Originally inspired by interviews with genetic research scientists, Poetic Hybrids incorporates real-time human creation with augmented reality to illustrate improbable hybrids with holograms. This project gives the audience an opportunity to influence the creation of holographic sculptures, first by choosing the components and then by ‘painting’ on the holograms.
Presented at:
2017 Institute for Systems Biology
2017 Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology
2016 Seattle Art Museum
2016 9E2
Ruffner began the project by compiling a list of words scientists used when describing their reasons for becoming a scientist, their motivations, and what they find beautiful in their research. Viewers will be invited to select two of these evocative and ephemeral entities—including such varied ideas as “discovery,” “pattern” and “giggle”—to be hybridized by the team of artists. Rapidly designing, modeling and building each virtual hybrid, the artists will deploy the finished holographic sculptures to iPads where they can be both viewed and further altered by visitors using augmented reality.
