Art Bytes reinforces the saying 'practice makes perfect' in its first year. While the end result continues to be aid for digital artists, the means have been modified to better suit the event.
Art Bytes first showcased in October 2008 with Dan Langendorf, Arts & Humanities professor, hosting the series. Since then it has been exploring different venues every month, except December.
Artists presenting for Art Bytes show their work to those who attend the Dallas Museum of Art's Late Night, a program the museum offers monthly after usual museum hours. Art Bytes, specifically, is held from 9:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Nicole Stutzman, a facilitator between school and the museum, conceptualized the idea of an open mic for digital artists. They would come in and create on the spot as poets, comedians and more traditional artists have the opportunity to do.
"The problem is, of the people walking through the museum, how many will have their stuff with them to create?" Langendorf said.
Though the goal is unchanged, the process was slightly amended.
Artists are now invited to come with works they want to show or practice. These works can be complete, in progress or even new ideas that relate to the monthly topic.
Langendorf works with Stutzman and others in conceiving topics.
"We try to make the topics off beat or unexpected, topical, current trends in society, technology and art and try to give it meaning," Langendorf said.
The only requirement for artists is they need to use technology in some way. Art Bytes has explored several venues including video, digital music, soundscapes, digital art and comic book art. It doesn't have to be technologically driven, but it needs some digital use at some point in the process.
UTD graduate Kyle Fagen combines skills from his English and arts and technology degrees to interpret databases of chess moves in an artistic fashion.
Fagen made a program which turns the moves into lines, and the result is painting that is actually made from the data of the chess moves.
Shelby Cunningham, UTD graduate, went to the event last spring showcasing creatures she had drawn from her dreams.
"I knew I wanted to focus on the sleep disorder that I have where my dreams play out in my bedroom," Cunningham said. "I have my eyes open but am still asleep and dreaming, so I see these dream creatures in my room rather than in my head."
Cunningham drew the creatures on her Nintendo DS as soon as she saw them, which explains why her artwork usually contains the foot of the bed, her feet or legs. She then made a program to transfer the drawings from her DS to her computer to develop them.
"I had done lots of digital sketches of these creatures, which I then translated into physical sketches on top of photographs of my room, but was stuck at that point," Cunningham said.
Cunningham originally intended to do installation art with these characters, but left Art Bytes pursuing different ideas. Late Night attendees gave ideas for the creatures such as character development, greeting cards and plush animals.
The ideas and feedback she received that night led her to develop her creatures into a children's book that she currently collaborating with a 4-year-old relative to make.
"I have so many ideas now, many of which stemmed from the Art Bytes discussion," Cunningham said.
One University of North Texas, UNT, student Jesse Gomez presented a type of augmented reality, in which one camera and one monitor were set up. Simple art on a tile was presented to the camera, and the monitor would display the image differently.
For example, attendees could take a tile with a flower drawn on it, hold it up to the camera and looking at the monitor they would see the flower grow.
At the end of the show Gomez held up a card of a ring to the camera which popped up on the monitor, near his girlfriend, along with a message on his phone, "Will you marry me?"
"Talk about a story to tell the grandkids," Langendorf said.
The next Art Bytes will be Nov. 20 at the Dallas Museum of Art.
UNT student Matt Brooks will display on a Materials and Meaning Remix for the night. Other UNT students featured are Eric Flye, Arash Sahba and Christina Day who will show prototype forms.
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