"Behind the Screen" Clarkson University Digital Arts & Sciences Senior Exhibition May 11 & 12

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Clarkson University's Digital Arts & Sciences Senior Exhibition will take place on May 11 and 12 in the Digital Arts studio spaces in the basement of Bertrand H. Snell Hall.

"Behind the Screen" showcases the ambitious capstone projects of the 2018 graduating class of Digital Arts & Sciences majors. The public opening reception will take place on Friday, May 11, from 5 - 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served. The exhibition continues 10 a.m. - noon, Saturday, May 12.

As the final culmination of the challenging Digital Arts & Sciences curriculum, this year's exhibition highlights the diverse and interdisciplinary nature of the program by encompassing a wide range of creative approaches to digital media including 2D and 3D animation, mixed media and video installation art, video game design and development, and mobile app and web design and development.

The following projects will be shown:

Working with both 2D and 3D animation, Yoel Ben-Avraham of Potsdam, N.Y., offers viewers a mixed media video installation that recreates an area of dense rainforest inside the Clarkson campus. Stepping into this mysterious realm, viewers encounter a strange frog-like creature and share its bizarre visions of a society somewhat like our own.

Kyle O'Grady of Burlington, VT., combined his contrasting passions for the great outdoors and software development to create Peak Tracker - a mobile Android application for those who enjoy mountain hiking in the Northeastern United States. Well on his way to having personally hiked all of the four-thousand-foot peaks in New York and New England, O'Grady embarked on developing an intuitive and unobtrusive app that would allow hikers to conveniently track and reward their progress.

Catherine Clappin of East Durham, N.Y., explores the perils of cat ownership while providing a few laughs along the way in her 3D animated short film "Bootsie and the Bug." Taking her inspiration from her own cats as well as the endless stream of viral cat videos on the internet, Clappin offers exaggerated interactions and playful cinematography in the story of a cat and a bug.

Tessa J. Coleman of Manchester, N.H., weaves together the physical and the ephemeral in a mixed media art installation that takes the poetry of Nicholas Smith as its point of departure. In a meditative combination of the spoken word, painting, and kinetic typography, Coleman hopes to shine a light on how these different registers of artistic expression can coexist and work together.

Nicklas Kenyon of Queensbury, N.Y., blurs the boundaries of art and entertainment with his video game "Dimension." Using the ability to manipulate the direction of gravity, players explore surreal levels that challenge the player to change their perspective in order to succeed. By delicately balancing frustration and reward, the game opens a dialogue about concepts of identity, perception, and existence, both within the context of the game itself and on a broader sociological level.

Paying close attention to current trends and best practice in web design and development, Alexanderia LoDico of Williamsville, N.Y., created a portfolio website template. Intended for novice web-designers, LoDico's template offers an intuitive and flexible way for others to create their own online portfolio. Balancing technical concerns with her own design sensibility, LoDico hopes that the template will inspire others to delve deeper, branch out and add their own unique flair to the template.

Through her character development and animation, Monica Metcalf of Norfolk, CT., aims to convey scenes and emotions that help the viewer explore new and uncharted points of view. Juggling multiple styles, techniques, and conventions, Metcalf's animations aim to enthrall the viewer while creating naturalistic characters that are as dynamic as actual people.

Clarkson University educates the leaders of the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as an owner, CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the Capital Region and Beacon, New York, Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university with signature areas of academic excellence and research directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through more than 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo and connect discovery and innovation with enterprise.