As an extension of the Exotopia sci-fi storytelling project, I am presenting a new series called Catsronauts, which are space characters in future narratives. I created them in collaboration with an AI-image generation engine. These are portraits of six of them. Science Officer Paw Paws Catsronauts are certainly playful and cute, playing with the use of […]
Introduction Last week, I hosted Raunak Singh, as a coder-in-residence, at Xenoform Labs. I normally provide artist-in-residencies for new media artists throughout the year, but Covid torpedoed the program for 2020 and 2021. I am thrilled to be resuming some sort of programming for 2022 and am now experimenting with different models. Raunak is a […]
NFTs and Climate Change Aren’t NFTs disastrous for the environment? How can I reconcile being an environmentalist with being a proponent of NFTs? There is a path here. Let’s get into it. NFT 101 A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain. NFTs can be used to […]
Just before I showed my new sound installation work, Symphonic Forest, I did this walkthrough at the Bloedel Reserve. This was the sound check before the final installation and I was quite happy with the results. And here are some final pictures of the installation. Their videographer shot some video on the morning […]
I’m midway through my 3 week summer residency at the Bloedel Reserve, where I am creating a new installation called Symphonic Forest, which is sculptural-sound installation that creates a data-driven soundscape from live data from trees. It’s a lot of work! Come check out its premiere on Thursday, August 12th (noon to 5pm) and Friday, […]
In addition to being an artist, I also am an educator. I feel passionate about sharing the methodologies, technical tools and conceptual pathways that I’ve developed over the years . This semester, I’m teaching Interaction Design (2 sections) at the University of San Francisco, where I’m an adjunct professor. Rather than doing hardware, I’ll be […]
The 2020 Presidential Election is just several days away. We anticipate hours in front of the TV on election night, waiting for the results. Biden Bingo is a game you can play to entertain yourself and your guests as you watch each state go for Biden (yay!) or Trump (boo!). This project is a collaboration between Scott Kildall and […]
Badeverbot Welle 3, Schaumbad, Graz https://schaumbad.mur.at We are delighted to invite you to see our sci-fi short film Contagious Whisper (US/UK 2020, 8min. dir. Kildall / Luksch) at the exhibition Badeverbot Welle 3, which will open Sept 24th; the vernissage will take place on Sept 27th. Venue: Schaumbad – Freies Atelierhaus Graz, Puchstrasse 41, 8020 Graz, Austria […]
I haven’t blog-written for a long time and so much has happened in the last year plus. Amongst other global meltdowns, well yes, we are still in a pandemic. Like all artists, this changes everything. Cancelled exhibitions, postponed residencies, etc. You can’t make projects for physical spaces. And most of all, no plans. We all […]
Rain blanketed San Francisco throughout January but it was dry for me. No alcohol for 31 days. Both easy and annoying. I know many people who make this commitment annually, well-before someone dubbed it “Dry January”(or just #Dryuary). I had imagined a cinema-like moment where my right hand would reach for the whiskey bottle and my […]
In August, I quit my job at Autodesk Pier 9 as a Shop Staff member in their unique fabrication facility. I had started there as an artist-in-residence in 2014 and continued on as a part-time employee to help other artists realize amazing projects, specifically teaching them electronics, coding and virtual reality techniques. Everything changes. The […]
›Last month, at the conclusion of my time at Dinacon, I interviewed the two organizers: Tasneem Khan and Andy Quitmeyer. This was a special time and I was grateful for the opportunity to get their thoughts before I left. Scott Kildall: Hi! Would each of you please give a short self-introduction? Andy: I’m Andy Quitmeyer and am […]
Overview 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 space and impart complexities of […]
›My 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 rather a continual inquiry into […]
I 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 by weaver ants, were surrounded […]
Dinacon — 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 from the environment, using low-cost […]
At 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 by plants and the environment. […]
As 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 around the island and just […]
I jokingly referred to my Sonaqua artwork as “the most annoying piece at the festival”. The exhibition was Currents New Media 2018, which was an incredible event. It was a hit with the public and invited multi-user interaction. Kids went crazy for it. Adults seemed to enjoy the square-waves of audio glitch all night. So yes, perhaps […]
My writing (below) was originally printed as part of the Disobedient Electronics project by Garnet Hertz. It is a limited edition publishing project that highlights confrontational work from industrial designers, electronic artists, hackers and makers that disobey conventions. Gun Control (revisited) In 2004, I created Gun Control — a set of four electromechanical sculptures, which […]
This write-up is a bit tardy, but that’s what happens when the holidays hit. In December, I hosted a DIY Water Sensors Workshop at Autodesk Pier 9 in collaboration with The Center for Investigative Reporting. I’ve been fortunate enough to work at Autodesk, first as an artist-in-residence (2014) and for the last few years, running their […]
Last week, I gave a talk, detailing my interpretation of the term Art Thinking at the LongNow Interval Space. More on that later. I also discussed a 4-part model of time and several art projects that I’ve made over the last several years. It was one of my best talks and I felt so honored to […]