Future of Media Arts, Science & Technology at UCSB

Posted on January 30, 2009 by VV

This NSF workshop took place at my old stomping grounds — UCSB. 15 years later we are still talking about virtual and physical, interface design, digital technologies… Giving a talk about the future of media arts and education in a place where I saw so many people from the past was interesting to me. It was great to see Manjunath and Ramesh Jain, Joanne Kuchera-Morin, Curtis Roads… Pamela Jennings who is at Banff now was presenting her research… Loved checking out the Alosphere which was just an idea when I was there… Lots of people from ASU with some really nice projects. George Legrady showed his Stardust piece which was exhibited quite nicely in the gorgeous studio of his. We chatted a bit about the next upcoming satellite exhibition at UCSB and the news we just received from Simon Penny saying he was canceling (last minute). This did not make Christiane Paul too happy…

UC DARnet: Sharon Daniel

Posted on January 30, 2009 by VV

Sharon Daniel opened her exhibition to day at the Art | Sci gallery, California Nanosytems Institute.

I managed to get her over at the end of my Art Sci and Tech class to introduce her work and invite everyone to the opening. It was perfect for the topic of the week: Art & Medical Technologies and I saw a few students who walked the distance across campus to see the show.

UC DARnet panel

Posted on January 22, 2009 by VV

ARTISTS LECTURE:

Artists in academia working with technologies – across disciplines and the role and concept of UC DARnet.

Thursday, January 22nd, 7:30 pm / Beall Center for Art + Technology

712 Arts Plaza, UC Irvine Campus

Lecture is in conjunction with the exhibition Scalable Relations by the

University of California’s Digital Art Network (UCDARnet), curated by

Christiane Paul, adjunct curator at the Whitney Museum, and on view

at the Beall Center for Art + Technology, UC Irvine, Jan 9 – Mar 14, 2009.

Lecture includes exhibiting artists from throughout the UC System

including Sharon Daniel (UCSC), George LeGrady (UCSB),

Adriene Jenik (UCSD), and Renee T. Coulombe (UCR). Panel will be

moderated by Victoria Vesna, Professor of Media Arts at UCLA.

This lecture is the third event in the third annual OCMA/UCI Lecture Series, co-sponsored

by the Beall Center for Art + Technology, the Orange County Museum of Art,

the UCI Studio Art Department and the UCI University Gallery

UC DARnet exhibition

Posted on January 8, 2009 by VV

Christiane Paul once again worked with me on helping negotiate the UC faculty terrain. Two years ago, she did a marvelous job with the opening of the Broad Arts exhibition of Design | Media Arts faculty. She named it Second Natures and Simon Johnson designed a beautiful catalog that I am still proud to give out. This exhibition marked the end of my tenure as Chair after seven years. Almost all faculty was recruited during this time and we moved back into the building that was renovated by Richard Meier. It was an end of a cycle for me, a real feeling of completion and achievement. And, now, she is again helping create closure with the UC DARnet exhibition at the Beall gallery, UCI, with satellite exhibitions at UCSB, UCSD and UCLA. It’s been 13 years since we first discussed the idea and I probably hung in there the longest being at the beginning of the idea and the director for the past 3 years. This is the end of UC DARnet as we know it.Funny that it opened on my daughter’s 18th birthday — another feeling of completion of sorts. See: http://ucdarnet.org/scalablerelations

Ushering in 2009 with Good Vibrations

Posted on January 3, 2009 by VV

What an amazing way to usher in the new year! THANKS goes to Susan Hopmans who came up with this idea when we visited the desert less then a month ago. At first I was not so excited about creating another whole event, being exhausted from three months of non-stop travel. lecturing and exhibiting. But, I wanted to give back to her for sponsoring the Blue Morph at the Integratron and to Joanne and Nancy who opened their hearts to having this experiment in the dome. So, I decided, we do a small, low-key event but this is not what the universe had in store. Lopsang called and it just so happened that the monks were back from tour and free — it would be good to give back to them too I thought. Now, that the enregy was building, I decided to do the Blue Morph after all, and asked Silvia to extend the Norway wool mad hatter… Joanne and Nancy invited a band to play, Tal offered to DJ and the energy was building… Jim just came back from Japan and we had a couple of nights at Two Bunch as Susan’s guests which was a wonderful way to unwind before all manifested so nicely. New Year’s eve was low key indeed, but January 1 was opened to the public and the place filled to capacity…

THANKS to the great team that came together: Tal — for overall help and doing a DJ set; Tyler for helping with the Blue Morph and installing a new (untitled)piece; Gil for projecting his work and the nanomandala on the dome; Blanka for photographing and Amy for giving a helping hand; Kim for videotaping.