Launch Pad Gallery

2012 is a year filled with anticipation... Will our planet come to a sudden end? Will the world economy crumble? Will Obama get re-elected? Who knows? Does anyone care? BYTE ME, 2012 can take your mind off of all these difficult questions and perhaps even answer some of them for you.

The event showcases installations and artwork by Portland artists Libbey White, Donald Delmar Davis, Jonas Nash, and Cameron Adamez that highlight the use of technology in different ways.

The centerpiece is the world premiere of the installation T,E.D. (Transformations, Emotional Deconstruction), created by Sean Hathaway, with music by Carlos Severe Marcelin. This large work features 80 customized Teddy Ruxpin dolls wired together, delivering real-time emotional content from the internet based on the Emotion Wheel developed by the psychologist Robert Plutchik. The work uses speech engines and lighting to deliver a seamless and continuous conversation between the animated dolls who have had their motherboards replaced by the custom board designed for this piece by the creator. Interactive real-time input can also be done by the audience through text messaging or an on-site TED software application.