Dreamscape: BFA Digital Media Art

Enter to go to my gallery room for Precious Memories!

Portal for Precious Memories Gallery Room

Cosmoscopic is a holistic view of the objects that make the universe. Whether that object is you, me, nature, the artificial, or the stars – it is all derived from the same elements visualized by Cosmoscopic as dots. 

In Cosmoscopic, dots form objects that we consider artificial, natural, and in between. Within the installation, one half of the room exhibits objects that we consider artificial while the other exhibits objects that are natural. Between the artificial and the natural are objects that are more difficult to distinguish as one or the other. What makes the objects in the room are a combination of dots that create forms and colors that are wholly unique yet equal to each other. Cosmoscopic seeks to prove that everything within the universe is natural. 

“Natural” in Cosmoscopic describes any and every object as a relative entity that occurs within the universe. Natural, in the scale of human perception and beyond, is more than the trees and mountains; it is life of any kind, elements that form into any object, metal that is formed by the appendage of any being, thoughts that form from electrical signals, electricity that dances behind our monitors. What we were, what we become, and what we make is universally “natural.”

‘Parallax’ is the observation between the relationships of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional spaces through a series of digital paintings and models.

When translating between the two different dimensions, information can be lost or found through the many layers and objects when viewed upon. 

‘Parallax’ pieces together the tension between the recognizable and unrecognizable with the focus on principles and concepts of abstraction and color theory. 

by Emilio Lopez

The feelings of Quarantine. Surviving during a pandemic is stressful. We experience many emotions ranging from anxiety, frustration, loneliness, uncertainty, restlessness, depression, etc. You are not alone. Everyone around the world will experience something like this during this lockdown. Personally, I have felt lost in an isolated routine. My main source of production are my zoom calls. After a while those can get pretty tiresome while our camera reflects our image back to us creating a hyper-aware environment. When I'm not on zoom I must keep myself entertained. This is when I turn to my imagination and try to get creative, although I find it hard to be inspired during this time. I have displayed these everyday struggles abstractly through animation shorts that I have created in After Effects. Walk inside my virtual gallery room to discover the two panels of quarantine feelings.

Worn displays the sensations of someone who is bombarded with the daily stresses of life. Anxiety, depression, and pressure are all physical reactions to the events and states illustrated by this piece.

Portal to Andy Wu's live demonstration of "All Together Now" Where the Artist Andy Wu will perform MS Paint drawings with the audience in zoom.

This work is the combination of music and art together to create a music visualizer. The song heard in the piece is made through a digital audio workstation named LMMS while the visuals were made in Max 8. Together, the piece shows my love for music and my love for art instead of a scenario where I have to abandon one to succeed in the other. 

Watch a star fall

Click the Link to view my room and play the game!

The year 2020 has shifted our entire way of life and with the loss of physical social interaction, we have become more dependent on technology and online connection. I know not everyone has access to such things because of a lack of resources or even something as simple as hardware limitations. I believe that there is a solution to this where people do not need expensive equipment such as a virtual reality headset or gaming computer, but instead a simple publicly accessible hyperlink. With this our desire to connect during these isolating times doesn’t have to be limited by our current pandemic reality. Let’s fix this without monetization, advertisements, or expensive hardware. You may be thinking to yourself, “How?” or “what is the catch?” Well, let me tell you there is none, you just need to see for yourself!

Psycle is a 2D pixel art game that centers on the idea of  life during the Covid-19 pandemic. The player, who is a student,  lives  through a loop of daily life activities such as sleep, shower, and homework. When stay at home orders were placed this year, many students were faced with the dilemma of adjusting to only  online classes with no real certainty of how it would develop. Students best interests were and are currently pitted against available resources. Our game, Psycle, metaphorically exhibits the continuous struggle that most students are adhering through this ‘cycle’ of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety.

Exploration of how people interpret and associate with their online identities and internet personas to reveal hidden connections within the collective unconscious. Participants complete a survey, answering some questions pertaining to their opinions and views of their online personas. Responses will be archived and used to generate real-time data visualizations. It is recommended to take the survey first before viewing the resulting data visualization as some questions are intentionally left open-ended and abstract to prompt a response that best reflects one's interpretation of the question and purest reaction.

Growing up on the cusp of millennial and generation Z, online culture was still in its early stages when I first obtained access to the internet. Forums were the predecessor to modern social media, and multiplayer games existed in a rather different format from their incarnation today. Even though I was young, I began talking to people through these channels, and they are what inspired me to draw and create art as a child. Websites like Neopets and Deviantart and games like Pokemon were staples in my youth, and I began drawing monsters that were designed by others as well as those of my own invention. I created characters in these worlds, sharing them with others and interacting with them through cyberspace.

    As I grew older, as the social landscape of the internet changed, I continued to foster relationships with people I met online. I met other people whose interests aligned with mine, and continued to make character art for fun. I moved onto more modern platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and began playing games like Final Fantasy Online, where I continued to make characters and art with other people.

    As the pandemic hit and all of our lives moved online, these interactions became especially important to me. I miss seeing my friends in real life, but being able to talk and play games together online makes it hurt a little less. The people and artists I love might be physically far apart, but we talk all the time, and it brings warmth to my life even as the country struggles through one of its darkest times. The work I did for this show exemplifies where I began talking to people on the internet, and the fact that drawing silly little creatures snowballed into me having many meaningful relationships online today. 

Rather than focusing on what is not possible during this time of uncertainty, Dreamscape emphasizes the potential for the emergence of new and diverse ideas as we adapt to the global pandemic. Though the work is diverse in many ways, all projects are a testament to our capacity to overcome obstacles and dream of new ways-of-being. Our projects consist of a variety of topics which include identity, social issues, mental health, and much more. Some of the mediums our projects encompass are data visualization, visual and auditory experience, digital paintings, digital video, virtual space, game, and web art.

Faculty advisors: Lark Alder and Andrew Blanton 

Participating Artists:
Ryan Allen, Vinita Kulkarni, Savannah Singh, Toni Anguiano, Ashley Linder, Anthony Sokry, Daniel Balducci, Emilio Lopez, Linyi Song, Natalie Bellido, Jason Manzon, Jacob Tran, Berenice Cortes, Rachel Morales, Lee Tran, Kelvin Dizon, Alan Garcia, Edward Ham, Yun Che Hsieh, Eddson Jose, Rianna Nandan, Talea Rendon, Hao Rong, Ashley Rose, Derrick Saenz, Aaron-Josh Vietvu, Evan Villaflor, Yinghong Yuan, Jecky Xiong

During the outbreak, more and more people need to use cameras at home and in online classes. In view of the possible vulnerability of the webcam, I hope to create a simulation peeping and peeped screen (web page) in this project. My aim is to highlight the hidden dangers of webcams. An insecure camera on your computer allows malicious hackers to spy directly into your life.

GleEtch Video, in Blender 3-D Installation/Gallery