Rebecca Allen (artist)

Rebecca Allen (born 1954) is an American designer, artist, pioneer, researcher, and educator, known for her research in the field of digital art. Starting in the 1970s, Allen started to compose works for computer imaging. This included still graphics, animation, television logos, music videos, video games, large-scale performance work, artificial life systems and interactive installations.[1] Her work addresses humanizing technology.[2]

Rebecca Allen
Rebecca Allen in 2007
Born1954 (age 66–67)
NationalityAmerican
EducationRhode Island School of Design,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Known forDigital Art
Websitewww.rebeccaallen.com/home

Early life

Allen began her practice with design while working toward a B.F.A. degree at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1975.[1] She received her Master of Science degree from the Architecture Machine Group (predecessor to the MIT Media Lab) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980.[3][4]

Career

After advancing her academic career, Allen spent two years working at Virgin Interactive Entertainment as a video game designer.[1] Allen eventually left due to working conditions that didn't allow her to experience new growth, as stated in an interview with Erriki Hutamo.[1]

Allen is the founding chair of the Department of Design Media Arts (DMA) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[5] Allen spent two terms in this position (1996–2000 and 2014–2016). She retired in 2019. Alongside her working as the chair of this department, she was also a professor at UCLA, teaching within the same department.[1] Allen spent time working in the Computer Graphics Laboratory at the New York Institute of Technology.[6]

Aside from practicing within the academic field, Allen also was a director at Nokia’s research labs which grew her interest in interactive design and new technology.[7] She later completed many works such as The Brain Stripped Bare, Coexistence, The Bush Soul#1, #1, #3.

Fast Company named Allen one of the Most Creative People in Business for 2010.[8] She helped pioneer digital computer art by creating one of the first music videos to use 3D graphics, for the 1986 Musique Non-Stop by Kraftwerk.[9][1] Her artwork is part of the permanent museum collection the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).[10][7]

Select works

Swimmer (1981)

"Swimmer" is a looping video animation that Allen curated to show human animation using technology. It was displayed on the exhibition entitled A Retrospective in 1986., which was hosted by SIGGRAPH.[11]

Steps (1982)

"Steps" is a video performance that Allen animated with the goal of creating a human in a virtual space. The video itself showcases a series of digitally animated people walking up a staircase on a looped motion. This piece was displayed in the 1986 exhibition entitled A Retrospective, showcased by SIGGRAPH.[12]

The Catherine Wheel (1982)

In creating "The Catherine Wheel" Allen worked alongside the choreographer Twyla Tharp.[13] Tharp later used the animation for this video in her PBS video film of the same title. This project is a two and a half minute video that Allen created animation for.[14][15] Allen composed this piece when she worked at the New York Institute of Technology Computer Graphics Laboratory. She produced the animation of St. Catherine by placing a mathematically derived wireframe around the performer which allowed every stride made by the performer. A keyframe was captured allowed for the illusion of a continuous movement of the dancer.[16]

Emergence (1997-2001) [software used for The Bush Soul, Coexistence]

This PC-based software system was generated by Allen as a form to create interactive art.[17] The system contains three dimensional computer generated environments and autonomous animated characters.[18] Alongside generating this virtual reality the figures in this piece are displayed in real-time. By having these avatars interact in real time it allowed users to become avatars in the piece. There are also music, voices, and other accompanying sounds that help connect people to the virtual world. which allowed people to use forms of communication that rely on gestures, movements and behaviors.[17]

The Bush Soul (#1) (1997)

The first piece of a series of three interactive art installations which involve artificial life, behavior, tactile interfaces and 3D virtual environment.[19] This piece is set on a 4 inch by 8 inch digital screen and allows for people to role play and become avatars in an artificial world. The Bush soul is a concept based on a West African belief that a person can have more than one soul, and plays with that idea in order to involve people in role playing into their avatar.[20] The software that was used in this installation was one that Allen created, entitled Emergence.[21] The art installation was also featured in the SIGGRAPH Touchware Art show in the year of 1998.[22]

The Bush Soul (#2) (1998)

The "Bush Soul (#2)" is the second piece of a three art installation from the same title by Allen, falling back on the concepts from its predecessor, ("The Bush Soul #1") building on the ideas of artificial life, behavior, tactile interfaces and 3D virtual environment. This is Allen's second piece of work to be created with the "Emergence" software. The medium that it falls under, and the method of which it was presented was by the use of a Panorama picture.[23] The piece was later noted for being included in the Exhibition Art and Aesthetics of Artificial Life in the year 1998,[24] as well as being featured in the art exhibition in the museum Centro Culturale Claudio Trevi in 1999.[25]

The Bush Soul (#3) (1999)

"Bush Soul (#3)" is the third and final art installation in the Bush Soul series. "Bush Soul #3" was built off of the similar concepts Allen envisioned and practiced in "The Bush Soul #2" and "The Bush Soul #1". Allen continued to work with generating a world based around artificial life, the interaction on human behavior, tactile interfaces and 3D virtual environment, similar to the prior projects. This final addition to the three piece installation functions by having a force-feedback joystick. This provides the user with both navigation and tactile sensations. Also, it got its software program from the same software used in "Bush Soul #2" called Emergence. This piece was also worked on and funded by the Stephen Petronio Dance Company. Also, it received funding in part by the Intel Research Council.[26] This piece also was featured in several Exhibitions, such as Women in Science (Genomically Yours) in 2003,[27] ACM Siggraph festival in 2001.[28]

Coexistence (2001)

Coexistence was an interactive art installation that blurs the boundaries between physical and virtual realities. People experience a shared world of mixed reality through a unique sensory interface using breathing and haptics. Funded by IDII Interaction Design Institute Ivrea, Italy. This piece is built with the use of two personal computers and two head mounted displays. The piece also used head tracking and attached digital cameras, supplemented by two prototype interface devices. Each prototype interface device contains a breath sensor and modified force feedback to the original game pad. The software for this art installation or piece is built on the real-time video and real-time 3D animation; Emergence.[29]

The Brain Stripped Bare (2002)The Brain Stripped Bare (2002)

The Brain Stripped Bare was an installation and performance by Allen where she considers a future where we live simultaneously in multiple realities, where the boundaries between physical and virtual reality are blurred and thoughts are expressed telepathically. The technology she created provided an enhanced life experience. With this in mind though, Allen created sophisticated forms of surveillance that track our behaviors, our movements and our identity.[30] This piece was Commissioned as part of the rhein.tanzmedia.net-Prize Partially funded by the Intel Research Council.[31] This work was also presented in the Duisburger Akzente: ICHS Festival in 2003.[32]

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project

"OLPC XO" (2005) was an inexpensive computer project built in the MIT Media lab for children who live in the developing world. This initiative was composed by researchers Rebecca Allen, Nicholas Negroponte, Mary Lou Jepsen, Mark Foster, Michail Bletsas, V. Michael Bove, and many other artists.[33] The OLPC laptop was usable because it was recyclable, drop proof, splash proof, and dust proof.The laptop was also the size of a textbook, but lighter than a lunchbox.[34] It had features like a rubber keyboard, a handle, and had soft edges. Several hundreds of thousands of these laptops have been distributed to schools all over the world. Some distributed countries include: Argentina, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Libya, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Rwanda, Thailand, and Uruguay.[33] This project functioned as a tool to help children from these countries connect to the internet and learn

Art exhibitions and performances

Awards

References
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