Phantasmal Encounters in Real Time [P.E.R.T], curated by Jesse Bandler (SoFla, Tropicult), is a two person exhibit presented at the Tech Playground during FilmGate Interactive Conference, featuring physically-interactive, digitally-made artworks by Michael Powell (STL, Studio Powell) and Joe Winograd (NYC, GIFPOP).
The exhibited works challenge the rigid constructs of materiality and death. Winograd is interested in the physical presence of internet art and brings his GIFS to life through tangible lenticular sculptures; Powell is interested in increasing interactivity in the digital sphere.
Joe Winograd is a Brooklyn based artist working at the intersection where digital art meets its physical limitations and is interested in the presence digital media, namely GIFs, can have off-line. Winograd uses lenticular printing to fully realize his animations in three-dimensions. While his psychedelic GIF animations seem fleeting and ephemeral, their physical counterparts appear static but are easily activated by human interaction, increasing the agency of the viewer without compromising the quality of the work itself. Winograd will be presenting new lenticular prints, sculptures, and jewelry that increase direct interactivity between our bodies and his digital artworks.
Michael Powell is a conceptual artist and interactive designer currently based in St Louis. Powell’s studio practice often contextualizes common objects and set-constructs to prompt questions about time and our relationship with this material world, ultimately revealing new layers of meaning, enriching our surroundings, and illuminating aspects of the human condition. Similarly, Powell’s interactive design work is focused on expanding ways humans can physically manipulate and interact with content through digital interfaces beyond just click, copy, and paste. Powell will be presenting a physical installation of The Visit, an interactive canvas where viewers can live-paint with Picasso on Tropicult.
Jesse Firestone is a curator currently based in South Florida, he is the Associate Creative Director and cofounder of Outer Space Art Fair and has been featured in Hyperallergic, Konbini, and Widewalls.
Michael Powell is a conceptual, mixed media artist and cultural instigator based in St. Louis, MO. He received his BA from UC Santa Barbara, MFA from Washington University in St. Louis. His work, described by St. Louis Public Radio as a “captivating soup of cosmic dreaming and reality testing,” incorporates video, artist books, installation, performance and the web. Michael Powell has shown at the Pulitzer Foundations for the Arts, Museum of Contemporary Arts Santa Barbara, The Luminary, and is the founder Uncompromising Tang and the Transversal Project.
Joe Winograd is a Brooklyn based, multimedia artist working to realize his digital animations as three dimensional sculptures. He currently works at GifPop! and has been featured in Vice’s Creators Project, Tumblr’s Year in Review, Konbini, MoMA Talks, and Paddle8. Winograd has shown his work internationally at galleries and festivals in Paris, Athens, Copehangen, NYC, and LA.
FilmGate Interactive is a creative conference living at the intersection of storytelling and new technology. It invites creators and audience to conceive and share their stories, together. It’s powered by the Miami Beach Visitors & Convention Authority and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs.