Data Materialities at Siggraph

HIGHLY INTERACTIVE ART GALLERY PRESENTATION

'DATA MATERIALITIES' 

TO BE SPECIAL FEATURE AT SIGGRAPH 2016 IN ANAHEIM

CHICAGO, May 4, 2016—Highly interactive art exhibits from around the world will be a special feature during SIGGRAPH 2016, the world's leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. With the tagline "Render the Possibilities," SIGGRAPH 2016 will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, 24–28 July 2016.

This year's Art Gallery, assembled under the banner "Data Materialities," represents a unique collection of 10 highly interactive installations created from 2003–2016.

SIGGRAPH 2016 Art Gallery Chair Jonah Brucker-Cohen said, "We have made a special effort to bring back large-scale, highly immersive displays for the Art Gallery. Our title, 'Data Materialities,' illustrates the fact that in 2016, we are all constantly surrounded by networks, information, and data. Whether these stimuli consist of electromagnetic frequencies or physical wired connections, networks are everywhere, consuming and permeating our offices, homes, schools, and public indoor and outdoor spaces. 'Data Materialities' exposes this plethora of data and transforms it to incarnations of tangibility that not only showcase their complexity, but also allow us to relate to them on a human scale. By injecting humor and kinetic energy to this year's exposition, the Art Gallery will make light of these data platforms and present them on a grand scale to reveal their ubiquity."

Artwork and artists for the SIGGRAPH 2016 Art Gallery are selected by the program chair and not by a jury. This year's Art Gallery will be open to attendees during the following dates and times:

Sun, 24 July | Noon – 5:30 pm 

Mon, 25 July | 10 am – 5:30 pm 

Tue, 26 July | 10 am – 5:30 pm 

Wed, 27 July | 10 am – 5:30 pm 

Thu, 28 July | 10 am – 1 pm

"Data Materialities" Art Gallery highlights include:

Submergence | Chris Bennewith, Liam Birtles, Oliver Brown, Gaz Bushell, and Anthony Rowe, Squidsoup

"Submergence" is a large, immersive, walkthrough experience that uses up to 8,064 individual points of suspended light to create feelings of presence and movement within physical space. This video from YouTube user Nick Hunter shows the installation at the Geneva Mapping Festival.

Pixelbots | Paul Beardsley, Disney Research Zürich

Disney Research Zürich created a new kind of display in which pixels, called "Pixelbots," are represented as small colorful mobile robots which create cartoon-like images or animations. Pixelbots can be seen on the Disney Research YouTube channel, where they present a "Story of the Universe" animation, including a fish, a dinosaur, and a human.

The Kinetic Story Teller | Tine Bech, Independent Artist

"The Kinetic Story Teller" installation investigates how art, technology, and playfulness can create new systems of communication by materializing data through kinetic interaction - and offer people new ways of connecting with each other in public spaces. Two beautiful swings light up and display people's social media messages on screens, encouraging participants to connect while they play.

Plinko Poetry | Peiqui Su and Deqing Sun, New York University

A playful, interactive installation, "Plinko Poetry" has its roots in both the famous TV game show "The Price Is Right" and experimental blackout poetry. Every player can be both a winner and a poet. Drawing source text from current @nytimes and @FoxNews tweets, players can absurdly re-contextualize news headlines that are often overloaded with meaning.

For more information on the SIGGRAPH 2016 Art Gallery, please see: s2016.siggraph.org/content/art-gallery.

To register for SIGGRAPH 2016, visit s2016.siggraph.org/registration.

To follow conference news on social media, check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Instagram, or the ACM SIGGRAPH blog.

About SIGGRAPH 2016

The annual SIGGRAPH conference is a five-day interdisciplinary educational experience in the latest computer graphics and interactive techniques, including a three-day commercial exhibition that attracts hundreds of companies from around the world. The conference also hosts the international SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, showcasing works from the world's most innovative and accomplished digital film and video creators. Juried and curated content includes outstanding achievements in time-based art, scientific visualization, visual effects, games, real-time graphics, virtual reality, and narrative shorts. SIGGRAPH 2016 will take place from 24-28 July 2016 in Anaheim, California. Visit the SIGGRAPH 2016 website or follow SIGGRAPH on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or Instagram for more detailed information.

About ACM SIGGRAPH

The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques is an interdisciplinary community interested in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Members include researchers, developers, and users from the technical, academic, business, and art communities. ACM SIGGRAPH enriches the computer graphics and interactive techniques community year-round through its conferences, global network of professional and student chapters, publications, and educational activities.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for lifelong learning, career development, and professional networking.

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