WoodEar opening at UVa’s Ruffin Gallery, August 29 – October 3rd, 2014.

WoodEar opening at UVa’s Ruffin Gallery, August 29 – October 3rd, 2014.

I am very excited to announce that a large scale solo exhibit of my piece, WoodEar, will show at Ruffin Gallery from August 29th to October 3rd, 2014. The August 29th opening, which will run on a Final Friday from 5:30 – 7:30, will include live choreography with multiple dancers directed by UVa Choreographer Katie Schetlick. The installation will also include new digital and fixed media pieces with significant contributions by my collaborator, New York-based sculptor and video artist, Jennifer Lauren Smith. The piece will

WoodEar featured on WVTF

WoodEar featured on WVTF

On May 1st, 2014, Charlotteville NPR affiliate, WVTF, broadcast a story by local radio producer, Sandy Hausman, about WoodEar. A transcript of the story and the original audio are available for reading/listening at the WVTF website: http://wvtf.org/post/wood-ear-exploring-feelings-trees

WoodEar @ The Bridge, April 21st – May 2nd, 2014

WoodEar @ The Bridge, April 21st – May 2nd, 2014

WoodEar made its first appearance in Charlottesville in late April, 2014 with a show at the The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative. For this installation, I used two projections – one a piece I had created for the Pace show, and the other a new piece that runs in the Chrome using Javascript and the HTML5 Canvas element. While it wasn’t a heavily trafficked show, it did attract the attention of a WVTF, a local NPR affiliate, which did a short radio

WoodEar at the Pace Digital Gallery, April 16 – May 3, 2013

WoodEar at the Pace Digital Gallery, April 16 – May 3, 2013

On April 16, 2013, WoodEar had a successful first opening at the Pace Digital Gallery in downtown Manhattan. The piece is spread over three floors, using three flat-screen displays, one projection, and six channels of audio. The video footage used in the piece was created by Jennifer Lauren Smith. After it closes on May 3rd, I intend to revise it and install it at other venues. The installation at Pace was made possible with the help of Turbulence.org and funding

Present Day (2012), audio for film by Jennifer Lauren Smith

Present Day (2012), audio for film by Jennifer Lauren Smith

Continuing our collaborations, I created a soundtrack for Jennifer’s installation film, Present Day, earlier this year. The film is intended for a large vertical projection. Per Jennifer’s description: “Present Day depicts the silhouette of a present-day shaman performing a sequence of movements beneath a crescent moon. His routine is expressive and random and it becomes apparent that his dance is not grounded in a specific cultural tradition but is more a mash-up of idiosyncratic references. As the routine ensues, the

WoodEar (2012), a commission by Turbulence.org

WoodEar (2012), a commission by Turbulence.org

A tree is a biological network: roots gathering water and nutrients, leaves using sunlight to produce food, and phloem and xylem running throughout to move water and nutrients across the structure. WoodEar attempts to extend the dynamic qualities of this biological network into the digital network. A series of sensors attached to the tree stream data on the state of its environment – light, temperature, air pressure, and wind. This live data is merged with photos and recordings of the tree’s immediate

WoodEar receives funding from Turbulence.org and the NEA

WoodEar receives funding from Turbulence.org and the NEA

I’m excited to announce that my proposal for a new piece called ‘WoodEar’, has received a generous grant from Turbulence.org with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Turbulence.org previously funded my 2007 web-based piece, ItSpace. WoodEar will use data from sensors and microphones embedded in a living tree to drive a physical and online sound installation, and will explore the musical and network mappings that can be created when a tree is considered as a resonant object. In

Pixilerations 2011, Providence, RI

Pixilerations 2011, Providence, RI

Following a successful showing at SIGGRAPH 2011 in August, the newly rebuilt ItSpace went for a 10-day showing at the Pixilerations [v.8] New Media Fringe Festival from Sept. 22nd to Oct. 2nd in Providence, RI. It is an annual joint festival between the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Brown University. ItSpace was displayed in the lobby of the recently built Granoff Center for the Creative Arts on Brown’s campus.