Foto: rubra

Fr 4.9. 11:00 – 15:00

Ars Electronica Center
Deep Space (Level 0)

11:00 – 11:30
Pixelspaces Opening: Do-it-Together! (Horst Hörtner, Ars Electronica Futurelab, AT)

Panel 1: DeepImage

Developers from the Ars Electronica Futurelab and artists present their works in the Deep Space.

11:30 – 12:00
Intro: Deep Space (Ronald Martins, Oliver Elias, Daniela Kuka, Ars Electronica Futurelab, AT)

12:00 – 12:30
DeepImage. Giga-Pixel Images at Deep Space (Oliver Elias, Ars Electronica Futurelab, AT)

12:30 – 13:00
xRez in Focus (Eric Hanson, Greg Downing, xRez Studio, Inc., US)

13:30 – 14:00
Ôr’ganik Constructions (Kenneth A. Huff, interdisciplinary visual artist, US)

14:00 – 14:30
Last Supper. New Approaches in Preserving Art History (Pascal Maresch, Ars Electronica Future Lab, AT)

14:30 – 15:00
Iceman Photoscans (Albert Zink, EURAC Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, IT)

Moderation: Daniela Kuka

Deep Space
Deep Space is a large-scale platform for interactive, stereoscopic and high resolution content. Its platform character allows processing Virtual Reality Environments, 2D/3D-Movies and computationally intensive (realtime) 2D applications for a big amount of users. In this talk, we will give an introduction to the general approach of Deep Space and how it differs from CAVE™-like systems. The talk can be seen as a making-of presentation with a special focus on the spatial and the system design. As part of this, we will demonstrate the use of the Apple iPod Touch technology as a VR control unit and the possibility to use other devices as tools for Interactive Storytelling.

The following talk, DeepImage, concentrates on the specially developed viewer for extreme resolution images at Deep Space. The viewer allows to synchronously zoom and pan Giga-Pixel-Images on a 4K projection without any visible loading processes.

xRez in Focus
This session will highlight the work of xRez Studio, a pioneer in gigapixel photography and visual effects work. The talk will discuss the emergence of high resolution gigapixel photography with the convergence of film visual effects techniques. Also shown will be a unique view of Yosemite National Park in North America which, as part of the recent Yosemite Extreme Panoramic Imaging Project, is a single image made up of 10,000 separate shots and mapped onto 3d terrain, revealing an unprecedented elevational view of nature devoid of conventional perspective. Other work in the areas of cultural heritage documentation, computational photography, and dome theatre projection will be shown.

Eric Hanson (US) Eric Hanson is a visual effects designer specializing in the creation of digital environments. Having worked with leading visual effects houses such as Digital Domain, Sony Imageworks, Dream Quest Images, and Walt Disney Feature Animation, his work can be seen in „The Day After Tomorrow“, „Cast Away”, “Mission to Mars”, “Fantasia 2000”, and “The Fifth Element”, among others. He is CEO of xRez Studio, a company specializing in gigapixel photography and effects work, as well as Associate Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, leading their curriculum in visual effects. Eric is a member of the VES, IVRPA, PMA, ACM/Siggraph, and attended University of Texas at Austin. He wishes he could sleep more.

Greg Downing (US) Greg Downing, President of xRez Studio, Inc., specializes in technical photography and image-based 3D technologies. His photographic work has been displayed in some of the nation’s most prestigious museums including the American Museum of Natural History, the Cincinnati Art Museum, and the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Greg’s technical background comes from his work in development at Realviz on ImageModeler, Stitcher and Sceneweaver graphic applications. He has worked in film production as a Lighting Technical Director at Rhythm & Hues and Sony Imageworks in Los Angeles. Greg teaches at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, has presented at professional conferences for both visual effects artists and photographers, and has been published in numerous industry publications.

Ôr’ganik Constructions
With Kenneth A. Huff at Deep Space, you will see something that you have never seen before, but also something that is vaguely familiar. Inspired by the random, yet structured beauty and minute details of nature (flora, fauna and mineral), Huff’s very high resolution images are creating an illusion of reality even while the viewer is gently confronted with the practical knowledge that the objects represented do not exist. At Pixelspaces, Huff will talk about his artistic approach to deal with high resolution imagery and take you on a journey to the details of “Ôr’ganik Contructions”.

Kenneth A. Huff (US) is an interdisciplinary visual artist working in a variety of traditional and new media. Through intricately-detailed abstractions, he explores evolving patterns and forms in nature. His body of organically-inspired work spans more than fourteen years and includes prints, sculptures, time-based projects and photographs. Ken’s works have been included in over 350 public showings in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, United Kingdom and twenty-seven states in the United States.
Ken maintains a studio in Savannah, Georgia and is a Professor of Visual Effects in the School of Film and Digital Media at Savannah College of Art and Design. His work can be viewed on the Web at www.kennethahuff.com.

Iceman Photo Scan
The Iceman Photo Scan is an innovative project which records the complete photographic documentation of the body of the famous 5.300 years old Iceman mummy from South Tyrol. Thanks to 12 differing angle-shots it is possible to see the whole body of the mummy. The intuitive zoom function enables a high-resolution navigation, from a total body image down to millimetric detail. The image at any enlargement guarantees both a perfect view and accurate color reproduction.

PD Dr Albert Zink
got a degree in biology from the university of Ludwig-Maximilian of Munich (LMU), in 1998 he concluded his research doctorate at the Institute for Anthropology and Human Genetics. He was a scientific researcher at the Institute of Pathology at the University of Munich and at the Academic-Teaching hospital of München-Bogenhausen. Here he dedicated himself to the identification of pathological alterations in ancient Egyptian mummies with a major interest in the molecular detection of human pathogens. At the beginning of 2005 he obtained the teaching professorship at the faculty of medicine at the University of Munich. From October 2004 to June 2007 he was a member of Professor Dr. W. M. Heckl’s group at the Department of Geoscience of the University of Munich where he has led a working group in nanomedicine. Since July 2007 he is Scientific Director of the Institute for Mummies and the Iceman at the European Academy (EURAC) in Bolzano, Italy.