Speaker: Sean Clute

I don't know about you, but my day just isn't complete unless I see something delightfully strange. In fact, we could all use a bit of extra strangeness today, couldn't we? So before you read on, click the link to this video. Go on, I'll wait.

That, my friends, was the work of Sean Clute, a New Media artist with one of the most unique approaches to creating art I've seen in a while. Mr. Clute paid a visit to Sacramento State recently and delivered a presentation on how he came upon New Media, his philosophy on the style, and how he goes about creating these works. Don't take my word for it, though--hear what the man himself has to say.

Even from the front row, I still can't record anything decently ever.

This story he's telling is related to a visit to Bulgaria during a solar eclipse celebration, by the way. I can't think of a more dramatic time to have an art epiphany. This man has a fascinating vision for possibilities. Remember that video you watched earlier? Not only did he animate and produce the video while drawing along with the animations, he had to invent and re-purpose his own tools and software to do so. The scene with the Olympic Runners, for example, which you may have elsewhere in a more static medium, went through four different kinds of software. The cameras used to capture the drawings were mounted on makeshift holders while Mr. Clute drew to the music while switching between camera views as the movie and sound he put together plays on. Are you getting the scope of this project yet?

Such is the way of New Media art. With more artistic tools available than ever, and an astonishingly broad scope of what is viewed as artistic in the contemporary eye, the potential stretches as far as the imagination dares to go. Mr. Clute's work demonstrates a certain innovation static mediums can scarcely grasp. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for the entire presentation, so I cannot rightly give this man a rating, but I certainly can recommend him. If you see his name on a project, take the time to go see it. If nothing else, what you get will most certainly be unlike anything you've seen before.