Hugo Heyrman
Encyclopedia
Hugo Heyrman (born December 20, 1942), is a Belgian
painter, filmmaker, internetpioneer, synesthesia- and new media
researcher.
Originally, Heyrman opted for a musical education, but transferred to the visual arts. He graduated from the Royal Academy and became a laureate of the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp. In addition, he studied nuclear physics during one year at the State Higher Institute for Nuclear Energy in Mol. He received a Ph.D. in art sciences, magna cum laude, from the Universidad de La Laguna, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
with a thesis on Art & Computers: an exploratory investigation on the digital transformation of art. In 1995 he coined the terms 'tele-synaesthesia' and 'post-ego'. Since 1993 he is a working member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Brussels. Founder of the Belgian Synesthesia Association
(1995). As of 2006 he was a professor at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts, Antwerp.
. "Most of my work has to do with contemporary fragility. The works are 'ways of seeing', forms of visual thinking
, they make the virtual and mental space of an image real", he declares in his website. His art practice includes painting
, drawing
, sculpture
, photography
, video
, film
and digital media
. In his website 'Museums of the Mind' he continues to publish his research, theory and experiments on the telematic future of art, the senses and synaesthesia
.
During the sixties, Heyrman profiled himself as an avant-garde artist with happening
s, film
- and video
experiments. Online since 1995, Heyrman became one of the pioneers in Net.art. He also participated in 1988 at the 'First International Symposium on Electronic Art' (FISEA) in Utrecht.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
painter, filmmaker, internetpioneer, synesthesia- and new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
researcher.
Biography
Hugo Heyrman was born in Antwerp, where he lives and works.Originally, Heyrman opted for a musical education, but transferred to the visual arts. He graduated from the Royal Academy and became a laureate of the National Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp. In addition, he studied nuclear physics during one year at the State Higher Institute for Nuclear Energy in Mol. He received a Ph.D. in art sciences, magna cum laude, from the Universidad de La Laguna, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital , second-most populous city of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the 21st largest city in Spain, with a population of 222,417 in 2009...
with a thesis on Art & Computers: an exploratory investigation on the digital transformation of art. In 1995 he coined the terms 'tele-synaesthesia' and 'post-ego'. Since 1993 he is a working member of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Brussels. Founder of the Belgian Synesthesia Association
Belgian Synesthesia Association
The Belgian Synesthesia Association is an online portal for synesthesia and art that attempts to present relevant sources on the connection between mind and art, theory, experiments and research on the future of the senses...
(1995). As of 2006 he was a professor at the Royal Academy for Fine Arts, Antwerp.
Life work
From his earliest work, Hugo Heyrman developed a specific vision on the nature of perceptionPerception
Perception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
. "Most of my work has to do with contemporary fragility. The works are 'ways of seeing', forms of visual thinking
Visual thinking
Picture thinking, visual thinking , visual/spatial learning or right brained learning is the common phenomenon of thinking through visual processing using the part of the brain that is emotional and creative to organize information in an intuitive and simultaneous way.Thinking in pictures, is one...
, they make the virtual and mental space of an image real", he declares in his website. His art practice includes painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and digital media
Digital media
Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital form. It can refer to the technical aspect of storage and transmission Digital media is a form of electronic media where data is stored in digital (as opposed to analog) form. It can refer to the technical aspect of...
. In his website 'Museums of the Mind' he continues to publish his research, theory and experiments on the telematic future of art, the senses and synaesthesia
Synesthesia
Synesthesia , from the ancient Greek , "together," and , "sensation," is a neurologically based condition in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway...
.
During the sixties, Heyrman profiled himself as an avant-garde artist with happening
Happening
A happening is a performance, event or situation meant to be considered art, usually as performance art. Happenings take place anywhere , are often multi-disciplinary, with a nonlinear narrative and the active participation of the audience...
s, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
- and video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
experiments. Online since 1995, Heyrman became one of the pioneers in Net.art. He also participated in 1988 at the 'First International Symposium on Electronic Art' (FISEA) in Utrecht.
Noted projects
- Continental Video & Film Tour with his 'Mobile Museum of Modern Media' through Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands. (1970–73)
- 'Street-life' paintings. Elected laureate of the 'Jeune Peinture Belge' at the Palais des Beaux-arts, Brussels (1974).
- Monumental painting series on 'Water', 'Light', 'Time', 'A Vision is Finer than a View' and 'New Models of Reality', which Heyrman describes as painting the existential tension between ideas and images; an appeal to several senses at once, and
- Fuzzy Dreamz series, a work in progress since 1996, which Heyrman describes as the transformation of his painting experiences into digital media and vice versa.
- Various Internet artInternet artInternet art is a form of digital artwork distributed via the Internet. This form of art has circumvented the traditional dominance of the gallery and museum system, delivering aesthetic experiences via the Internet. In many cases, the viewer is drawn into some kind of interaction with the work...
projects, including the online exhibitions, Digital Studies: Being In Cyberspace 'ALT-X-site' (1997) New York and 'Revelation' ISEA 2000, Paris. - His works have been presented in major international exhibitions ranging from Antwerp, Brussels, Basel, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Chicago to the Venice BiennaleVenice BiennaleThe Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
.
Literature
- Késenne, Joannes, Dr. Hugo Heyrman / Monography, 2008, [BE] Snoeck Publishers & De Zwarte Panter, Bilingual edition Dutch and English, ISBN 978-90-5349-685-5
External links
- Museums of the Mind, Dr. Hugo Heyrman - official website