Sue Gollifer SIGGRAPH 2004s Art Gallery Chairperson Interview
by Dee-Marie, Editor in Chief of the Renderosity Interactive Magazine
Q. How did the SIGGRAPH committee choose this years Art Gallery
theme, Synaesthesia? Can you give our readers a definition of
Synaesthesia as it pertains to the SIGGRAPH Art Gallery
program?
Sue Gollifer: As the Chair of the Art Gallery, I
chose the theme of Synaesthesia in order to make it distinctive for
this year and provide an overall flavor and consistency of the work
for artists to submit! Synaesthesia is a particular condition (like
dyslexia), where by the person can see colors associated with text
and numbers for example. Or there is an association between images,
smells and sounds. The goal is to have the Art Gallery reflect the
rich and diverse nature of digital art in its broadest terms.
Furthermore, the goal is to show that computer generated art has
much to offer - not only visually, but also aurally, sensually, and
conceptually.
Q. Although you are SIGGRAPHs first European Art
Gallery chairperson, you have been associated with SIGGRAPH for
many years. As chairperson, how will this years Art Gallery
exhibition differ from past years? Sue Gollifer: I
served on the Art Gallery sub-committee for the past three years.
Last year I shadowed the 2003 Chair (Michael Wright) to enable me
to learn and experience the tasks that the Chairperson is involved
in! Last year, the Art Gallery only chose to display 2D work and
show it in the corridors surrounding the conference venue. This
year it is back very much to a traditional Art Gallery situation
including showcasing digital art in its broadest range. From 2D/3D,
screen-based work, installations, sound pieces, and animations.
From high-end computer graphics to low tech plotter art. From
touch-screen technology to simple interactive auditory pieces. This
rich diversity is what makes the SIGGRAPH Art Gallery so unique.
Q. What are this year's round-table topics? Sue
Gollifer: This Years Round-Table Topics are:
- Ars Electronica: 25 Years of the Digital Avant-Garde:
Celebrating 25 years of Ars Electronica.
- *Researching the Future: (*CAiiA-STAR and the Planetary
Collegium)
- Synaesthesia
- Plus, Papers and Artist talks Q. What percentage of this
years Art Gallery exhibitors would be considered traditional
artists [working with: oils, acrylics, watercolors, non-digital
photography]? Sue Gollifer: None! Although many of
SIGGRAPHs artists come from what could be deemed as traditional
fine art fields such as Painting, Printmaking, Photography, and
Sculpture. I still consider myself as a printmaker even though all
my work is digitally produced. Q. With photographic film being
replaced with digital memory cards, and brush strokes being
generated by drawing tablet pens what do you feel is the future
for traditional artists? Sue Gollifer: As an academic
who teaches printmaking in both old and new technologies, I think
all artists have a choice of medium in which to create their work.
I like my students to feel able to make such choices from knowledge
and experience! Until working on a computer is as intuitive as
working directly on canvas, there will always be that choice as to
how to make what you could deem art. Q. With the on-going
acceptance of computer-generated art as a "true art form," what
innovative directions do you foresee for modern artists in future
years? Sue Gollifer: We need computers to some how
emulate the way artists work. Wacom tablets and/ or a mouse do not
quite seem there, as yet, but close! In a way, the most important
thing is that the work produced has integrity not necessarily as
to how it is produced. The most memorable pieces I have seen in
past SIGGRAPH art shows, although produced by computer technology,
seemed to rise above (how does it work, or how is it done?) to be
pieces in their own right. Q. As an award-winning artist, what
are your views on computer generated art, and do you use the
computer to create or enhance your images? What software art
programs do you use? Sue Gollifer: All my work is
computer generated! New technology has assisted me in being able to
discover creative and surprising solutions to problems in my work.
The memory and speed and the vast network of options allow new
thought processes to be explored and discarded painlessly as the
ideas take shape, develop and germinate.
Perhaps even more significant is the possibility offered of
detaching the images or the relationships (which determine the
images) from their material base. Although ultimately all
experience of art derives from the perceptions of artist or viewer
in the context of material sensations, computer technology enables
the sources of these sensations to be temporarily encoded as
streams of digits. In this form they can be modified in scale,
directed into a wide range of printing or reproductive media, or
almost instantly transmitted over vast distances. In these ways,
the specific material form of the image can be made less obsessive.
The transaction between artist and viewer becomes less that of a
negotiable object, more that of a dialogue about perception. When I
started to make prints, I was motivated by precisely that
possibility: its renewal through new technology continues to
motivate my work. I use a number of software programs and move
between them when creating pieces of artwork, including: -
Photoshop (of course), Illustrator, Painter, and Bryce.
Q. Can
you give our readers an insight as to what the SIGGRAPH committee
takes into consideration when accepting artwork and artists to the
Art Gallery exhibition? Sue Gollifer: The integrity of
the artist, and what was the aims and intentions behind the piece
of work that was submitted.
Q What do you hope participants will
bring away from this years SIGGRAPH Art Gallery program?
Sue Gollifer: I hope it will be exciting and stimulating,
but at the same time I hope the participants will have time to
reflect and be challenged by the experience. I suppose as artists
we all want to enhance peoples lives by our art in some way.
For more information on the Art Show and other activities please
visit the official
Siggraph 2004 website:
www.siggraph.org/s2004.
