Valencia, CA—April 10—Boundaries between artist and engineer are dissolving in the 21st Century. See leading-edge examples of art-fueled technology at the Digital Arts Expo on the campus of California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). CalArts’ annual Digital Arts Expo is an essential source for future trends in entertainment, gaming and digital culture. The Expo features projects showing how the arts can lead the development of new and innovative technologies.
The Digital Arts Expo opens to the public at 2 pm on Thursday, May 4 and features exhibitions performances and panel discussions, throughout the day. The Expo takes place on CalArts’ campus in Valencia, California.
A recent article, Inside CalArts: Arming Artists With High-Tech Skills, in PC magazine, reflected on CalArts’ founder: "Perhaps Walt Disney had an inkling of the virtual, augmented, and mixed realities that would emerge in the decades since he helped found California Institute of the Arts. The school is certainly incorporating next-gen tech into its curriculum these days."
Blending next-gen tech with CalArts’ experimental ethos, the Expo showcases the fusion of art, science and engineering. Highlights of work by CalArts students, faculty and guest artists/technologists include:
- innovative mobile technologies for music performance
- Living Room VR: new forms of networked storytelling that leverage existing consumer-level devices
- the Musical Octopus and other creative expressions of bio-design
- interactive environments in the Procession hall of installations
- new additions to CalArts’ celebrated Machine Orchestra of robotic instruments.
“If you want something new, you'll see it here first,” comments Associate Dean for Research and Development in Digital Arts, Ajay Kapur. “Artists have the creative vision to lead technological innovation. And our students are developing prototypes for things I’ve never seen before--hacking and reinventing existing devices and originating completely new applications and virtual environments. The goal is not to do it right, but to push technology in new directions.”
From its inception, CalArts has been associated with technological innovation. In the 1970s, CalArts was renowned for its prescient experiments with electronic and computer-generated music. Currently, CalArts’ Digital Arts Minor teaches students to build, engineer and design innovative custom systems and broaden their understanding of how technology can be used in the arts and beyond. The Music Technology curriculum is unique in the world, engaging students in custom software design, circuit design for human-computer interfacing, and the use of robotic mechanical systems and artificial intelligence in musical and artistic practice. CalArts offers a groundbreaking arts-based curriculum for computer science novices. The Institute’s School of Film/Video, with its renowned animation programs, is a global leader in computer graphics and advanced digital media technologies.
More information:
Digital Arts Expo 2017 website:
http://digitalartsexpo.calarts.edu/
Video: Highlights from the 2016 Digital Arts Expo at CalArts
https://calarts.edu/digital-arts-expo
Calendar Editors Please Note:
What:
California Institute of the Arts’ (CalArts) Digital Arts Expo, 2017
See it here first: Digital Arts Expo features technologically adventurous and imaginative new work from CalArts students, faculty and alumni.
When:
Thursday, May 4 2017, 2 pm until late
Price:
Free admission
Where:
CalArts, 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, California 91355
Click here for directions
Ranked as America’s top college for students in the arts by Newsweek/The Daily Beast, California Institute of the Arts has set the pace for educating professional artists since 1970. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts has championed creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions. As successive generations of faculty and alumni have helped shape the landscape of contemporary arts, the Institute first envisioned by Walt Disney encompasses a vibrant, eclectic community with global reach, inviting experimentation, independent inquiry, and active collaboration and exchange among artists, artistic disciplines and cultural traditions.