Viz-a-GoGo 24 showcased Viz student work in downtown Bryan

Viz-a-GoGo, the 24th annual showcase of digital wizardry conjured by visualization students, featured a screening of time-based work, animation, video games, and more at several venues May 4-6, 2017 in downtown Bryan.

During the screening, this year’s Viz-a-GoGo theme, “24-Bit: True Colors,” was accentuated by the depiction of an exquisite corpse flower digitally rendered by visualization students.

Viz-a-GoGo also included exhibits of multimedia installations, interactive games and still work in three downtown Bryan locations — the Ice House, VizNorth, and Blackwater Draw Brewing Co.

“The screening and the exhibition showed the community our true colors —the animation, games, graphic design, interactive and immersive projects, all the diverse things we do,” said Sebastian Kawar, a Master of Fine Arts in Visualization student and a Viz-a-GoGo organizer.

The May 5 viewing hours were part of Bryan’s [First Friday] (http://www.downtownbryan.com/first-friday/) arts celebration featuring live music, artist demonstrations and happy hour specials at the numerous restaurants and bars throughout the historic district.

Presented by the Texas A&M [Department of Visualization] (http://viz.arch.tamu.edu/) , Viz-a-GoGo sponsors included the [Arts Council of Brazos Valley] (http://acbv.org/) and the Texas A&M College of Architecture.

Visualization studies at Texas A&M

Since 1989, the [Master of Science in Visualization] (http://viz.arch.tamu.edu/graduate/ms-viz-curriculum/) program at Texas A&M has provided a steady stream of aspirants for the burgeoning field of digital and electronic visualization. Visualization students 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 Viz students can be found among the creative talent at [Pixar] (http://www.pixar.com/) , [Blue Sky] (http://blueskystudios.com/) , [Walt Disney Animation Studios] (http://www.disneyanimation.com/) , [Industrial Light and Magic] (http://www.ilm.com/) , [Dreamworks Animation] (http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/) , [Electronic Arts] (http://www.ea.com/) , [Rhythm & Hues Studios] (http://rhythm.com) , [Reel FX] (http://www.reelfx.com/) and [Sony Pictures Imageworks] (http://www.imageworks.com/) .

The department’s stature is augmented by its regular rank among the top [animation ] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2016/4/12/top-animation-schools-us/) and [video game] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2017/3/30/art-gender-mythology/) programs in the nation.

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 the undergraduate [Bachelor of Science in Visualization] (http://viz.arch.tamu.edu/undergraduate/bachelor-science/) program was introduced, followed in 2012 by Texas A&M's first graduate-level fine arts degree, the [Master of Fine Arts in Visualization] (http://one.arch.tamu.edu/news/2012/8/7/viz-mfa-programm/) .

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

Richard Nira

rnira@arch.tamu.edu