Event 2: Color Light Motion

I recently attended the Color Light Motion event, featuring JoAnne Kuchera-Morin and Frederick Janka, and it honestly left me thinking about art and technology in a whole new way. A big theme we’ve explored in this course is how art and science aren’t separate, they actually inform and expand each other. This event brought that idea to life.  One part that really stood out was JoAnne Kuchera-Morin’s talk about the AlloSphere at UC Santa Barbara. It’s this massive, dome-like space where you can walk inside and literally be surrounded by sound and visuals that are based on real scientific data. She showed how they turn things like quantum waves or molecules into something you can see and hear. Even over Zoom, it felt immersive. It made me think about how our senses can help us understand things we usually just read about or look at on a screen.

This directly connects to my final project idea, where I’m trying to design a space that blends architecture with elements from nature and sound. After the event, I started thinking about how I could include subtle sound reactions or visual shifts to make the environment feel more alive—like it’s responding to the person experiencing it. The way Kuchera-Morin uses frequency and motion as tools made me want to explore that more in my own design. Another highlight was Nam June Paik’s Participation TV, which turns sound into visuals. When someone speaks into a mic, the TV reacts and creates colorful patterns based on their voice. I loved the idea that the viewer becomes part of the artwork. It made me realize that I want my final piece to feel like that too—not just something to look at, but something to interact with.

Even the more sculptural work like Patricia Belli’s Osario had an impact. She uses fabric and discarded materials to explore ideas of memory and transformation. It reminded me that you can use everyday or even overlooked materials to create something meaningful—and that idea is definitely sticking with me. I’d 100% recommend this event to anyone in our class. It gave me a lot of new ideas for my projects and helped me actually feel what we’ve been reading and talking about all quarter. It made me realize that art isn’t just about expressing something—it’s about changing how we experience the world around us.

Proof Of Attendance: