THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED - Upgrade! Boston: Seth Riskin :: April 17, 2008; 7:00 - 9:00 pm :: North 181 - entrance on Evans Way [map], Massachusetts College of Art and Design, 621 Huntington Avenue, Boston. [Follow the signs posted on the outside of the Tower Building (black glass) [Green Line "E"].

Seth Riskin is an artist, researcher and teacher of light. A former U. S. national champion gymnast, Riskin brings his physical ability to his Light Dance art. In silent, space-defining performances, Riskin’s precise movements articulate light effects that extend from his body. He “sculpts” space, shaping fluid architectures of light around viewers who find themselves within the “dance.” The work has been presented widely, at venues such as the São Paulo Bienal, The Kitchen in New York City and India’s National Centre for the Performing Arts in Bombay.

Riskin’s research is described as “anthropology” of light. For example, in 1993, with support of a Fulbright Scholarship, he studied concepts and practices of light in Hindu India, with particular focus on fire dancing. Riskin’s teaching concerns light as an expressive medium, worked through the wealth of possibilities afforded by emerging technologies. His curriculum and educational philosophy of light reflect his interdisciplinary approach to the subject/medium. Courses such as The Culture of Light, Light Art Studio and The Architecture of Light engage the senses, new technologies and historical and cultural perspective. Currently, Riskin directs the Emerging Technologies Initiative at the MIT Museum, where he brings cutting-edge technology research to public understanding through exhibitions and events.

Upgrade! Boston is curated by Jo-Anne Green for Turbulence.org in partnership with the Studio for Interrelated Media at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. It is one of 27 nodes currently active in Upgrade! International, an emerging network of autonomous nodes united by art, technology, and a commitment to bridging cultural divides. If you would like to present your work or get involved, please email jo at turbulence dot org.