COLLISIONfive, the next dimension

a celebration of art and technology
MIT Compton Gallery Apr26-May11, 2003
Opening reception Sun Apr 27th, 1-8pm

The MIT Museum, the MIT student art group, ATat (Arts and Technology at tech), and the COLLISIONcollective, present COLLISIONfive, the next dimension, a celebration of art and technology. The fifth event in the popular Collision Series, COLLISIONfive is part of the 2003 Boston Cyberarts Festival and showcases art from MIT students and local artists who use new technologies in their work. Light sculptures, digital-clothing, autonomous robots, sounds-scapes, video installations, and more will be on display over the weekend, with special live performances at the opening on Sunday. Artists include JackBackRack, Jessica Banks, Eric Bordeux, Nell Breyer, Aaron Edsinger, Simon Greenwold, Eric Gunther, Saoirse Higgins, Henry Kaufman, Brian Knep, Mat Laibowitz, Kevin McCormick, David Merrill, Dan Paluska, Amanda Parkes, Hayes Raffle, Ben Recht, Simon Schiessl, Lily Shirvanee, John Stedl, Fran Trainor, Brian Whitman and Noah Vawter.

The MIT student art group ATat, Arts and Technology at tech, was founded in 2001 to host events showcasing art that incorporates technology. Its first three events have shown the art and performance of over forty MIT and Boston-area artists. These events have seen people of all ages engaged in interactive robotic art, exploring laser lighted spaces, shaking their heads at LED sculptures, listening and dancing to live electronic music and generally having a good time while being introduced to the future of art. Ages 5 to 65 have been represented in the previous audiences --- there's something for everyone.

The COLLISIONcollective group meets roughly every other week to share ideas and experience gained from creation of art. The meetings, dubbed Collision Collusions are a high-tech show-and-tell with different artists sharing their work each session. Their work can be found in MIT basements, Boston lofts, local art galleries and museums in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and overseas.

"ATat events try to focus on bringing together artists moonlighting as engineers, and engineers moonlighting as artists. Boston is a great place to be for technology and art. The art in the Collision shows appeals to people on so many different levels. I think many people are frustrated by the sterility of untouchable paintings in whitewashed galleries. Most of the technology used in the Collision shows is technology that brings the art closer to the viewer and allows the viewer to participate in a way they never have before. It allows them to touch, to effect, to experience."
-Dan Paluska, co-curator, ATat founder

"I am very excited about the combined artistic and technical talent represented in this show. The hyperCOLLISION works are fresh, evocative, and challenging. hyperCOLLISION will be a great show for people curious about the boundaries between man and machine and between art and science, and more generally interested in the future of art itself. "
- Jonathan Bachrach, co-curator, COLLISIONcollective founder

"This is great opportunity to see what's happening at the bleeding edge of both technology and art."
- Brian Knep, co-curator, local-area artist

For more information, including photos and video, please visit the websites listed below:

http://web.mit.edu/at/www/
http://collisioncollective.org
http://web.mit.edu/museum/

funded in part by the council for the arts at mit and the mit graduate student council.

Comments and questions to jrb at ai.mit.edu