ADAPTATION: SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 Art Gallery

Yokohama Pacifico, Exhibition Hall A
Exhibition Dates: December 17-19, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 17th 7-9PM

Exhibition Times:

Thursday, 17 December 2009 09:30 - 18:30

Friday, 18 December 2009 09:30 - 18:30

Saturday, 19 December 2009 09:30 - 17:00


Featured Artists: Jamie Allen, Patrick Bergeron, Natalie Bewernitz and Marek Goldowski, Alvaro Cassinelli, Gyu Wan Choe, Jonathon Elliot, Ursula Endlicher, Christa Erickson, Shih-Chieh Huang, Hisao Ihara, Haru Ji, Kazuhiko Kamdeda (Wow Lab), Yoichiro Kawaguchi, Sangtae Kim, Aaron Koblin, Jocelyn Kolb, Yuliya Lanina, Meng Li, Allistar Peters, and Rendll Koski, Katja Loher, Miya Masaoka, Tobaron Maxman, Rita Mendes, Robin Meier, Till Nowak, Jane Rigler, Claudia Robles, Camille Scherrer and Julien Pilet, Zachary Seldess, Chi Man Siu, Tiffany Sum, Jeremiah Teipen, Yayoi Yokoyama, Ei Wada, Kimitoshi Sato, Keitaro Kuno, and Haruka Yoshida (Open Reel Ensemble), Marina Zurkow

We live in a rapidly changing world of technological advances, environmental crisis, and global shift of consciousness. Challenges lie ahead, and our ability to adapt to our environment has never been as crucial as it is today. In Adaptation, artists were invited to respond to this critical time in humanity’s evolutionary journey. We were excited to receive a diverse range of perspectives responding to our theme, presented in the most creative of ways.

There are several artworks that respond to our technological society using humor and play, as well as negative effects it has on human psychology through anxiety, fear, and loss. In Yuliya Lanina’s film “Mishka”, viewers are confronted with conflicting emotions of childhood memory and adult fantasy with characters made of transformed children’s mechanical dolls. Instead of just including artwork that were driven by technology, the Art Gallery committee felt strongly about the message we wanted to convey, and also extended our scope to include artworks that responded to our technological society in a conceptual way.

Along with the mediums usually represented in SIGGRAPH Art Galleries, this year’s show has an array of unique, innovative hybrids of mediums that bring to life the exhibition. Some hybrids worth mentioning are performances that generate energy to make plants grow, interactive installations using insects that are alive, augmented reality t-shirts that attendees can wear, and html code choreographed into dance. We are delighted to eat at “Electronic Cuisine”, where Jeremiah Teipen serves a variety of real foods like sandwiches and sushi with robotic and electrical components.

In this year’s Art Gallery, we are also honored to showcase special live performances scheduled throughout the conference. In the invited piece “Quintessence”, composer and musician George Hajdu directs a networked orchestra, connecting musicians live, performing simultaneously in Yokohama and Europe. We are also delighted to watch Ursula Endlicher bring a new dimension to internet sites by deconstructing html code of popular websites and choreographing it into a unique dance performance. In Open Reel Ensemble, Wada Ei fuses together magnetic audio recording devices, reel-to-reel analog tape recorders, singing, and digital technology such as iphones, creating a fun, musical performance.

Some of the most impressive breakthroughs in art and technology happen by considering the gaps and opportunities in the existing landscape - by adapting what we know to what might be. Now, as the world evolves with exponential speed, we need artists and scientists to show us the way.

For more info please check the website: http://www.siggraph.org/asia2009/