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Pioneer Spirit & Avantgarde
'Frank Dietrich
Frank Dietrich
With artificial life and organic environments, artists and scientists are now exploring biological associations which until now could only be theoretically or speculatively considered. For the first time ever, the most up-to-the-minute computer technology makes it possible to perceptibly experience the dimensions of artificially created worlds and to see various action alternatives in their consequences.
Computer systems which are capable of handling the volumes of data to be processed and of visualizing it "at finger tip" in corresponding quality, are the results of ten years of experience made by Silicon Graphics at the fore-front of technological evolution. This experience is embodied in the Silicon Graphics' graphics work stations: - interactive 3-D graphics, in full colour
- digital integration of various media (text, graphics, photography, video, CD-audio)
- photo-realism in real-time, for the first time on the Reality Engine
- the fastest and most efficient graphics on the desktop with Indigo
We are pleased that computer artists and scientists for virtual reality, artificial life and other interactive environments, preferably use work stations by Silicon Graphics. We regard this as being a meaningful partnership which will be beneficial for both parties. The demands made on the efficiency of computer systems by the artistic and scientific avantgarde present us with a permanent challenge and ensure that Silicon Graphics Workstations continue to develop in rapid cycles. With the RISC-PC's of the Indigo family a new computer category was introduced combining the advantages of a PC in terms of being easy to use, size and price, with the efficiency of a work station. As real multimedia machines, the indigos have an enormous development environment and at the same time are binary compatible with all larger systems made by Silicon Graphics, even with the super computers with symmetrical multi-processing. The availability of these capacities literally opens up new worlds that artists and scientists produce creative access to.
Ars Electronica is a forum which confronts us with such artificial worlds. It ranks among the most significant international events of this kind. Silicon Graphics, as the leading manufacturer of computer systems for visual processing does not consider it to be a necessary obligation to support Ars Electronica, but rather a contribution to the cultural debate concerning essential questions of our time.
Silicon Graphics Computer Systems GmbH, Modecenterstraße 14, A-1030 Wien, Austria, (0222) 7986848
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