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Sunday, June 17, 2012

The following link is a art and science blog that has a lot of interesting work. Please check it out here at the link

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Marketing with Augmented Reality

Another cool effect for Augmented Realty for Green Lantern promotion. Thanks to Patty Rangel



Check out more on her site.

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin demos the AlloSphere






Our thanks to Patty Rangel for turning us on to JoAnn Kuchera-Morin  who demos the AlloSphere, an entirely new way to see and interpret scientific data, in full color and surround sound inside a massive metal sphere. Dive into the brain, feel electron spin, hear the music of the elements ...The Allosphere is at UC Santa Barbara

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Linking Artists and Scientists: Getting Down to the Basics of Creativity

by National Endowment for the Arts on Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 7:52am ·
by Whitney Dail

Image courtesy of San Diego Visual Arts Network

Creativity is a hot topic today. We as a society are fixated with asking, “What is creativity?” How are creative sparks ignited? And can these sparks lead to new ways of looking at the world around us? Well, the San Diego Visual Arts Network (SDVAN) asks: What could happen if artists and scientists partnered to explore its possibilities? SDVAN has organized a cross-disciplinary project that connects the arts with sciences to increase our understanding of creativity and its role in our daily lives. Their project DNA of Creativity brings together artists and scientists in the San Diego area for four different creative endeavors. These artist-scientist teams—with specialists in theater, music, visual arts, design, biology, engineering, mathematics, and physics--have begun collaborating to produce a series of activities, publications, and lesson plans centered on a variety of art/science works. The results of these collaborations will include a smartphone app for locating art events with augmented reality, structural design for preserving urban wildlife, theatrical skits surveying the aesthetics of art and science, and a multimedia exhibition raising awareness for marine conservation. To learn more about DNA of Creativity’s development and culmination, we spoke with Patricia Frischer, SDVAN’s founder and coordinator.

NEA: Patricia, can you tell me about the DNA of Creativity and how the project began?

PATRICIA FRISCHER: SDVAN is always searching for new collaborations and ways to build audience for the visual arts. Our high- and bio-tech industry are real drivers of the San Diego economy and involving science in art projects seemed a logical next step for our organization, which has put on numerous large-scale collaborative projects. The idea of the DNA of Creativity is to actually understand the added value that a project has when matchmaking an artist with a scientist. We could have also called the project the DNA of Innovation; but as we are a visual arts organization, we are comfortable with the word creativity.

Once I started to explore what was out there on the Internet about art and science in 2010, I realized there was definitely room for another project, especially in San Diego. I started gathering information, which eventually was shared on our DNA of Creativity blog. I was then contacted by Harvey Seifter who was putting together the Art of Science Learning conference in Chicago, San Diego, and Washington, DC. He wanted help getting out the word about his conference and--with our 4,000-5,000 unique visitors a month and one million hits a year--we were able to fill a few seats and also document the conference. I met some exciting people and felt confident that we were going in the right direction. We held one large networking gathering to see if there was popular interest with both artists and scientist locally. We used that occasion to discuss various types of collaborations and to start brainstorming possible projects. In no time at all we had more than 150 people interested in the project.

NEA: The mission of the project is described as “in-depth team explorations” to demonstrate the creative processes of overlapping artistic and scientific inquiry. What are some of the goals that have been set?

FRISCHER: Our mission for DNA of Creativity is to make connections between the art and science worlds with a goal of fusing the energies of both communities to produce a series of projects, which will enhance the viewing public’s perception of creativity and its role in our lives. We are a supporter of the idea of changing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) into STEAM by adding the arts. The project is divided into four components. Teams of a minimum of five,with a combination of artists and scientists, choose a theme for their project, which they have approximately 18 months to realize. Then each team must document the process of the collaboration and how creativity/innovation is enhanced by the relationships of the team members. Each team has to create lesson plans based on their project theme and then make a public presentation of their project in whatever format they choose.

Our goals for this project are aligned with the general goals for the SDVAN. We hope to meet the challenge of making the complexities of art and science collaboration accessible to a new and enlarged audience. We want to showcase the aesthetics of both the arts and the sciences and enhance the viewing public’s perception of creativity and its role in our lives as thriving, positive, empowered, and fun. We hope that describing the creative process will encourage appreciation of excellence in the fields of art and science and reinforce the idea of San Diego as an innovation destination. It is important to us to create additional awareness for all the supporting organizations in this field including corporate, non-profit, political, and never forgetting educational. Invigorating students of all ages to support the arts and sciences either as participants or beneficiaries is always a high priority.

NEA: What do you see is the connection between art and science?

FRISCHER: There are numerous similarities between art and science. They both balance direct experience with thinking. They both need skills of design and craft. But the more interesting questions might be--what are the differences between art and science? We think of a scientist questing for those things that are repeatable and can be proven. Artists are often involved in fantasy as well as reality. What we have found is that many of the participants on the teams are both artists and scientist with the majority of those being scientists first and adding an interest in art later in their careers. The connection will certainly be varied and changing depending on the people involved and the theme of the project.

NEA: Where did the name "DNA of Creativity" come from?

FRISCHER: We really want to focus on the scientific components that contribute to the structure of creativity so DNA became our shorthand for that idea. I was actually surprised when none of our projects was focused on formal DNA studies, but maybe we are redefining the word.

NEA: How is DNA of Creativity funded?

FRISCHER: SDVAN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and we are funded by donations made by those who want us to reach our goals. We received donation for as little as $5. But in order to assure this project could be additionally funded, we received grants from private foundations including the Smart Family Foundation and the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Foundation.

NEA: Four artist-scientist teams have been selected to embark upon investigation with topics such as augmented reality, climate change, wildlife preservation, and aesthetics. How were the teams chosen?

FRISCHER: We were pleased that the selection committee for the grants included prestigious members of the arts and science community: Harvey Seifter, Art of Science Learning Director and Principal Investigator for the National Science Foundation grant; Ron Newby, Bronowski Art and Science Forum; and Ruth West, Research Associate, UCSD Research in Computing and the Arts…. This was not a competition but instead a desire to help teams work toward the best possible projects. We asked for help in assessment from the DNA of Creativity administration team in the early stages, looking for the following: extent of cross-disciplinary innovation; degree of scholarly risk-taking, integration of concept explored and form in which it is executed; feasibility for completion within the time frame; relevance to individual team members’ disciplines; ability to create a community involvement component to the project; PR-friendliness to raise awareness about all participants; and inclusion of for-profit corporations, businesses, and individuals as well as non-profit associations.

NEA: Kaz Mazlanka’s team proposed a series of participatory theatrical skits. What other types of artistic media will be explored?

FRISCHER: Jason Rogalski’s team will be constructing architects’ design habitats for wildlife, which will be mixed media constructions, the Batt App team will be looking into augmented reality software, and Kira Corser’s Changing Ocean team is looking at multi-media installation with glass, fabric, dance elements, and video.

NEA: What can we expect to see as outcomes from these art/science collaborations?  

FRISCHER: Because each team has to document the process of collaboration, we are expecting to see a variety of collaborative strategies demonstrated. Ruth West, who has vast experience in this field, helped us to pinpoint what those might be: putting the process of the scientist on view, reconceptualizing science and making it into art, challenging new cultural forms in a reflective use of science, and affecting science by pushing new scientific ideas to be formulated. We are hoping to showcase the added value that is gained when artists and scientists collaborate.

NEA: So far, have there been any challenges?

FRISCHER: Language is always a challenge when you put experts together as they have a developed vocabulary in their practices. Having worked with teams before, we know about the challenges of team collaborations. We have arranged a special workshop on team development, team management, meeting structure, and conflict resolution. As this is not a project that is funded with salaries for the participants, we are aware of time usage issues. That is one reason we wanted quite large teams instead of small teams to share the workload.

NEA: What are the plans for DNA of Creativity’s exhibition and education?

FRISCHER: We put no limit on the media and mediums that are acceptable by the teams. Some of the public presentations will be exhibitions, theatrical presentations, panel discussions, and lectures. The Oceanside Museum of Art has stepped forward and is offering exhibition space as is the Escondido Art Partnership, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries Service, and Mira Costa College. Since collaborations are sought, we are open in the next year to make relationships with anyone interested in the project. We are expecting a minimum of one lesson plan from each of the projects and those will be published and available online for free. Results of the lesson taught by teachers and the project will also be highlighted on the DNA of Creativity website.

NEA: Any additional comments you would like to share?

FRISCHER: As a visual arts activist, one does not take on a project like this without a firm belief in the power of art to enlighten and enhance our lives.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Art and Science of Gaming: Games Making a Better World


Jane McGonigal Selected as SIGGRAPH 2012 Keynote Speaker

Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems? Jane McGonigal says we can, and explains how.
Reality is broken, says Jane McGonigal, and we need to make it work more like a game. Her work shows us how. Full bio » 
Reality needs better game design. Jane McGonigal is a visionary game designer and futurist, and she is harnessing the power of the Internet games in new ways to help solved some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and tomorrow.

McGonigal has been selected as keynote speaker for SIGGRAPH 2012. She is director of game research and development at the Institute for the Future (IFTF), where her research focuses on how games are transforming the way we lead our real lives, and how they can be used to increase our resilience and well-being.

“As both a visual artist and innovative game designer, Jane McGonigal is the ideal keynote for SIGGRAPH 2012 as the perfect illustration of this year’s conference theme,” said Rebecca Strzelec, SIGGRAPH 2012 Conference Chair from Penn State Altoona. “Her vision, vocation, and world-renowned accomplishments truly embody the collision, juxtaposition, and interaction of art and science.”

McGonigal is a visionary game designer and futurist, using alternate reality games to conduct research, build communities, connect with markets, and solve real-world problems from curing disease to addressing issues of poverty, hunger, and a world without petroleum. She has created and deployed award-winning games in more than 30 countries on six continents and directed the world’s first massively multiplayer forecasting game, Superstruct, which brought together more than 7,000 future forecasters from 90 countries.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Differences between Art and Science

Fundamental Science and the Big Machine

Annaka Harris interviews Lisa Randall

Quote of the Day:

Science proceeds with uncertainty at the edges, but it is advancing methodically overall. The wisdom and methods we acquired in the past survive. But theories evolve as we better understand a larger range of distances and energies.

Read the whole article http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/welcome-to-the-machine

NEA Art and Science project Interviews

We have been interviewed for this NEA blog and hope to send you the link soon. In the meantime take a look at their previous  blogs on the subject of art and science collaborations:

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Projection Mapping

Check it out
Scream and Shout
https://vimeo.com/43385747

May 31, 2012 DNA of Creativity Meeting notes


Dear DNAers,



I wanted to give you an update about our last meeting on May 31st. It was was attended by 26 enthusiastic and energetic DNAers. Each of the four teams made a small presentation and received their grant.



Batt App (a smart phone app to locate local arts events with an augmented reality component)

Changing Oceans (project featuring  climate change, pollution and dwindling fish populations)

Urban Succession (preserving wild life in urban settings)

PolyAesthetic Mapping (a structure to think about the collaborations that artists and scientist experience). 

Ruth West gave a fascinating talk on art/science collaboration strategies. Darwin Slindee spoke on team formation, responsibilities, meeting formulas and conflict resolution, reminding us that the energy of conflict is better than apathy! Hand out sheets are available on on the DNAofCreativity.org website (About-Educataion) for both presentations. Several people commented that these presentations were very helpful in  many ways. We are intending to mentor the teams through the process of collaboration as much as possible and will stay in close touch with team leaders. 

The video of the meeting will be posted on at the bottom of this page or you can access it right now on this link. http://vimeo.com/43541974

Teams will be adding members and so if you are interested in any of the teams do let us know. patricia@sdvisualarts.net

In our next stages, we are encouraging all the teams to create websites. These will be linked on www.DNAofCreavity.org and you can get updates of events and team progress on that site.

PS. Watch for a small article on the Batt App and DNA of Creativity in City Beat on June 7. We were also contacted by the NEA who are planning to post an interview about DNA of Creativity on their facebook page!

We look forward to hearing from many of you often.
Patricia Frischer

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Augmented Realty summary

By Patricia Frischer


One of the four projects of the DNA of Creativity project (the Batt App) is going to have an augmented reality (AR) component. I had no idea what that meant this time last year, but bit by bit I am learning about this exciting new area of communication. I hope to give you a brief description of my discoveries and some links so you can see for yourself how exciting this technology really is that combines elements from the physical and the virtual world to create new experiences at home, in business, and by smart phone where ever you are connected to the internet.

Please note in my descriptions below, you must click on the links to really get an idea as no written explanation is adequate to describe these new technologies.  

I went to a presentation in May produced by Commnexus called Augmented Reality: Is It Real? hosted by the law firm Mintz Levin. The first presenter, Mike Gonzales, Creative Director and Brand Digital Manager of Wow Wee USA Inc is producing a line of AR toys under the brand AppGear which will sell for only $9.95. That is an incredible price when you realize that the child (or child at heart) will get a toy that acts as a marker to launch the technology similar to computer games purchases as dvds. The toys will be collectable and the AR component will lengthen the play time from the usual few hours to days and days of interaction.

This is the natural progression when the ipad, computer and smart phone become the playthings of our young people. The company started with a $100 robot which sold 6 million units and will probably come out with a $39.95 robot that will allow you to use your smart phone to see smoke trails when rockets are launched and do virtual repairs. But the first set of apps will include a small toy plane (Foam Fighters)  which attaches to your device and makes that device into a control panel for flying through the digital landscape. It has gaming capacity for multiple players and other games in this line can make your tabletop into a game board. Mike has produced toys in the Far East, but lives and has his head office in Carlsbad.

That brings me to our star local company Qualcomm which is no longer making actual phones but streaming ahead with software. Jay Wright, Senior Director, Business Development, Qualcomm is so confident of the augmented reality technology that the firm is offering free software to develop apps using it called  Vuforia.    Go to this link to see some incredible videos of what this software can do.  This, more than anything, has convinced me that AR is not a flash in the pan, but an alternate reality that will be here to stay. Retailers will use the AR apps and that will generate income and of course, apps will continue to be sold for $.99 in the millions.

Qualcomm sees AR in three distinct areas: 1. gaming and play (like WooWee), 2. Interactive media (like offering more information at point of sale, expanded advertising techniques and added value in use of products) and the last big area is 3. instructional (all those how to use, construct and repair manuals will be interactive). I loved the catsup bottle label that turns into a recipe book.

The goal is to treat your phone as much like your eye as possible. Not many of the applications that I have learned about have actually materialized yet, but they are really coming. They already have 26,000 software designers using the software which recognizes 400 phones and already 800 apps have been developed. There are challenges that the technology faces.  These programs are battery suckers and there is no unified viewer so you have to download each app. The idea of AR glasses or goggles is still in the future.  

We have no idea at this stage what aspects we will be incorporating into our upcoming smart phone application for SDVAN. Will we use it for promotion or will our resources be able to use it to add layers of information to their programs? We are only at the beginning of this research.  

Here are two more links that are already resident on the DNA of Creativity Blog. If you are not yet following this blog, it is great fun to see the variety of art and science collaboration that are out there.


Mar 24, 2012
Augmented Reality Pop Up Books. Augmented Reality Pop Up... NokiaTattoo that vibrates

Jan 08, 2012
In our sample DNA of Creativity application we give a link to Elipse augmented reality. You can use your phone to see added featured on images that are processed to be recognizable by the camera of your smart phone.



Monday, June 4, 2012

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