Scott Snibbe
Encyclopedia
Scott Snibbe is an interactive media artist
, researcher, and entrepreneur. He is one of the first artists to work with projector-based interactivity, where a computer-controlled projection onto a wall or floor changes in response to people moving across its surface, with his well-known full-body interactive work Boundary Functions (1998), premiering at Ars Electronica
1998. In this floor-projected interactive artwork, people walk across a four-meter by four-meter floor. As they move, Boundary Functions uses a camera, computer and projector to draw lines between all of the people on the floor, forming a Voronoi Diagram
. This diagram has particularly strong significance when drawn around people's bodies, surrounding each person with lines that outline his or her personal space - the space closer to that person than to anyone else. Snibbe states that this work "shows that personal space, though we call it our own, is only defined by others and changes without our control".
Snibbe has recently become more broadly known for creating some of the first interactive art apps for iOS devices (iPhone
, iPad
, and iPod Touch
). His first three apps—Gravilux, Bubble Harp, and Antograph—released in May, 2010 as ports of screen-based artwork from the 1990s Dynamic Systems Series, all rose into the top ten in the iTunes Store
's Entertainment section, and have been downloaded over 400,000 times. Snibbe collaborated with Björk
to produce Biophilia
, the first full-length app album, which will be released for iPad and iPhone in 2011.
Snibbe received undergraduate and masters degrees in computer science
and fine art
from Brown University
, where he studied with Dr. Andries van Dam
and Dr. John Hughes. Snibbe studied animation
at the Rhode Island School of Design with Amy Kravitz
. After making several hand-drawn animated shorts, he turned to interactive art
as his primary artistic medium. His first public interactive work, Motion Phone won an award from Prix Ars Electronica
in 1996 and established him as a contributor to the field.
Snibbe's work has been shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art
(New York), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(California), The Kitchen
(New York), Eyebeam
(New York), the NTT InterCommunication Center
(Tokyo, Japan) and the Institute of Contemporary Arts
(London, UK). His work is also shown and collected by science museums, including the Exploratorium
(San Francisco, CA), the New York Hall of Science
(Queens, NY), the Museum of Science and Industry
(Chicago, IL), the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
(Paris, France), the London Science Museum (UK), and the Phaeno Science Center
(Germany).
He has received grants from the Rockefeller Foundation
the National Endowment for the Arts
, National Video Resources and awards from the Prix Ars Electronica
Festival, the Stuttgart Trickfilm-Festival, the Black Mariah
Film Festival, and the Student Academy Awards
.
Snibbe has taught media art, animation, and computer science
at UC Berkeley, California Institute of the Arts
, and the San Francisco Art Institute
. He worked as a Computer Scientist
at Adobe Systems
from 1994–1996, on the special effects and animation software Adobe After Effects
, named on six patents for work in animation, interface, and motion tracking. He was an employee at Interval Research from 1996-2000 where he worked on Computer Vision
, Computer Graphics
and Haptics research projects, also receiving several patents in those fields.
Snibbe is the founder of Snibbe Interactive, which distributes and develops immersive interactive experiences for use in museums, entertainment and branding; Scott Snibbe Studio which produces original apps and apps made in collaboration with other musicians and filmmakers; and the nonprofit research organization Sona Research, which researches the socially beneficial applications of interactive technologies. In 2009, Snibbe presented Sona Research's first research paper "Social Immersive Media" at the CHI
2009 conference, coining the term Social Immersive Media to describe interface techniques to create effective immersive interactive experiences focused on social interaction, and winning the best paper of conference award.
iPhone and iPad Apps
Interactive Projections
Elecromechanical Sculpture
Internet Art
Public Art Installations
Performance
Film
Interactive art
Interactive art is a form of installation-based art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some installations achieve this by letting the observer or visitor "walk" in, on, and around them; Some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork.Works of...
, researcher, and entrepreneur. He is one of the first artists to work with projector-based interactivity, where a computer-controlled projection onto a wall or floor changes in response to people moving across its surface, with his well-known full-body interactive work Boundary Functions (1998), premiering at Ars Electronica
Ars Electronica
Ars Electronica is an organization based in Linz, Austria, founded in 1979 around a festival for art, technology and society that was part of the International Bruckner Festival. Herbert W. Franke is one of its founders. It became its own festival and a yearly event in 1986. Its director until 1995...
1998. In this floor-projected interactive artwork, people walk across a four-meter by four-meter floor. As they move, Boundary Functions uses a camera, computer and projector to draw lines between all of the people on the floor, forming a Voronoi Diagram
Voronoi diagram
In mathematics, a Voronoi diagram is a special kind of decomposition of a given space, e.g., a metric space, determined by distances to a specified family of objects in the space...
. This diagram has particularly strong significance when drawn around people's bodies, surrounding each person with lines that outline his or her personal space - the space closer to that person than to anyone else. Snibbe states that this work "shows that personal space, though we call it our own, is only defined by others and changes without our control".
Snibbe has recently become more broadly known for creating some of the first interactive art apps for iOS devices (iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, and iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
). His first three apps—Gravilux, Bubble Harp, and Antograph—released in May, 2010 as ports of screen-based artwork from the 1990s Dynamic Systems Series, all rose into the top ten in the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
's Entertainment section, and have been downloaded over 400,000 times. Snibbe collaborated with Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
to produce Biophilia
Biophilia (album)
Biophilia is the musical project and eighth full-length studio album by Icelandic singer Björk. The album was released on 10 October 2011, over four years after her previous studio album, Volta ....
, the first full-length app album, which will be released for iPad and iPhone in 2011.
Snibbe received undergraduate and masters degrees in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and fine art
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, where he studied with Dr. Andries van Dam
Andries van Dam
Andries "Andy" van Dam is a Dutch-born American professor of computer science and former Vice-President for Research at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Together with Ted Nelson he contributed to the first hypertext system, HES in the late 1960s. He co-authored Computer Graphics:...
and Dr. John Hughes. Snibbe studied animation
Abstract film
Abstract film is a subgenre of experimental film. Its history often overlaps with the concerns and history of visual music. Some of the earliest abstract motion pictures known to survive are those produced by a group of German artists working in the early 1920s, a movement referred to as Absolute...
at the Rhode Island School of Design with Amy Kravitz
Amy Kravitz
Amy Kravitz is an independent filmmaker and teacher specializing in abstract animation. She is currently a Professor in the Film Department at the Rhode Island School of Design....
. After making several hand-drawn animated shorts, he turned to interactive art
Interactive art
Interactive art is a form of installation-based art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some installations achieve this by letting the observer or visitor "walk" in, on, and around them; Some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork.Works of...
as his primary artistic medium. His first public interactive work, Motion Phone won an award from Prix Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
in 1996 and established him as a contributor to the field.
Snibbe's work has been shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
(New York), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
(California), The Kitchen
The Kitchen
The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary art and performance space located at at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
(New York), Eyebeam
Eyebeam Atelier
Eyebeam, is a not-for-profit arts and technology center in New York City. Their stated purpose is to promote the creative use of new technologies by funding artwork, education and exhibitions. The founders were John S. Johnson III, David S. Johnson and Roderic R...
(New York), the NTT InterCommunication Center
NTT InterCommunication Center
NTT InterCommunication Center is a media art gallery in Tokyo Opera City Tower in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. It was established by NTT to commemorate the 100th anniversary of telephone service in Japan and opened in 1997...
(Tokyo, Japan) and the Institute of Contemporary Arts
Institute of Contemporary Arts
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. It is located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch...
(London, UK). His work is also shown and collected by science museums, including the Exploratorium
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum in San Francisco with over 475 participatory exhibits, all of them made onsite, that mix science and art. It also aims to promote museums as informal education centers....
(San Francisco, CA), the New York Hall of Science
New York Hall of Science
The New York Hall of Science occupies one of the few remaining structures of the 1964 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City. Today, it stands as New York City's only hands-on science and technology center...
(Queens, NY), the Museum of Science and Industry
Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)
The Museum of Science and Industry is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA in Jackson Park, in the Hyde Park neighborhood adjacent to Lake Michigan. It is housed in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
(Chicago, IL), the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest science museum in Europe. Located in Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is at the heart of the Cultural Center of Science, Technology and Industry , a center promoting science and science culture.About five million people visit the Cité...
(Paris, France), the London Science Museum (UK), and the Phaeno Science Center
Phaeno Science Center
The Phaeno Science Center is an interactive science center in Wolfsburg, Germany, completed in 2005. Phaeno arose from progressive urban planning by the City of Wolfsburg. In 1998 City officials were developing a plot of vacant, public land immediately adjacent to Wolfsburg's railway station and...
(Germany).
He has received grants from the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, National Video Resources and awards from the Prix Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
Festival, the Stuttgart Trickfilm-Festival, the Black Mariah
Edison's Black Maria
The Black Maria was Thomas Edison's movie production studio in West Orange, New Jersey. It is widely referred to as America's First Movie Studio.- History :...
Film Festival, and the Student Academy Awards
Student Academy Awards
The Student Academy Awards is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual competition for college and university filmmakers. The awards were originally named the Student Film Awards and were first presented in 1973. Since 1975, the awards have been given annually, usually in June...
.
Snibbe has taught media art, animation, and computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
at UC Berkeley, California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
, and the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
. He worked as a Computer Scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
at Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
from 1994–1996, on the special effects and animation software Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects
Adobe After Effects is a digital motion graphics and compositing software published by Adobe Systems, used in the post-production process of filmmaking and television production. Its main uses are the origination of 2D and 2.5D animation, visual effects compositing and finishing...
, named on six patents for work in animation, interface, and motion tracking. He was an employee at Interval Research from 1996-2000 where he worked on Computer Vision
Computer vision
Computer vision is a field that includes methods for acquiring, processing, analysing, and understanding images and, in general, high-dimensional data from the real world in order to produce numerical or symbolic information, e.g., in the forms of decisions...
, Computer Graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
and Haptics research projects, also receiving several patents in those fields.
Snibbe is the founder of Snibbe Interactive, which distributes and develops immersive interactive experiences for use in museums, entertainment and branding; Scott Snibbe Studio which produces original apps and apps made in collaboration with other musicians and filmmakers; and the nonprofit research organization Sona Research, which researches the socially beneficial applications of interactive technologies. In 2009, Snibbe presented Sona Research's first research paper "Social Immersive Media" at the CHI
CHI (conference)
The ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems series of academic conferences is generally considered the most prestigious in the field of human–computer interaction. It is hosted by ACM SIGCHI, the Special Interest Group on computer–human interaction. CHI has been held annually since...
2009 conference, coining the term Social Immersive Media to describe interface techniques to create effective immersive interactive experiences focused on social interaction, and winning the best paper of conference award.
Notable works
Interactive Art for the Screen- Motion Sketch, 1989
- Motion Phone, 1994
- Bubble Harp, 1997
- Gravilux, 1997
- Myrmegraph, 1998
- Emptiness is Form, 2000
iPhone and iPad Apps
- Gravilux, 2010
- Bubble Harp, 2010
- Antograph, 2010
- Tripolar, 2011
- OscilloScoopOscilloscoopOscilloScoop is an interactive music app for iOS that runs on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch, available through the iTunes App Store. The app presents a real-time interface for creating electronic music in various electronic music genres from hip hop to techno and house. The app is designed with...
, 2011
Interactive Projections
- Boundary Functions, 1998
- Shadow, 2002
- Deep Walls, 2002
- Shy, 2003
- Impression, 2003
- Depletion, 2003
- Compliant, 2003
- Concentration, 2003
- Cause and Effect, 2004
- Visceral Cinema: Chien, 2005
- Shadow Bag, 2005
- Central Mosaic, 2005
- Outward Mosaic, 2006
- Make Like a Tree, 2006
- Falling Girl, 2008
Elecromechanical Sculpture
- Mirror, 2001
- Circular Breathing, 2002
- Blow Up, 2005
Internet Art
- It's Out, 2001
- Tripolar, 2002
- Fuel, 2002
- Cabspotting, 2005
Public Art Installations
- You Are Here, New York Hall of ScienceNew York Hall of ScienceThe New York Hall of Science occupies one of the few remaining structures of the 1964 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City. Today, it stands as New York City's only hands-on science and technology center...
, 2004 - Women Hold up Half the Sky, Mills CollegeMills CollegeMills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
, 2007 - Transit, Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
, 2009
Performance
- In the Grace of the World, Saint Luke's Orchestra, 2008
Film
- Lost Momentum, 1995
- Brothers, 1990
See also
- Interactive artInteractive artInteractive art is a form of installation-based art that involves the spectator in a way that allows the art to achieve its purpose. Some installations achieve this by letting the observer or visitor "walk" in, on, and around them; Some others ask the artist to become part of the artwork.Works of...
- Electronic artElectronic artElectronic art is a form of art that makes use of electronic media or, more broadly, refers to technology and/or electronic media. It is related to information art, new media art, video art, digital art, interactive art, internet art, and electronic music...
- Computer artComputer artComputer art is any art in which computers play a role in production or display of the artwork. Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, videogame, web site, algorithm, performance or gallery installation...
- Software artSoftware artSoftware art refers to works of art where the creation of software, or concepts from software, play an important role; for example software applications which were created by artists and which were intended as artworks. As an artistic discipline software art has attained growing attention since the...
- Abstract filmAbstract filmAbstract film is a subgenre of experimental film. Its history often overlaps with the concerns and history of visual music. Some of the earliest abstract motion pictures known to survive are those produced by a group of German artists working in the early 1920s, a movement referred to as Absolute...
Sources
- Paul, Christiane (2003). Digital Art (World of Art series). London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-20367-9.
- Wilson, Steve Information Arts: Intersections of Art, Science, and Technology ISBN 0-262-23209-X
- Bullivant, Lucy (2006). Responsive Environments: architecture, art and design (V&A Contemporaries). London:Victoria and Albert Museum. ISBN 1-85177-481-5.
- Fiona Whitton, Tom Leeser, Christiane Paul (2005). Visceral Cinema: Chien. Los Angeles: Telic. ASIN: B000BFHTOE.
-
Better Living through Chemistry , San Francisco Examiner, November 8, 2001. - KQED TV documentary on Scott Snibbe, original airdate: April 2005
- Scott Snibbe Studio website
- Snibbe Interactive Website
- Sona Research Website