On Thursday, Jan. 30, The William Benton Museum of Art hosted a reception for community members surrounding the digital media and design exhibit running until March 14. There were food and drinks served.
Entering the exhibit, there are many television screens and projectors displaying different videos as well as a few physical pictures.
Samantha Olschan’s “TextPop,” made in 2024, is an absolute sensory nightmare to the eyes in a very provocative way. Olschan said it “Explores the complexities of visible language, neurodivergence and constructed meaning.”
Olschan’s other work displayed is 2024’s “EVERYTHING IS GOING SO WELL,” a collection of 15 pictures made with “unmarked pills, candies, antidepressants, pain medications and other objects” that spell out common responses to phrases such as “How are you?” and “How’s it going?,” such as “FEELING GREAT,” “TO BE HONEST” and the title of the piece centered in the middle.
Kenneth Thompson and Clarissa J. Ceglio made a process overview that shows information about their virtual reality (VR) experience “Beyond Nuremberg.” The project aims to “investigate Holocaust history in relation to the Trial of the Major War Criminals” with the concept of time travel to further understand what happened at those trials. There is a link with more information provided along with a QR code at the exhibit.
Thompson also made 2024’s “Abrahamic Aleppo: Coffee and Puppets,” a VR project which aims to capture the diversity and “multicultural history of coexistence of Aleppo” with the exploration of multiple locations.
Ting Zhou, with Rei Feng as a digital technician, made a VR experience in 2024 called “So Close, Yet So Far.” It was about the “two-body problem,” where a nuclear family is apart since the parents are working and the children aren’t with them. Zhou reflected on being an academic with a family to take care of, so they collected data of the amount of time spent with their father and how long they communicate online. A striking quote is “These numbers represent not just physical distance but also the emotional gaps created by our separation.”
Anna Lindemann made something called a “Breath Book” this year where they pay tribute to the microscopic organisms that make air with a foldable accordion-like book. The book, when extended, is the exact same height as Lindemann.
Lindemann also directed and took part in animating a 10-minute animation about climate change’s impact on Antarctica with 2024’s “Arctic Shifts.” The project took shape with the help of polar climate scientist Dr. Alice DuVivier, animators Dominica Harrison and Suzanne Matharan and musical algorithm developer Eric Lindemann. The video has three main phases addressing the effects of climate change on the ecosystem, an introduction and an epilogue displayed with a projector.
Ryan Brown made 2022’s “Waiting for Spring,” an 18-minute long narrative video about the grief of letting go of someone who passed away. The video unfolds as an “unknown survivor on an abandoned Mars research station is visited by a lost love after discovering the origin of life.”
Justin Liberman directed and took part in writing 2014’s “Tobacco Burn,” which reflects on the unique bond between them and “A diverse group of merchant dreamers.” After reflecting on how most of these people including the artist and their parents were descendants of oppressed people, Liberman noted, “while we were all very much on the outside of normal society, we were empowered by our small community and held each other up to advance.”
Liberman also had a screen dedicated to his “Micro Cinema” video projects, which were a series of commercials, music videos and short documentaries created between 2018 and 2024. He commented on this project, “As a narrative filmmaker, I appreciate the opportunity that commercial filmmaking allows me to exercise my craft of directing.”
zzyw, the duo of Zhenzhen Qi and Yang Wang, created “Other Spring” in 2014, which is a “speculative worldbuilding project presented as a docufiction.” More information can be found on their website.
Catherine Masud created a seven-minute video called “EMDR Journey” in 2023, which addressed the artist’s personal and positive experience with Eye Movement, Desensitization and Reprocessing.
Matthew Worwood directed and produced a 30-minute film called “Teaching During the Pandemic,” which is an ode to the teachers who worked during the pandemic and adapted to the changing social climate after COVID-19.