Kooji does Boston - Day Three

This was the first day of SIGGRAPH and after registering for our conference passes we went to meet Steve Wroble at the Education Booth. Steve showed us the SIGGRAPH 2006 Education Committee catalogue where my artwork features on page 18! I was really pleased to see my work in print and so I took several copies away for family and friends back home:

http://www.siggraph.org/education/conferences/S2006/SIG_ED_Catalog06.pdf

We also went to take a look at the Teapot Exhibit in the main lobby. It showcased all types including virtual teapots, teapot inspired images and interactive teapots. All pretty apt for the city of Boston I thought since it also has an association with tea along with computer graphics, multimedia and the world of art.


The main exhibition hall didn’t open until Tuesday but we had more than enough to see before then. We went along to the ‘Animation Theater’ which was part of this year’s Computer Animation Festival and we were amazed by the technological advances on show in the Art Gallery: ‘Intersections.’ There was also a retrospective exhibit featuring the work of Charles Csuri, C G pioneer. Many of the art installations allowed visitors to interact with them and we were overwhelmed by the sheer amount on offer. We played virtual table tennis with mobile phones, walked through a garden undergrowth that reacted to the pressure of our feet, rocked a baby to sleep (it was no ordinary baby mind you, it was a machine that mimicked its reactions), and we controlled miniature beings that moved in time to the rhythm of our heartbeats. It was a phenomenal sight.

We ended our day by accepting an invite to accompany Scott Dunham, Jake Pollak (who we had met the previous day) and their group from The ACM SIGGRAPH Pro Chapter in SE Michigan, also known as the SEMAFX Network (http://www.semafx.net/) to the CG Society Meet at Lucky’s Bar in downtown Boston. This was a fantastic opportunity to meet like-minded people all involved in some way with the graphic design, multimedia and creative industries. We exchanged portfolios, chatted into the wee small hours and Johnny and I even danced along to the Jazz musicians and Sinatra impersonator. Everyone we met were so friendly and they made us feel so welcome and at home. Scott even gave me an interview just as we were leaving and it’s been posted to the SEMAFX website. It was an unforgettable night.

Johhny and I with our new friend Hal Newnan (that’s our friend Scott in the background).

Lucky’s Bar: Downtown Boston. A very exclusive and hard to find bar. That’s us outside.

A very lively party.

The AutoDesk Coach.

>>> Kooji does Boston - Day Four