The inaugural work for 150 Media Stream by pioneer media artist Jason Salavon is rendered in Unity and brings together the physical construction of the installation with a simulated architectural construction. The piece is based on physics: water and air, collisions, and visual disruptions that continually and elegantly reunify. It transforms and constantly generates in real time, never repeating itself exactly. 

Thirst’s installation “We The People” is a suite of five scenes, expressing oneness, diversity, and community. Words from the U.S. Constitution are used throughout the piece, as well as 150 first names of those born in America within the last decade.

In 1787 the U.S. Constitution was signed by a fractured group of misfits and outcasts—delegates—each an immigrant in a new land. These individuals set the course towards a unified nation dedicated to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Their work inspired Thirst’s suite of ambient scenes, each animated expressions of the diverse melting pot that is America. Together, we shall overcome. Divided, we will fall.

150 Media Stream showcases work that crosses genres and offers a platform for new or unexplored Chicago visionaries, storytellers, and creators. Such is the case for September’s featured duo: designer Megan Pryce and animator Zige Zhang, who have collaborated for over a year to create an exuberant, animated depiction of the vast Chicago landscape, entitled “Blues Notes Red Stars.” 

“I love the idea that while we are all living these separate experiences, we are also adding to a larger and more systematic image than we realize. The city functions because of the people who create it and utilize it so I wanted to express that in this work—showing the city as an organism.” —Megan Pryce

The urban landscape we live in can be both fascinating and frightening—altogether familiar and foreign at the same time. Nature is constantly interwoven with man-made elements. In our ever-mobile environment we often forget that beneath the rush, we can immerse ourselves in small moments of amazement, if we only slow down and really look.

In River Unseen I am presenting new sides of the river—a constantly changing and flowing body of water. This project blurs the boundaries between what is synthetic and what is natural, what is real and what is constructed. I am working towards creating a new narrative for the river, a narrative that can change as the river changes—becoming healthier and more sustainable.

Physical systems have inspired creativity for thousands of years. As technology allows us to manipulate these systems with increasing granularity, new opportunities for expression emerge. By using a grammar rooted in physical models, it may one day be possible to synthesize and exchange ideas through the systems themselves.

Cirrus studies the expressive potential of simulating two intertwined dynamic systems. It couples a real-time fluid simulation with a carefully tuned reaction-diffusion mechanism to produce morphing tapestries of chemical interactions. As material is consumed and propagated within the boundaries of the video wall’s blades, strangely familiar patterns of coral reefs or leopard spots emerge, swirling among diagrams of entirely alien designs. Occasional waves of disturbance shock the system, never destroying it entirely, its hidden gradients always shifting and evolving below the surface. With Cirrus, no two moments are alike, every second a new statement.

Iconic 20th century architectural images from the Hedrich Blessing Photographers archive at Chicago History Museum are morphed into ever changing compositions by digital artist Geoffrey Alan Rhodes and are shown on the massive 150 Media Stream video wall. Through photographers’ eyes, this immersive experience is a window into Chicago as a designed and constructed environment. The project is part of Chicago00, a technological initiative to create historical encounters. It is also part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, North America’s largest international exhibition of groundbreaking architectural projects.