About Scott Kildall
Scott Kildall is a new media artist who works with datasets related to natural sciences and how they interact with human civilization, transforming these into sculptures and interactive installations. His work spatializes data to create experiences where viewers can move and interact with the data itself. Because data has physical consequences, his work generates meaningful real-life experiences for the viewer. Recent artworks range from stone tablets etched with meteorite impact data to interactive sound installations based on water quality to virtual reality installations where viewers can fly around data involving the artificial construct of the nation-state.
Scott has been working with art + technology + education for over 15 years. In 2017, he worked as an American Arts Incubator Artist, where he led a 1-month workshop in Bangkok to teach data-visualization and sculptural techniques to local Thai educators and students involving water quality in that city. Additionally, he has worked as a New Media Exhibit Developer (2012-13) at The Exploratorium in the Life Sciences Gallery. He has also taught coursework involving data-visualization and digital mapping at the University of San Francisco.
He has received fellowships, awards and residencies from organizations including the SETI Institute, ZERO1, Santa Fe Art Institute, Impakt Works, Autodesk, Recology San Francisco, Turbulence.org, Eyebeam Art + Technology Center, The Kala Art Institute and The Banff Centre for the Arts.
His work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the New York Hall of Science, Transmediale, the Venice Biennale, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the San Jose Museum of Art. He currently resides in San Francisco.
Flagscape: Data-visualizing Global Economic Exchange in Virtual Reality
July 17, 2018Overview Scott Kildall is conducting research into data-navigation techniques in virtual reality with a project called Flagscape, which constructs a surreal world of economic exchange between nations, based on United Nations data. The work deploys “data bodies,” which represent exports such as metal ores and fossil fuels that move through… Read more
Revamping Moon v Earth
July 13, 2018My artwork occupies the space between the digital and analog as I generate physical expressions of the virtual. In the last several years, most of my work with transforming data into sculptures and installations. But sometimes I return to narratives themselves. It’s not so much a lack of focus but… Read more
Farewell, Dinacon
July 9, 2018I just spent 20 days on a sparsely-inhabited island in Thailand with about 80 artists, scientists and other imaginative people. Everyone worked on their own projects ranging from jungle-foraged dinners to plant-piloted drones to creating batteries from microbial energy. We had no AC for much of the day, got bitten… Read more
Dinacon: 2 more environmental synths
June 28, 2018Dinacon — the Digital Naturalism Conference on island of Koh Lon in Thailand — has been amazing. It’s been an opportunity to meet and collaborate with other artists, scientists, hackers, writers and more. The caliber of the participants has been extraordinary. My art experiments have been around creating audio synth compositions… Read more
Dinacon: First Audio Synth Recording
June 25, 2018At Dinacaon, I’m conducting many experiments with electronics using audio synth and environmental sensors to make site-specific compositions. I’m extending my Sonaqua custom boards to use the Mozzi audio synthesis libraries. Yesterday I put together my first mini-composition. These will eventually lead to more dynamic 4-channel compositions and could also extend into some live performances… Read more
Dinacon: A walking tour of Koh Lon Island
June 20, 2018As I often do, when I get to a new place, I get lost. I follow the advice of Rebecca Solnit in A Field Guide to Getting Lost and just wander. Before establishing patterns, your perceptions are the most open and so the day after arriving at Dinacon, I wandered… Read more