Oral Fixations is a collaboration of seven artists, animators, computer scientists and actors each working in their respective fields. It was originally developed by Carnegie Mellon School of Art’s James Duesing (left) and Jessica Hodgins

Perry Hoberman’s work is funny, wacky and political. His piece at the entryway to the gallery, Art Under Contract, is very tongue-in-check. It includes the user license agreement so prevalent nowadays. In order to view the artwork, the participant needs to click and “accept” the agreement. Then the large steel structure next to the computer opens it’s “creaky window” to allow the artwork to be viewed. “I have seen the artwork and I cannot tell you what it looks like because I’ve already agreed to that end-user license agreement,” quips Lauro-Lazin.

Oral Fixations is a collaboration of seven artists, animators, computer scientists and actors each working in their respective fields. It was originally developed by Carnegie Mellon School of Art’s James Duesing (left) and Jessica Hodgins

A sampling of the juried artists further confirms the varied scope of the exhibition.

Reflecting the exhibition’s theme of “Threading Time,” the Oral Fixations evolves throughout a seven-hour time period. In this absurdist commentary on gluttony, a conveyor belt delivers hams — at a rate of more than100 an hour — to an animated character that takes a bite of each ham before discarding the remainder and delightfully dancing around flossing. The hams pile up around the character over the duration of the piece until the room is filled with the oddly humorous refuse of this gluttony. SIGGRAPH attendees are encouraged to revisit the piece periodically throughout the day to see the changing environment.

Oral Fixations is a team project, a collaboration of seven artists, animators, computer scientists and actors each working in their respective fields. Originally developed by James Duesing, an animator and professor at the Carnegie Mellon School of Art, and Jessica Hodgins, a professor at the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science, whose interests include motion capture and behavioral algorithms, the project evolved from an animation class they co-teach that combines art and technical approaches. The team that worked on the project was recruited from their respective schools.

Duesing’s work has been exhibited in diverse venues, including The Sundance Film Festival, PBS, MTV, the Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art and The Best of SIGGRAPH. The 2003 SIGGRAPH papers chair and a recipient of a NSF Young Investigator Award, a Packard Fellowship and a Sloan Fellowship, Hodgins’ research focuses on computer graphics, robotics and animation. As a junior at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Art, Bum Lee focuses on computer animation, including 3D modeling and silhouette animation. He is also a book illustrator, portrait artist and web designer. Besides being interested in traditional portraiture, Moshe Mahler, a Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts alumni, likes to explore personalities through computer animation. He is currently an animation designer in the computer graphics department at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute. Jay O’Berski holds a master’s of fine art in acting from Carnegie-Mellon and Moscow Art Theatre School. He teaches acting at Duke University and is the theatrical director of the Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern. A researcher in the area of computer graphics, Sang Il Park is a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University with a Ph.D in computer science from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. His current research is on synthesizing character animation and visually simulating natural phenomena. Currently working on his master’s in fine art at Carnegie Mellon University, David Tinapple, works at the crossroads of art, technology and perception. He has performed and shown work internationally as well as produced interactive CD-ROMs for Saturday Night Live and designed interface and interaction at Match.com.

Net-based artist Peter Hovarth created Intervals, a web-based audio/video piece inspired by an interest in the nature of identity and consciousness.

Peter Hovarth’s Intervals is a web based audio/video piece inspired by an interest in the nature of identity and consciousness. Unfolding through cinematic interludes, these animated character portraits explore the identity of four subjects, exposing “their most intimate selves through accounts of lost innocence, fear of the unknown, masculine ritual and the mystery of love.” Yet much like memory these accounts are “subject to slippages, distortions and filmic alter-egos.”