Media collective presents unique installation at Institute of Texan Cultures
(Aug. 7, 2014) -- People come to the Institute of Texan Cultures to experience people, images, stories, music, artifacts and everything that goes into creating culture. With the help of the Convergent Media Collective, museum guests will experience and interact with Texas culture in a unique way.
From July 26 through Oct. 5, "Converging Texan Cultures" is on display, incorporating the collective's techno-centric approach to artistic multimedia presentations. Using HD images and footage, innovative filming techniques and projection mapping, the collective has placed three installations at the ITC, examining Texas architecture, food and fashion.
The study in architecture places the viewer practically on the street across from unique Texas buildings, such as the San Antonio Central Library, Perot Museum of Science & Nature in Dallas, and Austin's City Hall. Projected onto two adjoining walls and six feet off the ground, a viewer is given the experience of being there.
The collective create a unique way to interact with its exploration of Texas foods: taking part in their preparation. The collective installed a countertop as if the viewer were working in an actual kitchen. A projector inside a cabinet below projects upward onto an acrylic screen embedded in the countertop. The viewer becomes a part of the experience, as an unseen cook prepares dishes such as red enchiladas, Vietnamese spring rolls and Spanish rice. The actual life-size scale of the projection makes the experience profound and immersive.
In their study of fashion, the collective assembled an interactive catalog of Texas designs and products. A viewer can stand just a few feet away from life-sized images of models in Texas clothing. With a swipe of the hand across the projection, the viewer "turns the page" to the next image.
"The Convergent Media Collective has created something that changes the way we experience and interact with museum exhibits," said ITC Executive Director Angelica Docog. "It's immersive and almost participatory in its approach. In a museum about people, the way we live and everything that constitutes our culture, to have an opportunity to take part in that culture and experience it for oneself is intense and profound. We're thankful the collective has shown us a new way to incorporate technology and interaction into the visitor experience."
The Institute of Texan Cultures is on the UTSA HemisFair Park Campus, 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd., a short distance from the Alamo and the River Walk. Regular hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults (ages 12-64); $7 for seniors (ages 65+); $6 for children (ages 3-11); free with membership, UTSA or Alamo Colleges identification.
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For more information, call 210-458-2300 or visit TexanCultures.com.
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