‘decode: digital design sensations’ CAFA art museum, shanghai, china now until 21 november 2010

‘decode: digital design sensations’ at the CAFA art museum in beijing, china image © designboom

curated by the V&A in collaboration with the leading digital arts organization, onedotzero, ‘decode: digital design sensations’ is an exhibition showcasing the best contemporary digital art and design from around the world. initially launched last december in london, the collection has started on an international tour with its first stop at the CAFA art museum in shanghai, china.

decode: digital design sensations - 2 ‘dandelion’ by sennep/ yoke image © designboom

the exhibition is composed of three themes: ‘interactivity’ looks at designs that invite the viewers to contribute to the development of the works. one such project is ‘dandelion’ sennep and yoke, which allows users to digitally ‘blow away’ the seeds of a dandelion by use of a hair dryer. another project by london-based artist mehmet akten is ‘body paint’. the visual instrument invites users to paint on a virtual canvas with their body, reading movements, gestures and dance to create compositions.

video of ‘dandelion’ in action

decode: digital design sensations - 3 ‘dandelion’ by sennep/ yoke, 2009 software, projector, PC, graphics, ATI, LED fan, speakers, hairdryer © sennep/ yoke

decode: digital design sensations - 4 ‘body paint’ by mehmet akten, 2009 software, macbook, projector, firewire, camera, IR floods © memo akten, the mega super awesome visuals company

‘bodypaint’ at ‘decode’

decode: digital design sensations - 5 ‘dune’ by dan roosengaarde, 2007 embedded technologies © studio roosengaarde

decode: digital design sensations - 6 image © designboom

decode: digital design sensations - 7 ‘videogrid’ by ross philips, 2007 software, PC, projector, speakers, handycame © ross philips

decode: digital design sensations - 8 ‘light rain’ by wow, 2007 software, projectors, mac mini 2.2 © wow

decode: digital design sensations - 9 ‘light rain’ projection wall image © designboom

decode: digital design sensations - 10 image © designboom

decode: digital design sensations - 11 ‘mirror, miror’ by jason bruges studio, 2009 custom built monocrhome, LED matrix, camera and software © JBS photo: lee mawdsley

‘code as material’ features projects that utilize computer code to create constantly fluid and ever changing designs. digital artist daniel brown has on display a piece from his ‘on growth and form series’, a growing imaginary plant that produces new buds, blossoms and stalks from advanced mathematics and code. the ‘plant’ will continue to generate and grow over the course of the exhibition.

decode: digital design sensations - 12 ‘on growth and form series’ by daniel brown image © designboomdecode: digital design sensations - 13 image © designboom

decode: digital design sensations - 14 ‘TI’ by C.E.B. reas, 2004 custom software, computer, projector, wooden discs © bitforms, gallery nyc photo: tom bland

‘the network’, the last theme, explores the notion of collecting data generated by new types of social interacting and media to create works and forms. american digital artist aaron koblin visualizes real-time flight patterns into an abstracted portrait of a time and country.

decode: digital design sensations - 15 ‘flight patterns’ by aaron kolbin, 2009 digital movie projection, PC, projector, flight patterns © aaron kolbin photo: V&A images

24 hours of flight data

decode: digital design sensations - 16 ‘bit.code’ by julius popp, 2009 energy chains, motors, electronics and software commissioned by the V&A in partnership with SAP for ‘decode’ © julis popp photo: V&A images

‘bit.code’ at ‘decode’