Art meets Science at Computer Graphics Conference

2 August 2005

Art meets Science at Computer Graphics Conference - New Zealand hosting international event showcasing latest in computer wizardry -

A major international gathering focusing on the latest advances in computer graphics, interactive media, animation and visual effects is to be held at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand later this year.

GRAPHITE 2005 (29 November - 2 December 2005) - organised by the University of Otago, with the University and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) as Strategic Partners - is intended to celebrate the growing area where dazzling visual artistry meets with technological wizardry.

The event will include a technical conference exploring recent developments in research, practical experiences and innovative applications, as well as a gallery exhibition and an electronic theatre showcasing new and innovative works of digital art and computer animation. A trade exhibition will also showcase the latest products and services in the rapidly growing sector.

Conference Chair, Professor Geoff Wyvill of the University’s Computer Science Department, says GRAPHITE will bring together leading New Zealand and international researchers and practitioners at the cutting-edge of a broad range computer graphic and interactive techniques.

“Most importantly in computer graphics, we see artists and scientists working side by side. This strengthens both groups. Our keynote speakers, all internationally respected experts and leaders, are artists and scientists,” he says.

They are: Paul Debevec (University of South California), who pioneered the virtual cinematography and digital lighting techniques that wowed audiences of films such as The Matrix and Spiderman II; Ernest Edmonds (University of Technology, Sydney), a leading figure in the creation of interactive art that audiences can actively engage with; and Andrew Glassner, an American computer graphics expert and writer-director exploring future possibilities in interactive storytelling.

Details of their presentations and biographies can be viewed at the event’s website: http://www.cs.otago.ac.nz/graphite/

A one-day course run by a member of WETA Digital, the special effects team behind Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, will also be a highlight of GRAPHITE, Professor Wyvill says.

An added bonus is a workshop titled “RenderMan for Artists", run by Malcom Kesson of the Savannah College of Art and Design. RenderMan is the technology created by Pixar which was used to create the stunning digital effects in animated films such as The Incredibles.

ENDS

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