Art and science meet in professor’s interactive display in Dublin

Light and sound exuded from small, hand-held objects scattered across a table as users twisted and turned its knobs.

Art meets science in Andrew Bucksbarg’s “Mobispheres,” an art installation that elicits interaction, improvisation and creativity.

“I use technology as my paintbrush,” said Bucksbarg, media artist, experimental interaction designer, audio-visual performer and assistant professor of telecommunications at IU. “Since technology is so pervasive in our lives, it is rich material for an artist.”

Bucksbarg’s Mobispheres are featured at “LIGHTWAVE: Defy the Darkness,” a show being held at the Science Gallery in Dublin, Ireland that will run until Feb. 20. The show experiments with illumination and brings together scientists and artists from around the world.

Bucksbarg said the Science Gallery combines art and science in a fun way. It was his second time in Dublin, and he said he enjoyed the atmosphere and all of the people.

“The Science Gallery has a very positive environment, how they’re bringing science into the mainstream and mixing with art and design,” Bucksbarg said.

Bucksbarg has been putting his Mobispheres together for a few years. They are custom-built with a simple interface, making it easy for viewers to use and interact with.

“It is sort of a handheld GarageBand that can be played in groups, which means it is social and that means it will probably expand,” said Thom Gillespie, former IU professor of telecommunications and creator and director of the program. “It isn’t hard to imagine David Bryne onstage with a reconstituted Talking Heads ‘Mobisphering.’”

The user improvises with synthetic sounds and colored lights by moving the Mobisphere in different ways and playing with the buttons and knobs.

A small speaker is located on the back of the object, which can be filtered by hand, making various sounds.

“What is inspiring to me about Andrew’s projects is that people love them,” said Robert Lyon, a sophomore majoring in experimental music and sonic arts and computer science. “People who ordinarily wouldn’t want to sit and listen to an electronic audio-visual performance are getting involved with his projects and not putting the Mobispheres down.”

Bucksbarg wants everyone to be able to experience art and the process of creativity.

“Unlike most art exhibitions, an important part of the show is to encourage the visitor to play/perform with others and to explore and generate sound, light and video interactions,” Bucksbarg said in his proposal for Audio Visual Interact Object!,”

Bucksbarg has participated in many festivals and has worked in museums and galleries such as Piksel Festival in Bergen, Norway and the Signal To Noise Festival in Vancouver.

Bucksbarg got his bachelor’s degree from the Jacobs School of Music and his master’s from the California Institute of the Arts, New Media and Integrated Media, but his interests in art and technology began before that. He said as a child he was always making sounds, tearing apart electronics and playing around with claymation.

Jeffrey Hass, professor of composition, said he had Bucksbarg as a student and now values him as a colleague.

“He was always looking outside the box. He is very hard to categorize, and I like that about what he does,” Hass said. “His integration of new media with the social ideas he has are very unique.”

As the Internet, mobile devices and games continue to develop, so will art and music.

“Anything which is about social connection is and will continue to expand at an exponential rate,” Gillespie said.

“Technology will continue to evolve,” Bucksbarg said, “and designers will continue to explore these areas as technology becomes more pervasive and embedded in our lives.”