Philip Beesley, "Hylozoic Soil"

SIGGRAPH 2009 Preview

Not many festivals that are conferences and shows of new computer graphics and virtual interactivities have jukeboxes. SIGGRAPH does. Here is a short preview of whats coming to New Orleans August 3-7.

SIGGRAPH is the spot for all things new in digital animation, intersections of art and science, and far out hybrids for the coming robotics, visual music and interdisciplinary interactions the rocket scientists dream up. It starts on a warm August 3d in New Orleans, with a jukebox that, if you download, doubles as donation to the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp. I thought courtesy of Siggraphs website Id preview a couple of the highlights from the exhibition element of, official name: the international conference & exhibition on computer graphics and interactive techniques.

Here are the projects:

Post Global Warming Survival Kit, nominated for Transmediale award.
Artist Petko Dourmana. Sofia, Bulgaria.

An infrared experience. Dourmanas entry writes, “In this post-apocalyptic world, viewers are invited to experience something that is at once bleak and beautiful, at a coastal outpost at lands end.”

Hylozoic Soil, first prize at VIDA 11.0 Philip Beesley, artist, professor of architecture, University of Waterloo

Hylozoic Soil is a network of micro-controllers, proximity sensors, and shape-memory alloy actuators,with ” shimmering depths.”

Artifacts from a Parallel Universe: Tentative Architecture of Other Earth – Coastline Inhabitants

Xárene Eskandar, UCLA Design | Media Arts, Architecture; artist and architect
A garment with form inspired by marine coral, it  emulates the breathing of its wearer. “Using sensors and shape-memory alloys embedded in hand-knitted and felted wool, this garment blurs the boundaries between garment, technology, environment, and wearer.” This piece was produced by Grant Davis in collaboration with Joshua Hernandez (electronics) and Christopher OLeary (photography).

MSOrgm
I dont know what it is but it sounds good dont you think?

A collaboration of Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang and Shen-Guan Shih, this robot “plant”  presents the viewer with “restrained and graceful gestures”, and “collaborates” with viewers movements using cameras and facial recognition software. Scottie Huang is an artist and architect interested in tangible human-computer interfaces. Shen-Guan Shih is an associate professor in the Department of Architecture at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology.

Heres what I would check out if I were going:

New this year is the real time Games ! contest. Twenty participants collaborate and create a 3D game using the Panda3D game engine. Nine participants compete in teams of three to create 2D games using Flash.

Bob Whitehill stereoscopic supervisor of Pixar among others talks about animation for movies. I love that people have stereoscopic in their titles.

Here are a few of the panels Id check out:

The Art History of Games August 6
2009 Japan Media Arts Festival Review: 3 August
From Pythagoras to Pixels: The Ongoing Trajectory of Visual Music 3 August
(What sound does color make? tried hard but is a less intriguing title.)

Philip Beesley, Hylozoic Soil, 2007.