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Mark Skwarek and Joseph Hocking will
present Children of Arcadia, a
real-time virtual ecosystem which undergoes the stress test of
apocalypse to expose the moral fibers of its inhabitants and the
flaws in their idealized utopia. Virtual reality and augmented
reality are used to combine the physical world of downtown Manhattan
with a virtual environment called Arcadia. The work gathers real-time
information from the Internet related to the American economy
and society and translates this data into either a utopia or apocalypse.
These changes create a living 17th-century Baroque painting that
shifts between a representation of apocalyptic ruin and one of
an idealized utopia.
Mark Skwarek is a new media artist living and working
in Brooklyn, New York. Mark recently received his MFA from RISD’s
Digital Media department. His art is heavily influenced by videogame
culture and current events that face American Society. Mark's
art work is made by modifying current video game technology. This
manipulation has been primarily done by Joseph Hocking who Mark
has been collaborating with for the last several years. Mark’s
role in the creative process falls under concept and fabrication
of the virtual experience. Mark’s recent focus has been
on a large scale augmented reality called the Children
of Arcadia. The project may also be viewed from a personal
computer. The piece runs on information gathered from the internet
and that transforms Wall St. into either a Arcadia or Apocalypse.
The piece contextualizes American societies condition in real
time living painting. Outside of his art practice Mark teaches
3-D graphics for video games at NYU Polytech, 3-D graphics for
architects at New York City College of Technology, and 3d graphics
for artists at Brooklyn College. Mark is also involved in research
projects with NYU Polytech and New York City College of Technology
that are exploring large-scale real-world multiuser onlines.
Joseph Hocking is a digital artist whose work
is devoted to exploring the artistic potential of 3D graphics.
Working closely in collaboration with Mark Skwarek, Joseph is
a key member of the team behind the immersive 3D artwork Children
of Arcadia. Shown most recently at the inaugural exhibition
of the Sunshine Museum in Beijing, Children of Arcadia
is a virtual environment built to project the financial district
of NYC into a 17th century Baroque painting. Although he has a
significant background in and knowledge of 3D animation, Joseph's
artmaking activities chiefly revolve around programming, as his
work with real-time 3D demands custom software for virtually every
project. In addition to creating real-time 3D artwork, he teaches
classes about both 3D animation and programming in an artistic
context at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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