15th Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Interactive Media

Home Program Partners Boards Press Testimonials Service About Us

Program > Conference > Specials > 5D Conference

5D|Europe Track

5D: The Future of Immersive Design is a global community of creative thinkers committed to exploring the vital role of design in the new collaborative and multi-disciplinary process of digital creation in all narrative media. Founded by co-directors Alex McDowell (Production Designer) and Chris Scoates (Museum Director, UAM), and supported by the Art Directors Guild and the University Art Museum Cal State Long Beach, 5D hosts events across the world that are forming and shaping a collaborative community, anchored around emerging ideas about the process and experience of immersive design.

5D offers a progressive platform for discourse on the present and future of immersive design, and its impact on all aspects of the creative media space, by engaging creative collaborators working in a broad spectrum of disciplines and media. Its goal is to unite this vital community of designers and image-makers and to serve as a catalyst for innovation.

Curator: Alex McDowell (Co-curator, 5D Conference)
Host and Co-curator: Tali Krakowsky

Friday, May 07

10:00 - 12:00		World-Building as Culture
Bertha-Benz-Saal		Moderated by Don Marinelli

		Stories embody their own logic. Using this logic to architect these virtual and physical fiction-infused spaces is the future of immersive design. These are worlds that are imagined, designed and built in a cross-disciplinary, collaborative design practice using the latest emerging platforms. New notions of culture that these worlds create, and whether they can change the way think and live, is the subject of this panel.
		Don Marinelli, Executive Producer, Carnegie Mellon University, Entertainment Technology Center, www.etc.cmu.edu
		Donald Marinelli is a tenured Professor of Drama and Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University and is also the Executive Producer of the Entertainment Technology Center. Professor Marinelli was integral in creating the first degree program in entertainment technology. Its emphasis is on bringing artists and technologists together to work on substantive, real-world projects combining the latest digital media technologies with myriad artistic, educational and entertainment efforts. The ETC has branch campuses in Silicon Valley, California and Osaka, Japan. It has dual degree arrangements with universities based in Australia, Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Singapore and Vietnam.

		Dave Gibbons, Writer, Illustrator, davegibbonsfansite.com
		Dave Gibbons has worked in comics since 1973. Cutting his teeth on undergrounds and fanzines, he became a frequent contributor to Britain’s 2000AD, illustrating "Harlem Heroes", "Dan Dare" and co-creating "Rogue Trooper". Since then, he has drawn and written for most comics publishers on both sides of the Atlantic. His work has encompassed "Dr Who", "Superman", "Batman", "Green Lantern", "Predator", "Aliens", the Hugo Award-winning "Watchmen" with writer Alan Moore, "Give Me Liberty" and "Martha Washington Goes To War" with Frank Miller. His semi-autobiographical "The Originals" won an Eisner Award in 2005. Recent work has involved consultancy on motion comics and game design.

		Kevin Tod Haug, VFX Designer, FX Cartel, www.fxcartel.com
		Visual Effects Designer Kevin Tod Haug specializes in assembling teams of freelancers and boutique vendors for films with a strong directorial vision. With 20 years of experience he is a champion of an independent, production-oriented VFX community. His film credits include "Quantum of Solace", "Kite Runner", "Stranger Than Fiction", "Stay", "Finding Neverland", "Panic Room", "The Cell", and "Fight Club." Kevin is also the author of Manifxto, a VFX-related blog.

		Tali Krakowsky, Founder, Apologue, www.apologuestudio.com
		Tali Krakowsky is the founder of Apologue, dedicated to the creation of immersive storytelling environments. Committed to a highly multidisciplinary and collaborative methodology, Tali has worked with clients such as the Museum of Modern Art, Frank Gehry, Airbus, IBM, the Grimaldi Forum, Victoria’s Secret and Van Cleef & Arpels. Throughout her career, Tali has led the conceptual and strategic development of projects that seamlessly integrate storytelling, new media and physical environments. She has published several articles on design, architecture and innovation through collaboration, and is a frequent speaker on the topic of design, emerging media and architecture. Tali is also a Founding Member of 5D: The Future of Immersive Design.

12:00 - 14:00		Interface as World
Bertha-Benz-Saal		Moderated by David Taylor

		Immersive experiences in the world are based on interfaces that embody a seamless integration of content and interactivity. Transforming the way we touch, perceive and communicate with those interfaces holds the potential to change how we design and experience the world. Whether these emerging and disappearing interfaces expand our world or cocoon us into a virtual existence is the subject of this panel.
		David Taylor, Leader, Performing Arts Sector Americas, Arup, www.arup.com/performingarts
		David Taylor is a theatre designer and planner who has led some of the most acclaimed arts building projects of the last decade, including the Kodak Theatre for the Oscars©, Disney¹s New Amsterdam and Hyperion Theatres, new halls for the orchestras in Philadelphia, Seattle, Kansas City and Miami Beach and new opera houses in Dallas and Kansas City. David now leads the Performing Arts Sector for Arup, the world’s leading sustainable design and engineering firm, where he sits on the Social Infrastructure Executive. He is currently designing new theatres for Baryshnikov and The Wooster Group, for Danspace Project and Toronto¹s Sony Centre and upgrades to the Sydney Opera House and the renowned Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis.

		Jason Bruges, Founder, Jason Bruges Studio , www.jasonbruges.com
		Jason Bruges, founder of Jason Bruges Studio (2002) is a pioneer of the in-between space which mixes architecture and interactivity and has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists and designer makers who occupy the hybrid architecture, art and design space. The studio is renowned for its innovative installations, interventions and ground breaking works.

		Maurice Patel, Industry Manager Media & Entertainment Solutions, Autodesk, www.autodesk.com
		Maurice Patel is the industry and product marketing manager for Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment business. He is a frequent public speaker on topics ranging from virtual moviemaking to digital intermediates and has authored, co-authored and edited whitepapers on topics ranging from HDTV production to stereoscopy and virtual cinematography. A graduate of Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, UK, Maurice has worked in digital post production since 1995 when he joined Avid Technology as a product specialist. He joined Autodesk in 2001 to work on its visual effects and infrastructure products.

		Nils Fischer, Associate, Zaha Hadid Architects, www.zaha-hadid.com
		Nils Fischer is Associate at London-based Zaha Hadid Architects. The focus of his work is in designing cultural facilities such as Operas, Performing Arts Centres and Museums. Besides his project work he founded and leads the computational design research group (CDRG) at Zaha Hadid Architects, a project independent team with a background in computer sciences exploring and developing next-generation technologies for form finding and rationalization. Nils’ Design Team works on avant garde concepts for large scale performance facilities such as the winning designs for the Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre or the Dubai Opera House as well as on museums such as the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum currently under construction in Michigan / USA.

		Ron Frankel, President, Proof, www.proof-inc.com
		Ron Frankel, president and founder of Proof, has been a pioneer in the development and integration of previsualization into the feature film production process. He was the first to introduce directors such as Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and Darren Aronofsky to the use of previsualization as a combined technical and creative film-making tool.

15:00 - 17:00		Play as Life
Bertha-Benz-Saal		Moderated by Andrew Shoben

		At its purest form, play is the freedom of action. New notions of play, facilitated by innovations in technology and emerging ideas about interactivity, offer intuitive connections between people, culture and the built world. How play can and does seep into design and culture, and whether it will entertain or exhaust us is the subject of this panel.
		Andrew Shoben, Founder, Greyworld , www.greyworld.org
		Andrew Shoben is the founder of greyworld, a world renowned artists' collective who create art in public spaces. His work finds expression through the mediums of installation, sculpture and multiples. His primary objective is to create public art that involves the human in an urban context. Greyworld has created works in some hugely coveted locations across the world and they now have permanent installations in twelve countries. In 2004 he launched "The Source", a permanent installation for the London Stock Exchange that opens the markets every morning. It was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is watched by millions everyday on television around the world.

		Andy Hendrickson, Chief Technology Officer, Walt Disney Animation Studios, www.disneyanimation.com
		As Chief Technology Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Andy Hendrickson is responsible for the strategy and direction of the technology used to create the variety of worlds in Disney's films. Equal measures of imagination, artistry, software and systems create the recipe that produces today's animated adventures. He began his career in motion pictures at Skywalker Sound in 1990, and has previously held senior posts at both PDI/Dreamworks and Industrial Light and Magic. He is a member of SMPTE and active in the area of technology for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

		Daljit Singh, Founder and Creative Director, Digit, www.digitlondon.com
		Daljit Singh is the multi award winning creative director and founder of , one of the world’s longest established digital agencies. His creative philosophy has been based around the idea of simple human interaction, connecting people using technology. He also works with a set of interactive principles known as Feed that articulates the art and science of interaction. As founder and creative director Daljit has built relationships with the Design Museum, Institute of Contemporary Arts, BAFTA and the Royal College of Arts he frequently attends international symposiums and conferences discussing Digit’s approach and outlook on the future of the industry.

		Frank Vitz, Senior Art Director, Electronic Arts, www.ea.com
		has been designing computer graphics, animation and visual effects since the 1980’s having created some of the first CG effects in a motion picture for the movie "Tron" at Robert Abel and Associates. During the 90’s Frank worked as an independent feature film VFX supervisor on movies such as "Stargate", "XMen 1" and "XMen2". He also designed visuals for several Theme Park rides including “The Adventures of Spiderman” in Orlando. Frank is currently at Electronic Arts in Canada, leveraging the convergence of Hollywood visual effects with the world of video games. His most recent project was "Fight Night Round 4".

		T.H. Culhane, Solar Cities, www.facebook.com/l/716b2;solarcities.blogspot.com
		T.H. Cullhane graduated from both Clown College and Harvard, studied theatre in Oxford and orangutans in the rainforests of Borneo. He spent a decade in Los Angeles ghetto schools teaching science through play using musical theatre, animation and multimedia. Admiring Disney’s original EPCOT, Culhane pursued his Masters/Ph.D. in Urban Planning at UCLA, doing research in Guatemalan and Egyptian slums. Culhane who now runs the NGO Solar CITIES with his German wife Sybille, is on a National Geographic Innovation grant to use new media and the principals of mammalian play to teach the poor how to create urban ecology technologies.

17:00 - 18:00		5D Immersed: Fight Club
Bertha-Benz-Saal

		The eighth rule of Fight Club is: "You Have to Fight". Removing the stage completely, all the 5D panelists will immerse themselves within the audience in an open, unorchestrated and interactive conversation based on the ideas and themes of the day, refereed by the three moderators.