Deep Space – Post City

Deep Space 8K

raphaelgi — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 18:10:15 +0000

The history of 3-D projections in the Ars Electronica Center began in 1996 with the legendary CAVE, a 3x3x3-meter box created at the Electronic Visualization Lab in Chicago. The 2009 premiere of Ars Electronica’s Deep Space created a sensation among industry insiders as well as laypeople of all ages. Infrastructure configured by the Ars Electronica Futurelab produced 16×9-meter images on the space’s wall and floor that represented a viewing revolution.

Pushing the Envelope

The crystal-clear depictions of high-definition photos, stereoscopic videos, 3-D visualizations and interactive games featured in Deep Space expanded the boundaries of technical feasibility. Now, in 2015, Deep Space has been taken to the next level.

Total Makeover

Following a major technical upgrade in the summer of 2015 and the installation of eight 4K projectors running at 120 Hz (as compared to the previous equipment’s 30), the imagery screened in what’s been renamed Deep Space 8K is in 8K resolution—each picture consists of 8,192 × 4,320 pixels. The data stream it takes to generate these images—an awesome 23 gigabytes per second—is processed by special high-performance computers in real time.

Lab and Stage

For one thing—and to the delight of audiences in the Ars Electronica Center’s premier attraction—this raises the quality of the visual and spatial experience to a never-before-achieved level. For another, this opens up a whole series of possibilities for developing and experimenting with new visualization concepts. Thus, the upgrade from the “old” Deep Space to Deep Space 8K is an enhancement to which the often-overused term quantum leap can justifiably be applied. Visiting the 2015 Ars Electronica Festival wouldn’t be complete without beholding Deep Space 8K.

With the friendly support of XI-Machines and Ton&Bild

Ars Electronica Blog

“Sharper pictures, brighter colors and starker contrast are in store for visitors to Deep Space 8K following a technical makeover wrapped up in early August.” Read more on the Ars Electronica Blog!

Deep Space 8K Program

Deep Space 8K

Now, in 2015, Deep Space has been taken to the next level.

Deep Space 8K: Best of

The very best of the regular Deep Space 8K–Program.

Deep Space 8K: Making of

As much sophisticated knowhow on the part of Ars Electronica Futurelab engineers went into the conception of Deep Space 8K as high-performance technology went into that concept’s execution.

Deep Space 8K: The Soul of the Cube

The Soul of the Cube (SOTC) is a virtual being, an abstract creature that is visible in between applications, it is both a “host” and the inner self of its complex infrastructure.

Deep Space 8K: Inside Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design

New mobility concepts, trailblazing interfaces, the language of forms and the future of brand identity will be the subjects of talks by Vera Schmidt (DE) and Holger Hutzenlaub (DE).

Deep Space 8K: The International Teletext Art Festival – ITAF 2015

The works singled out for recognition this year that are being presented at the 2015 Ars Electronica Festival explore the aesthetic-artistic latitude the teletext provides.

Deep Space 8K: Cinematic Rendering – in Medical Diagnostics and Virtual Anatomy

On the basis of physical fundamentals, Siemens has developed an innovative rendering algorithm that provides superbly detailed, photorealistic images.

Deep Space 8K: Universum Mensch – Life is Motion: New Trends in Medical Imaging

In this presentation, Matthias Günther (DE) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing (MEVIS) focuses on the function of the heart.

Deep Space 8K: The Universe Within – In the Virtual Anatomy Theater of the Future

An application developed by the Ars Electronica Futurelab transforms Deep Space 8K into a virtual anatomy theater in which viewers can observe the human body in 3-D.

Deep Space 8K: Cultural Heritage: The Scottish Ten, Rome´s Invisible City in 3D: A BBC Film, CyArk

Deep Space 8K now lets visitors behold virtual reconstructions of historical sites in 3-D and walk through them in the truest sense of the word.

Deep Space 8K: White Point

*White Point* is based on the premise that the observer is situated in the vanishing point. Visitors thus seem to move into the center of the light inside this single pixel

Deep Space 8K: TIME OUT

All three works are takes on “cooperative aesthetics” in which visitors to Deep Space 8K explore the changes their own movements bring about in the displayed projections and, in some instances, on the acoustic level too.

Deep Space 8K: GameSpace

GameSpace turns the Ars Electronica Center’s Deep Space 8K into an interactive multiplayer gaming arena.

Deep Space 8K: Timelapse

Combining highly detailed, fast-forward motion pictures with the extraordinarily high degree of resolution in Deep Space 8K opens our eyes to everyday events that we’ve never seen in this form before.

Deep Space 8K: Gigantic World Record 360º Gigapixel Photography

Jeffrey Martin specializes in creating photos of cities, usually shot from the top of a tower or skyscraper.

Deep Space 8K: IN2WHITE – MONT BLANC LARGEST PANORAMIC IMAGE and Wide Angles – Vast Land

In2White is a personal homage by photographer Filippo Blengini (IT) to the glacier-and-snow-covered realm of the white mountain: Mont Blanc.

Deep Space 8K: Post Refugee City

*Post Refugee City* records the realities of everyday life in a refugee camp—in this case, Al Zaatari in Jordan—and represents an effort to find new ways to deal with such modern-day mass migration.

Deep Space 8K: What Does Peace Look Like?

The Alfred Fried Photography Award is more than just a photo contest; it’s the world’s only competition that asks entrants to visually answer the question of what peace looks like.

Deep Space 8K: Best of

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:52:59 +0000

The very best of the regular Deep Space 8K–Program.

Deep Space 8K: Making of

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:46:24 +0000

As much sophisticated knowhow on the part of Ars Electronica Futurelab engineers went into the conception of Deep Space 8K as high-performance technology went into that concept’s execution. Now, Futurelab Director Horst Hörtner (AT) provides a behind-the-scenes look at the state-of-the-art high-tech that makes these astounding images happen: high-performance XI-MACHINES processors and high-definition Christie projectors expertly installed by Ton & Bild.

Deep Space 8K: The Soul of the Cube

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:36:01 +0000

In the centre of the Queensland University of Technology’s (QUT) new Science and Engineering Centre stands the Cube, a high-end display/interaction environment including 14 high definition projectors and 52 x 55” touch screens. But what is behind the technology? What is the identity of the Cube? And how does it relate to the campus and its environment? The Soul of the Cube (SOTC) is a virtual being, an abstract creature that is visible in between applications, it is both a “host” and the inner self of its complex infrastructure.

It is entirely shaped by data such as the building’s power consumption, the campus research output and the academic calendars. All of which influence the Soul’s mood, its appearance and behaviour. Furthermore, its very structure – a rhizomatic web of light reminiscent of neuronal activity – is generated by the interrelations between QUT’s faculties. SOTC is also a major upgrade to The Cube’s operating system, allowing the environment to gracefully transition between projects. This presentation from the core team of collaborators provides a greater insight into this unique project and the Cube environment.

The project is a collaboration between the Ars Electronica Futurelab, the Cube Studio (Precincts, QUT), the ePrints Team (Library, QUT), and ViseR (IFE, QUT).

Ars Electronica Futurelab: Peter Holzkorn, Horst Hörtner, Benjamin Mayr, Michael Mayr, Kristefan Minski, Clemens Scharfen, Florian Berger

Queensland University of Technology (AU)

Precincts: Andrew Casper, Sean Druitt, Daniel Fisher, Brian Jeffery, Nigel Oram, Rachael Parsons, Gary Rasmussen, Susan Street, Lubi Thomas

IFE: Tim Gurnett, Ian Mackinnon, Jim Reeves, Gleb Sechenov, Gavin Winter

Library (ePrints): Stephanie Bradbury, Marco Fahmi, Matthew Kerwin

Deep Space 8K: Inside Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:18:34 +0000

Conceiving the future in global terms, cultivating cultural exchange and conducting trend research constitute the mission of Mercedes-Benz’s five Advanced Design Studios worldwide. New mobility concepts, trailblazing interfaces, the language of forms and the future of brand identity will be the subjects of talks by Vera Schmidt (DE) and Holger Hutzenlaub (DE), senior managers of Mercedes-Benz Design. They’ll offer extraordinary insights into the work of visionary automotive designers.

Deep Space 8K: The International Teletext Art Festival – ITAF 2015

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:07:23 +0000

Since its 2012 premiere launched by Helsinki-based FixC Collective (FI), the International Teletext Art Festival ITAF has been viewed by two million art aficionados in Finland, France, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It showcases visual art that’s been created expressly for teletext, a medium launched in 1974 by the BBC. The works singled out for recognition this year that are being presented at the 2015 Ars Electronica Festival explore the aesthetic-artistic latitude this television application provides.

The 15 artists/artist groups featured in the 2015 festival who are also competing for the Teletext Art Prize are: Bakketun & Norum (NO), Christina Kramer (DE), Emilie Gervais (FR), Holger Lippmann (DE), Ian Gouldstone (US), Karin Ferrari (AT), MadAsHell (US), Maria Lavman Vetö (SE), Matthias Moos (CH), Max Capacity (US), Paula Lehtonen (FI), Ryo Ikeshiro (JP), Bernhard Garnicnig & Lukas Heistinger (AT), Rich Oglesby (GB) and Rainer Kohlberger (AT).
The 2015 Teletext Art Prize jury members are: last year’s winner Dan Farrimond (GB), artist Raquel Meyers (ES) and curator and art historian Pontus Kyander (SE).
The 2015 festival is curated by Juha van Ingen from FixC cooperative. ITAF starts on August 13th and is broadcasted for one month in ORF TELETEXT and ORF III TELETEXT (beginning page 470), ARD Text, SWISS Teletext and arte Teletext. The teletext page numbers, information on participating artists and an archive of past festivals are available on line www.teletextart.com

Deep Space 8K: Cinematic Rendering – in Medical Diagnostics and Virtual Anatomy

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:45:51 +0000

Seeing makes for better understanding. Imaging procedures such as computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MRI) deliver realistic, extraordinarily detailed pictures of the interior of a patient’s body. This opens up new possibilities for medical education and the planning of surgical procedures, and also facilitates communication with referring physicians and patients.
On the basis of physical fundamentals, Siemens has developed an innovative rendering algorithm that provides superbly detailed, photorealistic images. Driven forward by progress in the animated film industry, new rendering techniques bring forth results that are increasingly realistic to say nothing of breathtakingly beautiful.

Siemens Healthcare GmbH Forchheim (DE).
Data courtesy of Savvas Nicolaou, M.D., Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).
Recorded with a Siemens SOMATOM Definition Flash CT Scanner.
Rendering: Siemens Cinematic Renderer

Deep Space 8K: Universum Mensch – Life is Motion: New Trends in Medical Imaging

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:33:04 +0000

In this presentation, Matthias Günther (DE) of the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing (MEVIS) focuses on the function of the heart. New technologies like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) now make it possible to get incredibly detailed views and to draw conclusions that are more precise than ever. Conventional MRI applications provide only snapshots, but the latest tools even permit observation and depiction of physiological processes. Now, physicians can examine the blood flow in the heart and reconstruct the pressure distribution in it without stressful incursions or the use of a cardiac catheter. The relevance of this method for clinical routine will be enlightened in some examples where blood flow is disturbed, e g stroke.

Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing (MEVIS): David Black, Anja Hennemuth, Bianka Hofmann, Alexander Köhn, Mathias Neugebauer
In cooperation with Andreas H. Mahnken, University Hospital Gießen and Marburg (DE)

Deep Space 8K: The Universe Within – In the Virtual Anatomy Theater of the Future

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:20:35 +0000

An application developed by the Ars Electronica Futurelab transforms Deep Space 8K into a virtual anatomy theater in which viewers can observe the human body in 3-D and familiarize themselves with it layer by layer—the organs, muscles, bones, the cardiovascular system and the network of nerves. This development, coming only a few months after the establishment of the University of Linz’s medical school, makes available a unique medical education platform that far surpasses the anatomy books of bygone days with three-dimensional learning and visual understanding of the interrelationships within the human body. And that applies just as much to future physicians as it does to interested members of the general public—from little kids to seniors.

Ars Electronica Team Universum Mensch: Roland Aigner, Maria Eschlböck, Martin Gösweiner, Roland Haring, Horst Hörtner, Andreas Jalsovec, Michael Mayr, Clemens Francis Scharfen, Gerfried Stocker, Marianne Ternek (AT)

With the kind support of Maria Pfeifer

With contributions from: Fraunhofer MEVIS (DE) (A Cardiac Journey) sowie der Universitätsklinik Gießen und Marburg (DE)

Deep Space 8K: Cultural Heritage: The Scottish Ten, Rome´s Invisible City in 3D: A BBC Film, CyArk

raphaelgi — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 11:01:56 +0000

The wanton destruction of significant cultural sites in the Near East by ISIS terrorists remind us how important it is to preserve—at least digitally—these symbols of cultural consciousness for future generations and to make them accessible to the general public. There are several crews equipped with 3-D laser technology traveling the world to scan in statues, buildings or entire architectural ensembles and thus preserve these priceless cultural treasures for posterity. The results of these efforts are huge quantities of points—so-called point clouds—that can be displayed as three-dimensional visualizations. Deep Space 8K now lets visitors behold virtual reconstructions of historical sites in 3-D and walk through them in the truest sense of the word. This is made possible by a point cloud renderer & viewer that Roland Aigner of the Ars Electronica Futurelab specially enhanced for 8K image resolution.

The Scottish Ten

The Scottish Ten is a five-year project that aims to create extraordinarily precise digital models of the five UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites located in Scotland and five heritage sites in other countries. To accomplish this, Historic Scotland, the nation’s heritage agency, and the Glasgow School of Art’s Digital Design Studio established the Centre for Digital Documentation and Visualisation LLP. In Deep Space 8K, visitors can see a Stone Age settlement named Skara Brae, the monumental chambered tomb of Maeshowe, and New Lanark, one of the first cotton spinning mills.

CyArk

CyArk is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving humankind’s precious cultural heritage. In cooperation with CyArk, Ars Electronica presents scans of the ancient Maya city of Tikal in Guatemala, the cathedral of Beauvais, France, the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park in the U.S., and St. Sebald, a medieval church in Nürnberg, Germany.

Rome´s Invisible City in 3D: A BBC Film

Rome’s Invisible City in 3D is a BBC film made in collaboration with ScanLAB Projects. It uses ultra-high-definition, colour scanning to precisely capture a 3D pointcloud of streets, buildings and hidden underground spaces in vivid detail. This allows you to explore one of the greatest cities on earth in a way that has never been possible before. It will take you far below the surface of Rome to discover an incredible subterranean world of mines, sewers and aqueducts. This is the underground world that powered this ancient city. See in close-up the secret temple where a mysterious cult once met. Discover wall paintings in shadowy catacombs where the Roman dead were laid to rest. This is an extraordinary chance to explore some of the mysterious places that helped build and sustain the Roman Empire.

Rome’s Invisible City in 3D: A BBC Film
Narrator: David Olusoga
3D Graphics: ScanLAB Projects: Matthew Shaw, William Trossell
Music: Ty Unwin
Sound mix: Gregg Gettens
Off-line Editor: Fraser Rose
Assistent Producers: Thomas Parker, Sophie Reid
Production Manager: Amanda Robinson
Executive Producer: Chris Granlund