The Art Gallery at this year's SIGGRAPH features tremendous work that pushes the boundaries of the digital medium. Walking in, I was immediately greeted with all kinds of information. I realized quickly that this exhibit was much more than an exhibition of talent. It was an exhibition of social issues. Much of the art had to do with visualization of certain topics. Armed with the theme, Global Eyes, the focus of this year's Art Gallery was very much an international one. Although there has been considerable international participation in past Art Galleries, this year there was a definite push to include more art work and installations from abroad. The reason is simple, Vebeke Sorensen, Chair of the venue, feels that as the world becomes more global, SIGGRAPH should try to be as inclusive of people from other countries and cultures as possible, to give an expansive view of the world. Technology is reaching out globally, and previous ways of using technology are being challenged by the global community. People who were previously isolated from the global community and its technology are now being liberated by it. This is a two way street as well. Increasing communication and the perception of the world around us allows for technology to hold greater potential; all this has an effect on the world of art. This directly translated into the information given to attendees as they walked through the Art Gallery. Much of the art used technology to visualize the information taken from social issues. This gave the viewer access and understanding into, and hopefully a new perspective on, these issues. This year there were more than 660 submissions from 30 countries. The main categories presented during Global Eyes included animation, artist books, panel discussions, papers, digital performances, art installations, as well as monitor and wall-based works.

One of the more popular installations was a darkened room filled with globes. It was an installation called WorldProcessor.  Worldprocessor is an ongoing project that started in 1988. The globes reflect data available and valid at the time they were made. Currently over 300 different such globes have been created, although there were only a handful displayed in this installation. Each of the globes presented a different way of viewing the world. Some of them had to do with the environment, others had to do with economics and aid. I noticed that each attendee felt drawn to look at each globe in the room, learning a little more about how the world works with every step. One could argue that the exhibit gave each attendee something to think about, and hopefully something to act on. In my opinion, if nothing else, it’s a step in the right direction. Art dealing with social issues presents the facts without necessarily suggesting a solution. Some do, but I think it’s the viewer’s responsibility to act as they see fit, the artist and work merely providing the necessary provocation. That’s the beauty of it.

Other pieces in the gallery had a more satirical approach. Of note was the automated confessional, The Automatic Confession Machine: a Catholic Turing Test by Gregory Garvey, from Quinnipiac University.  Garvey has been involved with SIGGRAPH for many years. His piece presented attendees with a chance to kneel before a physical confessional, select the applicable sins from a touch pad, and be suggested the appropriate penance. This was an obvious satirical stab at the Catholic Church. It was fun to watch attendees interact with the confessional and ask for forgiveness by pressing on a keyboard. Another installation, Viral Confections, by Caitlin Berrigan, was similarly innovative and disquieting. Here, a jar full of chocolates sat elegantly on a table, a poem carefully placed beside it.  Part of the series Sentimental Objects in Attempts to Befriend a Virus, Viral Confections presents an inventive way of looking at the protein structure of the hepatitis C virus. To do so, a plaster model of the virus was printed as a rapid prototype (from a 3D illustration of the virus), from which the chocolates were cast. These delicious truffles did not carry hepatitis C, instead each one was “lovingly” handmade from Belgian roasted cocoa in an attempt to “befriend the virus.” Just being next to the jar of chocolates made me nervous. I know it was just a representation, but after reading the poem, I still felt uneasy. I can’t imagine actually eating one of those chocolates.

The Art Gallery was amazing this year, and I would definitely recommend seeing it in future years.

For further reading, below are a few websites containing additional information about some of the pieces  mentioned in this article:

WorldProcessor                http://worldprocessor.com/
Caitlin Berrigan                 http://www.membrana.us/index.html