Mirare, the Digital Art Sculpture
“Mirare”, is the name of a striking 13-foot free-standing sculpture that blends physical presence with virtual reality. Resembling a black treelike structure, it features nine high-definition TV screens as leaves, each displaying segments of a continuous, dynamic customized animations created by Csuri. The abstract, colorful visuals move across the screens, creating a mesmerizing experience that invites viewers to marvel this work from all angles. This unique artwork, considered the first of its kind, challenges traditional perceptions of space and form, offering a new way to experience digital art.
“No longer restricted to rectangular spaces, animation is being redefined to take on a different role.”
About the artwork: This is the first Digital Art Sculpture of its kind – titled “Mirare” which means “to wonder at”. The revolutionary piece was completed and unveiled on July 27th, 2010. “Mirare” combines physical and virtual reality to create a new kind of artistic experience. It has a physical presence of its own, while the animation, with its implied visual continuity between displays, is enhanced in this new role. Colors and shapes move dynamically, creating something that seems alive and can be viewed “in the round”, like classical art. The animation has no narrative, which allows the viewer to participate experientially and without conceptual barriers. The beginning becomes the end and the end becomes the beginning.
About the technology: The challenging utilization of multiple high-definition flat panel displays is made possible through the use of patented technology pioneered by the development teams at the Rivet Digital and CsuriStudios. The accurate synchronization and proper alignment of the imagery is possible through a unique approach to digital encoding, storing and processing. This allows for the real-time playback of animation at many times greater resolution than high-definition television. The technology opens the door for the use of unlimited numbers of displays placed anywhere in real-world space that act as “windows” peering into the artist’s virtual three-dimensional world. 10’s, 100’s or even 1,000’s of displays can be combined, breaking beyond the boundaries of size, scale, and perspective of past digital art.
Others who helped make “Mirare” possible: Christina & Jim Grote, Willie Grové, Caroline Csuri, Kevin Reagh, Dale Mcclintock, Russ Nagy, Rivet Digital, Bainter Machining and Fabricating, NuGrowth Technologies, Matt Lewis, & Pete Carswell.
Jim Tressel, former American college football coach and university administrator