Heather Elliott-Famularo SIGGRAPH 2004s Emerging Technologies
Chairperson Interview questions by Dee-Marie, Editor in Chief of the Renderosity Interactive Magazine. Q. How does this
years SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies program differ from past
years? Heather: A unique aspect of this years
exhibition is the inclusion of both fine art pieces and
technological prototypes. As an artist myself, I felt it was
important to show both the science and the aesthetics of using
technology. My hope is that the inclusion of fine art within the
venue will provide a richer experience for SIGGRAPH attendees,
offering a broader range of content in order to provoke thought.
For example, we will be showing an extremely contemplative piece,
Imagination Environment by David Shamma and Kristian Hammond. This
piece uses the closed captioning in a standard TV signal, plugs the
text into a web search engine, searches for imagery of this text,
and displays real-time these connections on the eight monitors
surrounding the original video, simultaneously offering a
commentary on popular culture and the world wide web. Another
thoughtful piece is Inter-Culture Computing: ZENetic Computer. This
art piece offers a method of feeling and understanding Zen and
Japanese culture by creating and exploring a virtual world, while
in the setting of a Zen rock garden. One dominant theme in this
years exhibition is Displays technology. There is a lot of
research in both interactive and high-range displays. We have two
approaches to Real-time 3D live video displays, 3DTV, and LIFLET:
Light Field with Thousands of Liflets. High-resolution displays are
also big. The High Dynamic Range Display is a cost competitive flat
panel display with 300 times higher contrast, 10-30 times lower
darkness and 38% better coverage of the NTSC color gamut. IRIDORI
is a six-primary-color projection display system that produces 1.6
times larger color gamut than conventional projection system. The
potential future impact on the industry of these technologies is
unlimited. Q. Emerging Technologies covers a wide range of
topics can you refine the definition of Emerging Technologies?
Heather: One definition of emerging is newly formed or just
coming into prominence. In the context of SIGGRAPH, the Special
Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, we
try to include research particularly in these fields computer
graphics and interactivity - within the Emerging Technologies
venue. However, our objective is to include the BEST research, so
we intentionally keep the definition very open! In the past we have
had work that touches on nearly every type of technology. In 2002
John Fujii did a SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies History Mapping
Project that tracked the then 11-year history of Emerging
Technologies, so you can get a bit of a sense of its history and
more detailed information here:
http://www.siggraph.org/~fujii/etech/history.html Q. How did the
SIGGRAPH committee choose Enhancing Life for this years theme?
Heather: Each year the individual Emerging Technologies
Chair chooses the theme and direction of their years show. This is
one of the really exciting aspects of this position and also why
the show varies so much each year. I have always been excited by
the idea of how science and art can enhance life, and how
technology has become so invisibly entangled in our everyday lives.
As a result, I wrote a Call For Participation that specifically
addressed this concept. ( http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/cfp/etech )
Q. How many applicants did you receive for this years Emerging
Technologies program, and how did you narrow the field to the
current exhibitors? Heather: This year there were 134
applications, of which only 115 were complete and judged. In 2003
there were 88 entries, and years before somewhere around 60
completed submissions, so the competition gets stiffer each year.
From the group of 115, we selected the 29 best projects (the top
25%). Emerging Technologies has a very rigorous jury process. This
year, because I included both art and tech pieces, I selected a
jury with artists, scientists, and people that I felt merged the
two. I looked for people with vast knowledge of expertise, more
renaissance people, in lieu of experts in one particular area.
(List of jurors:
http://www.siggraph.org/s2004/conference/etech/committee.php?=conference
) Q. As in past years, will each contributor also be giving a
verbal presentation with a questions and answer session? Besides
the Emerging Technologies contributors presentations, will
SIGGRAPH participants be able to interact with the exhibits?
Heather: Last years chair, Joshua Strickon, began the
Emerging Technologies presentations. I felt this was an excellent
way for SIGGRAPH attendees to get a behind-the-scenes look at how
these projects developed, so I continued this tradition. This year
we have eight different presentation sessions, thematically grouped
with three to four projects per group. Emerging Technologies is THE
hands-on venue of the conference, so from Sunday through Thursday,
all SIGGRAPH attendees will be able to come to Emerging
Technologies and actually try out the exhibits. They will usually
also be able to interact with and ask questions of the contributors
because they are required to staff their booth during the open
hours. Q. How did you become this years Chairperson for the
Emerging Technologies program? Heather: The SIGGRAPH
Conference Chair has the job of selecting the Program Chairs for
each individual venue. At the annual conference, there is a Get
Involved, where people interested in volunteering for next two
years conferences can meet the Chairs. There is an online
application process, then interviews. People come forward, express
an interest, and fill out an application. If the chair is
interested, they contact the person and interview them. The chairs
choices must be approved by the Conference Advisory Group before
anything is final. This year, the Get Involved is on Wednesday,
11 August at 5:30pm. Q. As an artist, you have a wonderfully
innovative eclectic style to your works. What art medias do you
prefer, and what software programs do you use to enhance your
images? Heather: First and foremost, I consider myself a
conceptual digital artist. So, I use technology and choose media
based on what I consider will be the best solution for the
particular piece Im working on. Usually I create some kind of
interactive installation. I often create videos as part of the
installation, using Media 100 and AfterEffects. Interactivity is
always important, so Director and use of an EZIO board allows me to
use sensors and make the piece more immersive. Sometimes I create
a series of digital images using Photoshop, or create an audio
piece that will be part of the installation as well. But I never
let the media dictate the project. The concept of the work
determines what media I will use. Q. Technology has been
predominantly a male dominated field. Through your artwork from
your MFA exhibit, Peep Show, to your recent artistic contribution
to Chicagos Betty Rymer Gallery, Social Seduction have proven
that woman are accepted in the world of art. How do you feel that
female artists have been accepted into the world of Technology?
Heather: I think technology offers a really exciting way to
make statements about gender issues and femininity in particular
because the female image has always been a huge icon in film, TV,
and advertising. So often times, my artwork reflects the way women
have been portrayed throughout contemporary history, and what the
expectations of women are, and have been, in society. Digital Arts
is a relatively new medium, with a 40-year or so history, and as
such, just as in the case of video art, women embraced it in its
infancy, so it is void in a lot of ways of the patriarchal baggage
of older, more traditional media with much longer histories. As a
result, I think women have had a lot of opportunities to succeed in
the realm of technology. I have found this industry, and SIGGRAPH
in particular to be very open-minded in regards to women
researchers. One of the amazing aspects of this conference is this
fantastic respect between and mixture of scientists, researchers,
engineers, artists, and educators in industry, education, research,
and fine art. There is generally a mutual respect among SIGGRAPH
attendees that is one of the most unique and unifying elements of
the conference. Q. Do you see Emerging Technologies going into a
specific direction within the next five years? Heather:
Computers are getting smaller and faster each year. This of course,
impacts the ability to make things portable and more integrated
into other technologies. In regards to interactive technologies, I
believe strongly that virtual 3D environments will become really
important in peoples lives in the near future. The developments in
Augmented (or mixed) Reality in particular have been astonishing in
the past few years. This combination of the real and virtual
worlds, especially when it happens real-time, has an unrivaled
potential for effecting people in their daily lives. Also, new
developments in displays technology that provide more intuitive
ways for people to interact with computers will also have a huge
effect. We have been moving further and further away from the
desktop personal computer with keyboard and mouse, heading toward
more exciting human-computer interfaces which provide much more
natural modes of interaction. Q. What advice would you give
potential contributors who wished to exhibit next year in the
SIGGRAPHs Emerging Technology conference? Heather: Get
really good documentation of your project. Video is the best way to
document your work, but use a tripod and watch your exposure and
white balance! Try to really show the essential concept of your
work and demonstrate people interacting with your project. Make an
effort to really answer the questions being asked. The submission
form breaks down all of the specifics technical innovations,
goals, future so that the jury can easily compare the
submissions. This helps you to present your project in the best
light possible.
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Emerging Technologies
Conference: 8 - 12 August 2004 Exhibition: 10 - 12 August 2004
The Facts
- SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies includes 30 installations selected by a jury of industry experts from a record 114 submissions.
- SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies features a wide variety of interactive installations that enhance, or could potentially enhance, our daily life. There will be a series of panel discussions on the technologies, implications, and challenges associated with each Emerging Technologies project during the conference.
- Ranging from cutting-edge technology with a major emphasis on display technology to thought-provoking immersive art installations, the works represent a broad cross-section of research in virtual and augmented reality, mobile communication, real-time graphics, sensors, haptics, wearables, and fine art.
- Installations are from research labs, universities, independent artists, and industry from around the world. A Quote from the SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies Chair "In our daily routine we are surrounded by technology that enhances our life in many ways, both physically and psychologically," said Heather Elliott-Famularo, SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies Chair from Bowling Green State University. "The SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies exhibition showcases both scientific advances and fine art, with a major emphasis this year in display technology. Attendess will experience virtual and augmented reality, imaging and video technology, interactive displays, robotics, mobile communication, real-time graphics, sensors, haptics, wearables, and interactive fine art installations that may enhance our lives in the near and distant future." Highlights from the SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies Program CirculaFloor -Hiroaki Yano and Hiroyuki Fukushima, University of Tsukuba, and Haruo Noma, ATR Media Information Research Labs CirculaFloor is a locomotion interface created by a group of movable floors that employ a holonomic mechanism to achieve omni-directional motion. Circulation of the floors enables the user to maintain their position while walking in a virtual environment, allowing them to walk in any direction in the virtual world. Healing -Brian Knep Healing is an interactive artwork containing a floor projection with a pattern that changes in response to users. When people interact, they create wounds in the design. When left alone, the pattern grows to cover these wounds, but is never the same as before it was wounded. As in nature, contact causes change, and therefore has a destructive quality, but change also forces growth, making it simulataneously regenerative. Non-Photorealistic Camera -Ramesh Raskar, Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL) Nonphotorealistic Camera is a multi-flash camera that automatically generates stylized images and videos. It enhances the imagery to make it easy to understand the relative depth, or 3D structure, of the objects in the scene. The approach is inspired by techniques used by digital artists to make images more comprehensible by accentuating important features and reducing visual clutter. The system works well in low-contrast conditions such as imaging mechanical parts, plants, or human surgery, and can also be used to stylize imaging in art and entertainment. Last -Jussi Angesleva, Media Lab Europe Last is an analog clock that uses a live video feed to paint its face over time. Instead of displaying only the current moment, Last shows a time buffer of one minute, one hour and 12 hours in the trails of its hands, therefore providing an overview of the dynamics of a space. This rhythm, in turn, offers a means of reflection upon events, or can open a channel between two remote places through cross-streaming. This artwork enables people to feel each other's presence without having to use direct videoconferencing. Lumisight Table: Interactive View-Dependent Display-Table Surrounded by Mutiple Users -Yasuaki Kakehi, The University of Tokyo Lumisight Table can simultaneously display different information to four viewers at one table on a shared screen, and capture their gestures, enabling face-to-face communication. In collaboration, nonverbal communication, such as eye contact, facial expressions, and the handling of physical objects, are essential, but often lost in computer presentations. Lumisight Table maintains this nonverbal communication and collaboration, potentially enhancing the efficiency of cooperative work in daily life. The Invisible Train -Thomas Pintaric, Daniel Wagner, and Dieter Schmalstieg, Vienna University of Technology The Invisible Train is a collaborative, multiplayer game that extends Augmented Reality to mobile devices. The game environment consists of a miniature wooden railroad track outfitted with fiducial markers for visual post-tracking. Unlike common toy trains however, the actual wagons have been replaced with virtual ones that are visible to users only through their PDA display. Players control the game by changing speed and operating track switches, altering the paths of their virtual trains. In a multiplayer game, each player is assigned her own train and tries to prevent them from colliding. The game state is shared between clients and synchronized by wireless networking. The game ends after a certain time has elapsed or when players collide. Tickle Salon -Erwin Driessens and Maria Verstappen Tickle Salon is a haptic system that provides a sensual, soothing experience where users lay back and relax, while a robot gently tickles and strokes their skin. Tickle Salon merges meta creativity, biology, artificial intelligence, and pleasure to create a machine that generates delicate bodily sensations that are normally considered out of the question in the context of robotics. SIGGRAPH 2004 Emerging Technologies opens Sunday 8 August at 1:00 pm and closes Thursday 12 August at 5:00 pm. Complete Emerging Technologies information
