Time to Meet The Media Gurus

Digifest 2012 is pleased to announce architect Carlo Ratti, 3D artist Luc Courchesne and interactive dance choreographers Ariella Vidach and Claudio Prati of AiEP, are all confirmed to speak at this year’s festival as part of the Meet the Media Guru keynote series.

Luc Courchesne

Luc Courchesne is a pioneer in media art and design. From interactive portraiture to immersive experience systems, he has developed innovative approaches which have earned him international recognition and prestigious awards such as the Grand Prix of the ICC Biennale 1997 in Tokyo, an Award of Distinction and several Honorary Mentions at Prix Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria, an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and participations in Wired’s Next Fest. Luc Courchesne is full professor at Université de Montréal, a founding member and current director of research at the Society for Art and Technology, and member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Luc will be on the main stage between 5 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 18.

AiEP
Founded in 1988 by the dancer and choreographer Ariella Vidach and by the director and expert in multimedia Claudio Prati, the dance company AIEP realizes projects in the field of visual media arts and develop an expressive language that draws from the most diverse fields of the arts (dance, music, video art, design). In over twenty years of activity, the artistic career of AiEP has explored the use of interactive media in an increase of complexity: using video projections on stage interctive with almost invisible sensors worn by the performers, motion capture and computer graphics, always exploring the relationship between body, choreography and interactive systems and the interference between art and technology.
Ariella and Claudio will be on the main stage between 5 and 7 p.m. on Friday, October 19.

Carlo Ratti

Carlo Ratti is a civil engineer and architect who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he directs the SENSEable City Laboratory. This lab studies the built environment of cities — from street grids to plumbing and garbage systems — using new kinds of sensors and hand-held electronics that have transformed the way we can describe and understand cities. Other projects flip this equation — using data gathered from sensors to actually create dazzling new environments. The Digital Water Pavilion, for instance, reacts to visitors by parting a stream of water to let them visit. And a new project for the 2012 Olympics in London turns a pavilion building into a cloud of blinking interactive art.

Carlo will be on the main stage between 5 and 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 20.