Advanced Digital Imaging
Spring 2020
Virtual 3D Exhibition

Associate Professor of Arts & GSAS: Kathleen Ruiz
Programmer/Design: Ian Schmidt
Music: "Noodling in C Major" composed and performed by Sonia Schmidt
Mexican Flower Photograph: Sarah Plant

Download: (PC):

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QO8s_TOj9uS1w1LpQDyVcB_VBIK35M3q

* 500 MB, * uses wasd keyboard and mouse controls, or joystick
* hit escape to clear the menu, or to bring it up again
* remember to bring your mobile phone camera for quick access to the QR links

iOS App forthcoming:

We had been scheduled to install and open an extensive physical exhibition in April in the Sage Labs in the Dean’s Gallery, the Vertical Gallery and the Corridors of Creativity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but with the global pandemic this was going to be impossible. My students wanted to exhibit their work and we built this ADI 2020 3D Virtual Gallery, entitled, The Mind Palace . It is loosely designed around those spaces.

The Mind Palace features works by students, Lucy Beldin, John Fava , Ian Schmidt and others including Mike Adetunji, Xinyi Goh, Raegan Light, Kham Wa, and Krizden Wagoner. Ian Schmidt dedicated himself to learning 3d and Unity and to creating the virtual gallery. He did an extraordinary job within a shortened time-frame within a global pandemic!!

We invite you to experience these amazing works.

Don't forget to bring your mobile phone camera. You can aim it at any of the QR codes within the virtual gallery to trigger links to other information, animations, film clips or audio visual material.

The Mind Palace offers much, so please take your time wandering through the rooms - from Lucy Beldin’s physically sculpted and virtual pencils , cups and photographs that represent the strength, but also the fragility of students and the burdens they face, and the power of knowledge; to Ian Schmidt’s photographs of a renewed hyper experience and appreciation of the simplest buddings and stirrings of Spring that give us hope for renewal even as they emerge through nature despite Covid. Look up and experience his super moon photographs. Also see his dynamic portraits. John Fava’s photogrammetry documents a heightened awareness of the social psychology and mapping of “touch” in the shelter of home that is at once protection while also now being a place of confinement and deep introspection. Watch as he even traces your pathway through his unique spaces. See the many lively dance works that celebrate the body in its tension, grace and beauty. These short study student works unwittingly became small samplings of what would become a cancelled physical performance by the Ellen Sinopoli dance troupe.

Be sure to experience the Covid Containment space, a cathartic playspace where you push large Covid-19 viruses into confinement.

And do not forget the Dean’s Gallery - a virtual match of sorts of the physical gallery in Sage - hung with Eli Pimpao’s hauntingly beautiful high dynamic range photographs that contrast the power of local nature, with the nature of power generation and transmission.

Gallery Reception Room: These are the words that came to me when I thought of my students in Advanced Digital Imaging Spring 2020: SOLIDARITY, RESILIENCE, COURAGE, RESOURCEFUL, STRENGTH, UNITY, CARING, LEARNING, STRETCHING, SKILLS, EXPRESSIVE, LEADERSHIP. Each student showed these traits and I became even more proud of them. They are each truly exceptional people who will make great contributions to the world. We arranged the words in the gallery opening lobby as sculptural elements upon which to sit, ponder or climb or jump on.
(No problem with gallery security here, haha.)

We invite you to explore each of the virtual galleries to see and experience the students’ amazing work!

Each student also has a QR code that you can virtually walk over to and then with your mobile phone get more amplified information on the work and the thinking of the artists.

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It was an unusual semester to say the least. We were out and many were away on the first days of Spring break in early March when we received the notification that the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic would start raging full force. Everyone including the students, staff, and faculty needed to vacate their dorms and offices. We were dislocated, shocked, confused and I think I can say it - somewhat scared. This was going to be very challenging as students and faculty learned that we would not be returning to campus for the rest of the semester and we all needed to re-gear our thinking and way of working and move quickly to distance learning with Webex or Zoom or Discord or other platforms and try to keep on track with our work for the semester.

I remember sending an email to the effect of:

I know these are challenging times and we will look back on 2020 as a very unique time - that despite all the difficulties we faced-we rose up to meet them - and excelled!

We have a number of students graduating this semester and we think about all you must be feeling about the unusual circumstances due to the Covid-19. We have a number of younger students who may be living on campus and may be facing displacement. Our hearts go out to all of you who face not only the normal intense challenges of being a student in today’s world, but also now being displaced, or even ill. Please stay well and stay in communication with me as to any circumstances or logistics you anticipate, or are currently facing.

I am so proud of each one of you and the challenges you have met and your achievements in what you are doing in ADI🌷 Deep thanks and let us stay strong. The 🌎🌏🌍 needs us!

Sincerely, Professor Ruiz

And another email,

“Above all we will stay calm, be creative (remember there are opportunities in problems), be resourceful and stay flexible while we enact our detailed research plans.

Please try to stay as healthy as possible following the suggestions of our health director and please let me know if you have any creative ideas for our upcoming exhibition.”

Well my fabulous students did!! And this ADI 2020 3D Virtual Gallery is how and where they wanted to exhibit their work. We hope you enjoy the exhibition!

Kathleen Ruiz, Associate Professor of Arts & GSAS
ruiz@rpi.edu

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Advanced Digital Imaging (ADI) is an upper level studio exploring individual mixed media arts research contributing to thesis or dissertation development. Topics in creative expression in imaging, spatial studies, installation, multiple realities, and digital/physical mixed media practices are examined as students work toward formal exhibition of their work. Advanced studies throughout the semester resonate students’ independent thesis or dissertation ideas through various exploratory techniques and culminate in a final project and web portfolio documentation.

Short readings foster critical cultural awareness of contemporary art practices and include literary works from Saunders, Powers, and others; theoretical works from Barthes, Steyerl, Iles, Manovich, Soslo, Sacks, MoHoly-Nagy; and individualized theoretical, philosophical, technical, and historical readings related to personal creative exploration and research.

For more information please see: https://homepages.hass.rpi.edu/ruiz/AdvancedDigitalImagingSpring2020/ADISpring2020.htm