ElectroPlastiques: Object #1 / Grid distortion

I have a new exhibition coming up in Akron, Ohio as part of an artist in residence stay at the Myers School of Art. Titled "ElectroPlastiques", it is my first ever solo show. Interesting that it would take a show in the US for that to happen, although not really so surprising given that the European media art scene is geared towards festivals. The exceptions are the few European media artists who have found gallery representation, a process that seems to be going even slower in Europe than in the US.

I’m using this show to highlight some of the existing topics of my work with realtime animation, as well as a new direction dealing with physical output. I will screen a series of my generative animations, such as Neon Organic, ElectroPlastique #1 & #2 and Illuminations A. These pieces explore the plastic qualities of parametric software processes, where a single set of rules gives rise to an infinite sequence of possible configurations. The title of the show is intended to refer to the plasticity of digital media.

As a counter-point, I will be showing manifestations of my work in physical formats, where animation gives way to other qualities. My rapid prototyping pieces Object #1 - #3 and new work like the Grid distortion laser cuts explore the tactile possibilities of digital fabrication, while prints like the Packing series go beyond the limited resolution of the screen to explore issues of graphic detail.

In addition to the exhibition itself, there will be a lecture this Monday as well as three nights of outdoor projections onto the massive walls of EJ Thomas Hall. To top it off, there will be an event next Thursday featuring a moderated conversation between myself and a biologist, followed by a party. Oh, and I’m also giving a Processing workshop. All in all, it should be an interesting event.

You can read the full exhibition blurb below. My thanks to the brothers Nate and Kirk Mueller for setting all this in motion and being excellent hosts during my stay in Akron.

Marius Watz: ElectroPlastiques
03/24/2008 - 04/23/2008

ElectroPlastiques explores software as a material for artistic expression, not just as a production tool but as the very medium from which the work is constructed. In the work of Marius Watz aesthetic decisions are encoded as algorithms, computational recipes for the construction of form. His bold geometrical compositions enlist the computer as collaborator in order to explore the plastic qualities of parametric systems, hinting at an infinite series of possible forms produced from a finite set of rules.

Through structures that range from the architectural to the organic, from the order to the chaotic, Watz presents the viewer with a narrative of synthesis and transformation. Even when presented in the form of still images or physical objects, the work retains the potential for animation, the threat of seamlessly morphing from one formal configuration into another. Thus the theme of the exhibition is the plasticity of form, made possible by its articulation as software.