Viz students unleash creativity at Viz-a-GoGo in downtown Bryan

The art deco-era murder mystery-themed [Viz-a-GoGo 19] (http://vizagogo.tamu.edu/) , the annual showcase of digital wizardry created by students in the Master of Science in Visualization program at Texas A&M, entertained crowds at the Federal Building and the Palace Theater in Bryan May 3-5.

The Federal Building exhibit featured 3-D media, photography, printed digital art, sculptures, paintings, video games and interactive pieces.

The May 4-5 screenings showcased approximately 50 different time-based student works including 2-D and 3-D animations and film shorts, most loaded with special effects. The screening highlighted graduate student projects undertaken during the fall 2011 and spring 2012 semesters.

Throughout the show, interspersed short film segments advanced the plot of a murder mystery, unveiling clues allowing the more astute sleuths in the audience to deduct who-done-it, before the culprit was revealed at the end of the show.

The Palace’s May 4 screening coincided with downtown Bryan’s [First Friday] (http://downtownbryan.com/blog/first-friday/) arts celebration, which featured live music, artist demonstrations, carriage rides and happy hour specials at the numerous restaurants and bars throughout the historic district.

Viz-a-GoGo 19 patrons also encountered this year’s murder mystery theme at the Federal Building exhibit, where they had a chance to win a prize by solving a murder mystery puzzle.

Viz-a-GoGo 19 was sponsored by the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, the Texas A&M Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, the College of Architecture and the Department of Visualization.

Since 1989, the Master of Science in Visualization program at Texas A&M has provided a steady stream of aspirants for the burgeoning field of digital and electronic visualization. Vizzers are true Renaissance men and women, gifted with a unique left-right-brain ambidexterity, facilitating a mastery of both art and science.

The program's graduates have achieved success as creative directors, computer animators, university professors and software designers, with the majority working in the animation, visual effects and electronic gaming industries. Aggie Vizzers can be found among the creative talent at Pixar, Blue Sky, Industrial Light and Magic, Dreamworks/PDI, Electronic Arts, Rhythm & Hues, Reel FX and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

After almost a decade of outstanding achievement in visualization education in its Visualization Laboratory, the College of Architecture established the Department of Visualization at Texas A&M, and in January 2009 an undergraduate visualization program was introduced.

The Department of Visualization nurtures a unique, synergetic studio environment combining academic rigor with creativity, fun, camaraderie and collaborative problem solving.