{"id":15973,"date":"2023-04-28T16:24:01","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T21:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/?p=15973"},"modified":"2023-04-28T16:58:15","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T21:58:15","slug":"student-creativity-and-humor-take-center-stage-at-viz-a-gogo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pvfa.tamu.edu\/news\/2023\/04\/28\/student-creativity-and-humor-take-center-stage-at-viz-a-gogo\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Creativity And Humor Take Center Stage At Viz-a-GoGo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A chameleon burglar, a plush dragon coming to life and a detective in the shape of a golf ball were among the stars of Viz-a-GoGo<\/a> Thursday night at Rudder Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 30th edition of the display of creative works by visualization undergraduate and graduate students brought in a large and appreciative crowd. The student-run event featured a curated reel of work from the past year, with \u201cthe Vizzies\u201d awards ceremony at the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isabella Bradberry, exhibition director and senior visualization major, thanked the many volunteers involved in putting on the event, and noted this year\u2019s screening is \u201ca little bit more special\u201d now that the visualization program is part of the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Isabella Bradberry, exhibition director and senior visualization major, spoke before the screening. Photo by Megan Hecklinger. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Look Back, A Look Forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tim McLaughlin, interim dean of the school, paid tribute to the \u201coriginal authors of visualization\u201d at Texas A&M in his opening remarks: retired faculty and staff Karen Hillier, Joe Hutchinson, Bill Jenks and Terry Larsen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey got together, recognizing that design and computing were going to have this relationship if enough smart people got involved in figuring out what that relationship was,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd visualization was created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe reason that\u2019s significant is that we\u2019re standing in the same position. What we\u2019re doing with the new School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts is saying, \u2018Hey, at Texas A&M, now we\u2019re also going to do something really cool, which is we\u2019re going to bring the arts together at a time when technology \u2014 real-time graphics and simulation, AI, ML, immersion \u2014 are emerging across different parts of our lives. What will happen? We don\u2019t know yet, but we\u2019re going to be in a position to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McLaughlin noted he was a student for Viz-a-GoGo\u2019s debut, back in the days when analog tape was used. When visualization was created as a degree program, he said the faculty and leadership were just working with ideas. He likened it to the creative process resulting in smartphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018We think this is going to be something. We\u2019re not sure how it\u2019s going to be used, but it might be kind of cool to put some things together, and it could be fun to work with,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what happened with Viz. And that\u2019s what\u2019s happening with the new school. We have some ideas about what it\u2019s going to be, and we\u2019re really excited about how those ideas will take form.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While paying tribute to the origins of visualization, McLaughlin also looked ahead, pondering how the program and the school will look 30 years from now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cImagine what it\u2019s going to be,\u201d he said. \u201cThirty years ago, so many things were coming into place that we didn\u2019t expect. Right now, AI and other things are coming into place that we didn\u2019t expect. We know it\u2019s going to look a lot different. I couldn\u2019t be more excited about what the future holds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Toby Johnson, a recent visualization graduate, served as screening director for Viz-a-GoGo. Photo by Megan Hecklinger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Screening<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s Viz-a-GoGo reel attracted more than 600 submissions, according to Toby Johnson, a recent visualization graduate and screening director for the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the many highlights: An adorable, smiling marshmallow figure in \u201cHot Mess\u201d \u2014 made by Mabel Perez, Anthony Juarez, Kaitlyn Wendell and Nick Martinez \u2014 sparked \u201cawww\u201d reactions from the crowd. That quickly turned into laughter because of the marshmallow\u2019s unfortunate proximity to a campfire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A creepy doll figure brings a jump scare in \u201cForsaken\u201d by Daniel Arellano, Andrea Ballesteros, Emma Krilowicz, Ben Moder, Dominic Nguyen and Skylar Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Game clips included \u201cChill Pill,\u201d a sweet adventure of Koko and her lost cat Ro trying to find each other, made by Izzy Rollo, Madhu Ratnakar, Marina Trevino and Naimisha Parmar. Another cat-related game, \u201cNofi Nobi” by Jaden Choi, Jenny Tran, Audrey Yang and Elsa Davila, featured a feline attempting to impress the object of his affection with fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live-action clips included a witty commercial by Zaria Steele, Soha Aftab and Melanie Riojas. It imagines a drink called Creativi Tea, which greatly improves an artist\u2019s skills despite an alarming list of potential side effects (\u201cmay cause British accents\u201d and \u201csusceptibility to mind control by nefarious forces\u201d among them). Another spoof ad by Veronika Minina, Bria Peters and Madhu Ratnakar points out the many uses of the fork \u2014\u00a0It\u2019s a flyswatter! A paint brush! A shovel! \u2014 which allow you to \u201cbecome the person you\u2019ve always wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A series of computer graphics renderings showed intricate creativity, including \u201cBaby T-Rex\u201d by Krystal Gonzalez, \u201cAlien Greenhouse\u201d by Kaylyn Luna and \u201cFour Seasons in One Head Recreation\u201d by Hannah Klein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And a comical \u201cBack to the Future\u201d spoof \u2014 in honor of this year\u2019s \u201cViz to the Future Part Two\u201d theme \u2014 was interspersed throughout. The clips, filmed in and around Langford Architecture Building C, even included scenes of a flying DeLorean that sparked laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ryan Applebee won the DreamWorks Alumni Award, presented by Mayet Andreassen, associate program director for the Bachelor of Science degree for visualization. Photo by Megan Hecklinger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Vizzies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Awards were given for different mediums, including works on display at the Rudder Exhibit Hall, along with best in show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Photography:<\/strong> Lauren Bradley for \u201cUnseen\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Sculpture and Installation: <\/strong>Corain Marneweck for \u201cWhiskers and Whiskey\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Digital Flatwork: <\/strong>Krystal Gonzalez for \u201cDragon Creature Designs\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Traditional Flatwork: <\/strong>Sydney Lemmon for \u201cCheeky\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Graphic Design: <\/strong>Chloe Aldrich for \u201cThe Language of Dragons\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Technical Art:<\/strong> Ryan Applebee for \u201cLook of Lilli\/Yarn Suite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in CG Rendering: <\/strong>Hannah Klein for \u201cFour Seasons in One Head Recreation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Undergraduate Research and Creative Works: <\/strong>Estefania Loo Kung for \u201cCasita Adorada\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Graduate Research and Creative Works:<\/strong> Hannah Klein for \u201cA 3D Rendering of a Renaissance Painting\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Interactive Media: <\/strong>Avery Burns, Makenna Baylor, Kayln Hernandez, Aubrie Stromberg for \u201cInform\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Game Design and Development: <\/strong>Christopher Bruns, Maggie Lloyd, Thomas Winston, Rachel Barner, Sydney Lemmon for \u201cTunnel Vision\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Time Based Media:<\/strong> Emma Krilowicz, Daniel Arellano, Ben Moder, Skylar Thomas, Dom Nguyen, Andrea Ballesteros for \u201cForsaken\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best in Show:<\/strong> Julia Boisvert, Evan Dickinson, Allie Ehrenfeld, Emmalie Hall, Robert Harwerth, Emily Legg for \u201cSerendipity\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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