures developed in a photo archive. Images never repeat. Jen ran the program using her own image archive, and saved random sequences she liked best. Afterwards, specific images were selected and further enhanced in PhotoShop as individual, artworks. These can be printed, or viewed exclusively online.
Through the Aleph
Jing Zhou
"Through the Aleph" is a net art project with a time-lapse video inspired by Jorge Luis Borges’ short story "The Aleph" (1945). Although a real Aleph might never be found, following Borges’ vision, this project offers an unprecedented visual and interactive experience where many places on Earth and in space can be seen simultaneously in an instant. Influenced by the life changing power of seeing Earth from space, "Through the Aleph" visualizes a pair of opposites through the global reach of technology—the diversity of human civilizations (microcosm) and the unity of humanity without borders in the everchanging universe (macrocosm). It draws the connections between individuals and the global environment, Earth and outer space, eternity and time, and art and science. With an unexpected approach to surveillance cameras and global networks this meditative web project uses live data to create an abstract landscape in an open source environment. It not only embraces the dream of peace on Earth but also explores the bond between humankind and nature through time and space in the present moment. Click the image to view the video.
Solid Geometry Series
John Labadie
The Solid Geometry series encompasses more than 500 works to date. All works were accomplished between June 2018 and March 2021. These works can be defined as having three stages: 1. the creation of original physical drawings and/or the identification or development of data sets of interest; 2. the development of aesthetic visuals directly related to these resources; 3. The exhibition of physical or digital artworks in professional venues nationally and internationally. The studio process: Early in the visualization process, two or more basic geometric 3D (three-dimensional) forms are selected: sphere, plane, cone, or cylinder. These forms are then interpreted through, and manipulated in, 3D applications to directly reflect the nature of the resources. Once a satisfactory relationship has been been achieved the 3D file is exported to a 2D (two-dimensional) application for editing. This process produces a digital draft of a highly evolved aesthetic visualization of the original resource: a drawing or data set. Works to be exhibited are evolved from these final draft image files. An example: All of the images submitted for D-ART 2021 & CGIV 2021 are being readied to be produced as metal prints and/or face mounted acrylic prints.
Flower
Mimi Smith
The artwork I am describing/exhibiting in DigitalArt_2021 is a work titled ‘Flower’, 2010. I had a house in upstate NY for a number of years. While there I noticed that people would plant and grow and tend to the most beautiful flowers, show them proudly and lovingly on their lawns and then build a cage around the flowers to protect them from the animals. ‘Flower’ consists of a small girl’s dress I made of pink camouflage material hung inside a cage visually similar to one that would be found in a garden. I thought, that is what we do to our children, daughters specifically and on some level to everything. While not a computer piece, the cage makes the dress inside look like a pixelated object.
Forest Bathing
Nancy Wood
I take digital photos in scenic areas and then manipulate the photos in the computer: intensify and adjust colors, abstract and “paint” forms, create multiple overlays that I combine at various levels of transparency. The final images can be displayed virtually as projections, published online, or printed onto various substrates. The theme of these works is forest-bathing or connecting with nature through the senses. There have been many scientific studies regarding the healing effects of simply being in wild and natural areas. These include stress reduction, increase in immune systems, improved mental performance, creativity, and better mood. It’s been noted that office workers display happier moods when surrounded by visuals of beautiful flowers. Recent research indicates that the color green has a positive effect on emotions and health.
As Seen On TV
Raymond St Arnaud
I have been fascinated by television imagery since my first viewing of test patterns in the front display window of a small town hardware store. I eventually transferred that interest to ways of reproducing the effect on paper while a student in Fine Arts. Eventually, I succumbed to investigating the concept through image editing software on a computer. The original photographs were colour negatives or colour slides. The original photos date back to the 1970s through to the 1990s. They are part of a life project of capturing images as they present themselves. The images were selected as being appropriate to the thought that being seen on TV is validation; of the moment, the place, the experience, the person.
Limits Of Computability
Robert Lisek
The project is a prototypical new program, which combines the activity of a computer virus and biological viruses. Sequence of numbers (obtained from any biological or physical detector) introduced by the user is subjected to transformation and destruction through the use of viruses. Sequences of viruses are introduced combinatorically: they gradually transform and destroy and substitute the initial sequence in order to create completely new configurations of signs and biological objects. The form of the program is open and serves for the creation of unpredictable and new sequences of objects. The project shows how logical structures and computer processes remain in relation with biological and chemical processes. Transmutation of one elementary sequence into another, one chemical substance into another is of great importance. The possibility of transforming sequences in real time gains great importance in times when human identity is increasingly coded by digital data. Through transformation and distribution of DNA data in real time, the physical structure of the user described in the form of a sequence develops and transforms, intersecting with the public space of the net. Click the image for more information.
The Edge Of The World
Santiago Echeverría, Roger Brown
This series of volumetric works were created the day before the COVID19 lockdown measures were
imposed at my workplace and in the state of Florida. We knew that something bad was happening in
the world, we knew that drastic measures had to be taken, and we could feel a sense of despair in
the atmosphere. Trying to capture this feeling of malaise, that prophetically reflected the isolation,
fear and the specter of death that dominated 2020, I worked with Roger Brown, a unique character
in Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. This artist, musician, performer, model, waiter, and bartender,
is one of the friendliest persons you can ever meet in town. He is very proud of his gorgeous tattoos
and piercings, that are nothing but a reflection of his personality. The resulting volumetric portraits
isolate spatially the model, and create a baroque-like atmosphere, in empty digital environments that
enhance the feeling of despair caused by the coronavirus. All images are captured in real time with
the Kinect sensor, using custom Java code in Processing 3.0, written by the artist. Photoshop is used
for color correction and sizing purposes, without any additional filters.
City Ritual
Anna Ursyn, Stuart Smith
Anna Ursyn and Stuart Smith collaborate on combining programming with software and media. Stu Smith is a musician, artist and a coder, exhibiting his art internationally. Ursyn had art in SIGGRAPH Art Galleries, and travelling shows, Louvre, Paris, NTT Museum in Tokyo and Virtual Media Network. Her work was selected to be sent to the Moon by NASA as MoonArc Project by Carnegie Melon University and shows: Centre Pompidou, Paris. Her work in ABAD is in permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art MOMA in New York City, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, and Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Click the image to view the video.
Ataraxia
Matjuška Teja Krašek
Krasek’s theoretical, as well as practical, work is especially focused on symmetry as a linking concept between art and science, on filling a plane with geometrical shapes, especially those constituting Penrose tilings (rhombs, kites, and darts). The author's interest is focused on the shapes' inner relations, on the relations between the shapes and between them and a regular pentagon. The artworks among others illustrate
certain properties, such as golden mean relations, selfsimilarity, fivefold symmetry, Fibonacci sequence, inward infinity, and perceptual ambiguity… Krasek’s work concentrates on melding art, science, mathematics and technology. She employs contemporary computer technology as well as classical painting techniques. Her artworks and articles are exhibited and published internationally. Krasek’s artworks
are among the winners of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th International online
NanoArt Competition.
Newborns and Mother Deer
Victoria Lee
This photo was taken in Yosemite Park in California during the summer after my freshman year in college. I was walking back to the Ansel Adams gallery from a Yosemite photography tour, and the tour guide spotted a mother deer giving birth to newborn deer. The newborns were already walking around, and I was able to take a close-up photo of the deer through a zoom lens. Although many people surrounded the deer to take photos of them, the deer froze in place, as if posing for photos of them to be taken.
A Poster For Hope
Madi Spillman
My concept for this poster is focusing on the Greek interpretation of the word hope, as the Greek meaning and English meaning are slightly different. In Greek, the word hope means to “have an expectation for the future that can be positive or negative” whereas the English definition is “to anticipate something positive”. For this poster, I used the Greek symbols that represent the word “Elpis”, or hope in English, vertically. I have mirrored them horizontally in order to highlight the duality of hope being positive or negative in Greek culture, and I have used complimentary colors to further this idea.