SIGGRAPH 2011 artists see 'home' in technology-driven sculptures and tele-present winds

Sixteen artworks selected for the 2011 SIGGRAPH Art Gallery, with the title of "Tracing Home," emphasize the evolving concept of home in the networked age.

The technology-infused pieces provide a tantalizing image of "home" as both a physical reality and conceptual ideology.

The artworks were chosen from more than 300 submissions and traverse mediums such as 2D images, audio, video, and mixed-media.

"The interplay of physical and virtual within our lived experience enables simultaneous and discontinuous realities at the touch of a button, echo of a voice, or nudge of a sensor," said Mona Kasra, SIGGRAPH 2011 Juried Art Chair in a May 20 statement.

"This year’s Art Gallery connects attendees with a unique interactive approach to art that explores this new era of technology, from a platform that captures the story of current world disasters through tweets and stock exchange information to a computer system that allows attendees to remotely control physical aspects of a house in foreclosure."

"MOSTON," a 12-foot-tall (3.6 m) suspended inflatable sculpture created by Russian-born artist Anya Belkina, will tower over the backdrop of techno-art. The three-dimensional mutated Russian nesting dolls are juxtaposed with a two-dimensional surface design of printed artwork and documentary footage projection.

A second installation by robotic and interactive sculptor David Bowen "consists of a field of x/y tilting devices connected to thin dried plant stalks installed in the gallery, and a dried plant stalk connected to an accelerometer outdoors," explained exhibition organizers.

"When the wind blows, it causes the stalk outside to sway. The accelerometer detects and transmits this movement in real time to the grouping of devices in the gallery."

The SIGGRAPH 2011 Art Gallery: Tracing Home is part of the International Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (SIGGRAPH).

SIGGRAPH showcases the intriguing world of computer graphics, 3D modeling, computer animation, and interactive computer solutions. The event combines hands-on courses, lectures, and an exhibition featuring cutting-edge technology and software.

SIGGRAPH will take place from August 7 to 11 at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada.

http://www.siggraph.org/s2011
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