SCIENCE

The Texas Advanced Computing Center is excited to announce two upcoming exhibitions that explore the intersections of art, technology, and science.

Both exhibitions expand advanced computing in new directions. By offering the power of visualization tools to the digital media, arts and humanities communities, and working in collaboration with artists and researchers, TACC is facilitating new experiences and possibilities.

"It's fantastic to see what artists create when they have access to advanced visualization resources," said Rob Turknett, digital media, arts and humanities coordinator at TACC. "The excellent response to the exhibitions we hosted in June and September of 2010 convinced us that this is something we need to do more of."

The ACES Visualization Lab is home to "Stallion," the world's highest-resolution tiled display at 307 megapixel resolution. Stallion provides users with the ability to perform visualizations on a large 15x5 tiled display of 75 widescreen, flat panel monitors. The exhibitions will make use of Stallion and other technologies, including a stereographic 3D display and a 4k digital theater projection system.

"Over the next several months, you'll see TACC launching more creative collaborations with these communities," Turknett said. "The lab is a resource not only for science, but for the arts and humanities as well."

The first exhibition is in conjunction with The UT Vital Arts and Theories group, an interdisciplinary research cluster that focuses on art and science in understanding forms of life. Their spring showcase, "Bug in the Machine," will present digital art that explores organic and inorganic life. The exhibit features work from artists and scholars including artist-turned-entomologist Gracen Brilmyer, professor of romantic literature and science at Duke University; Austin photographer Robert Mitchell; Ben Aqua, new media artist; and Daniel Mauro, UT Radio/Television/Film PhD student.

WHAT: "Bug in the Machine"
WHO: UT Austin's Vital Arts and Theories Group and TACC
WHEN: March 25, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
WHERE: ACES Visualization Lab, ACE Building, Room 2.404a, UT Main Campus
COST: Free and open to the general public.

The second exhibition, organized in partnership with Gallery Shoal Creek, is entitled "Presence Absence" and explores the work of artists using digital media to transform the content and experience of their work.

Nicholas Dertien's clear glass sculptures become an eerie journey of shifting reflections when translated into photographic media. Marcy B. Freedman uses remote video conferencing to facilitate real-time interaction with her viewers, while challenging them to contemplate the relevance of stories to our experience of reality. Francesca Samsel transforms her prints and drawings into a flux of imagery, tracing the associative connections that reflect her experience of these tumultuous times. Sally Weber, a hologram artist, explores subtle light transformations digitally in 3D.

WHAT: "Presence Absence"
WHO: Gallery Shoal Creek and TACC
WHEN: April 7, 5:30-8:00 p.m. & Saturday, April 9, 11am-5pm, as part of Art Austin's "On Site" Tour
WHERE: ACES Visualization Lab, ACE Building, Room 2.404a, UT Main Campus
COST: Free and open to the general public.