JoAnn Kuchera-Morin - The AlloSphere, a deeper integration of art and science, and the new senses we need now

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin is a composer. But the music she writes is more than mere notes; it embraces art and science and engineering and finds new frontiers at the intersection of them all. Her 'music' is both song and her research into new modes of immersive, interactive scientific and artistic investigation. Through art as with science, her work seeks to create as she says, "an exponential rise in consciousness."

Dr. Kuchera-Morin is a Professor of Media Arts and Technology and Music at the University of California Santa Barbara, where she has been pushing the boundaries of art and science for nearly four decades.

Beginning in 1986, she created, built, and designed the Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology and serves as the Center Director.

She funneled her years of experience in digital media research into a multi-million dollar research program called the Digital Media Innovation Program that is a beacon for any cross-disciplinary innovation program. She, a composer by training mind you, served as the Chief Scientist from 1998-2003, a testament to the breadth of her talent.

The culmination of JoAnn’s creativity and research is the AlloSphere, a 30-foot diameter, 3-story high metal sphere inside an echo-free cube, designed for immersive, interactive scientific and artistic investigation of multi-dimensional data sets. She serves as the Director of the AlloSphere Research Facility. 

Lately, she has been tabbed to lead the effort to determine the trends in arts, culture, and entertainment within the California 100 initiative, an ambitious project to envision and shape the next 100 years of California.

JoAnn earned a Ph.D. in 1984 in composition from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester.

She is has been on the cutting edge of digital media and of converging science, art, and engineering for more than 30 years. But she has also pioneered and continues to pioneer education and creating the literacies we need for a changing world.

It is a remarkable opportunity to have her teach us here on Origins.

Enjoy this final recommended song from JoAnn:

JoAnn Kuchera-Morin Myrioi - Visual and Sonic Quantum Sonata