Light shed on digital media developments

New ideas around creativity, technology and light will be shared at a three-day event, Wellington Lux, being hosted by the College of Creative Arts on Massey University’s Wellington campus in partnership with Oslo School of Design and Architecture.

The event from July 8-10 will bring together leading international artists, architects, designers and researchers using technology and light in new and dynamic ways through a series of fun and engaging series of presentations and exhibitions, Associate Professor Chris Bennewith says.

“The invited speakers and exhibitors are a broad range of cross-disciplinary practitioners exploring the intersections of digital installation, performance, architectural space, public sculpture, moving image and media art, aiming to create stunning visual and sometimes interactive spectacles.”

For the past 10 years Mr Bennewith, who is head of the College’s Institute of Communication Design, has been creating and exhibiting work with the international art and design collective Squidsoup, which will be represented at the symposium too.

Squidsoup creates installations and artefacts that combine sound, physical space and virtual worlds to produce interactive digital artworks that allow the viewer to take control of their own aesthetic and emotional experience.

Other individuals and groups that will be part of the symposium, include the international visual label Anti VJ who specialise in large scale projection mappings, renowned architects/artists Lab[au] who undertake large interactive architectural lighting installations, Adam Pruden from MIT’s SENSEable Lab who will be showcasing computer controlled LED helicopters, technical director Hamish Bell from Weta Digital, digital media artists the Interrupt Collective and Gabby O’ Connor (currently exhibiting at Wellington’s City Gallery) will also present.

All of the guest artists have a common interest in pushing the boundaries between light, space and interaction, Mr Bennewith says, with the event as relevant to designers, architects and artists in this field as it is for academics and researchers.

“We are lucky enough to have been able to attract some of the most progressive practitioners and researchers in their respective fields,” he says.

Ten exhibited pieces will also be on display in the Engine Room gallery on the Wellington’s campus till July 22 in an exhibition curated by the College’s own Heather Galbraith, including work from Norwegian artist HC Gilje.