If you’ve visited the Walker recently, you’ve likely encountered the captivating animated dolphin, a creature that engages in a dialogue with visitors about subjects ranging from the philosophic to the prosaic. Created in collaboration with Rich Shelton, the Walker-commissioned Dolphin Oracle II is the work of Minneapolis-based artist/designer Piotr Szyhalski. A professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Szyhalski works in a variety of media — illustration, photography, typography, drawing, painting, sound — which are often combined in installations, interactive media, and live performance. What remains central to his production is the insistence on the viewer as a “co-creator” of the artwork. Szyhalski will converse with Steve Dietz, director of ZeroOne: The Art and Technology Network and organizer of the recent exhibition Global Festival of Art on the Edge in San Jose, California. Founding director of the Walker’s New Media Initiatives, Dietz has curated digital media exhibitions worldwide and has contributed to numerous publications and the recently published book Else/Where: Mapping — New Cartographies of Networks and Territories.
This talk will be webcast live and archived at channel.walkerart.org.