Bio & CV
- Bio
Haru Ji is a media artist and researcher exploring the subject of life in art through Artificial Life Worldmaking: a form of computational generative art creating and evolving virtual ecosystems as immersive environments.
She holds a Ph.D. in Media Arts and Technology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is an assistant professor at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, Canada. She attained a Master and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Seoul National University, and studied image engineering, computer graphics and 3D animation at Chung-Ang University, both in Seoul, Korea. She has exhibited computational installations, digital sculptures, virtual architecture, video installations, sculptural objects and 3D animations at galleries, exhibitions and art festivals worldwide including ZKM, La Gaîté Lyrique, ISEA, EvoWorkshops, and SIGGRAPH, with corresponding publications. She is a co-creator of the research project and immersive ecosystem “Artificial Nature”, exploring the expansion of media art towards ‘art-as-it-could-be’. It is an amalgam of play, research, and art, which raises questions regarding the trans-disciplinary interpretation of both subjective beauty and objective truth in art and biology.
- Selected Exhibitions
2014 (Invited) Life is Beautiful "Endless Current", GSCaltex, Yeulmaru, Yeosu, Korea
2013 (Invited) Life is very Beautiful "FS: Endless Current", KI Space K Gallery, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea
2013 (Invited) Systems & Subversions, "Archipelago", I.D.E.A. Space / Cornerstone Arts Center, Colorado Springs, USA
2013 (Invited) 5th International Exhibition on Media Art and Information Aesthetics: Media + Life: Sensorial Collaboration, "Chronophotography Study of Artificial Life Forms", Gallery A, Arts Center, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Japan
2012 (Invited) 7th Digital Art Festival Taipei: Artificial Nature, "Time of Doubles: Flux", Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Digital Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2012 (Invited) Microwave Internatioanl New Media Festival: Inigma, "Time of Doubles: Flux", City Hall, Hong Kong
2012 (Invited) Project Daejeon 2012: Energy (에네르氣), "Time of Doubles: Flux", Daejeon Museum of Art, Korea
2012 (Juried) MAT End of Year Show: Bits & Piesces, "Time of Doubles", AlloSphere, California NanoSystems Institute, UCSB, USA
2012 (Juried) Collider04: Spectacle, "Time of Doubles V.2", University of Akron, USA
2012 (Invited) Cross-reality: traversed & encompassed vision, "Genetic Morphology Study", Gallery A, Arts Center, Tokyo Polytechnic University, Japan
2011 (Juried) SIGGRAPH Asia 2011 "Time of Doubles", SIGGRAPH Asia Art Gallery, Hong Kong Exhibition and Conference Centre, Hong Kong
2011 (Awarded) The Urban Organism, "City Life", Seoul Square, Korea
2011 (Invited)
MAT End of Year Show: Questionable Utility, "Time of Doubles", TransLAB, CNSI (California NanoSystems Institute), USA
2011 (Invited) type:Wall "Artificial Nature: Time of Doubles", SOMA, Seoul, Korea
2011 (Invited) PROLOGUE/PROTOTYPE "Alien-field", Gallery Sobab, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea
2011 (Invited) Collider 3:Transform"Artificial Nature; Fluid Space 2.5", Emily Davis Gallery, Akron, USA
2010 (Invited) Hyperbody "Artificial Nature: Fluid Space", ProtoSpace, TU Delft Technical University, Holland
2009 (Selected) SIGGRAPH Asia 2009, "Artificial Nature: Fluid Space", Art Gallery, Yokohama, Japan
2009 (Commissioned) Space Exploration Exhibition, "Artificial Nature: Fluid Space", "Eternal Return", Chunjin Exhibition Center, Chunjin, China
2009 (Invited) International Electronic Art Exhibition this Ability, "Artificial Nature: Fluid Space", CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China
2009 (Invited) A.L.I.C.E. MUSEUM, "Artificial Nature: Fluid Space", SOMA, art center Nabi, Seoul, Korea
2009 (Selected) The Future of Interactive Media: Workshop on Media Arts, Science, and Technology 'MAST', "Artificial Nature: as an Infinite Game, : in the AlloSphere", Corwin Pavillion, AlloSphere, UCSB, Santa Barbara, USA
2008 (Invited) International Electronic Art Exhibition Universal Electronic Art, "Artificial Nature as an Infinite Game", Seongnam Art Center, Seongnam, Korea
2008 (Invited) International Electronic Art Exhibition thisAbility vs. Disability, "Artificial Nature as an Infinite Game", Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea
2008 (Invited) ASIAGRAPH digital gallery, "Artificial Nature as an Infinite Game", Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai, China
2008 (Invited) High School and University Student Art Bash, "EvoSystem I", Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, USA
2007 (Commissioned) Virtual Solo Exhibition, "Complex Simplicity-Script Art Work & Digital Sculpture", Second Life
2006 (Commissioned) Collaborative Presentation "Suntithenai; Allosphere_VIIM: A Virtual Interactive and Immersive Metaphor of the Allosphere@UCSB", Corwin Pavillion & CNSI, UCSB, Santa Barbara, USA
2004 (Invited) Ten Years after v.2.0 My name is GAME! "Survival Training Game 2014 Edition", Insa Art Center, Seoul, Korea
2004 (Invited) Seoul-Shinchon Art Festival Crash and Flow, "Digital Escher", "My Own Prison", "Pouring Water ll", Seodaemun Prison History Hall, Seoul, Korea
2003 (Commissioned) Beyond Image, "Digital Escher", Dukwon Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2001 (Commissioned) SK TTL Street Performance, "Witches in Purple", TTL Street near Hong Ik University, Seoul, Korea
2000 (Invited) The 3rd Soft Fingers' Lost in the Zoo, "Video Installation - Lost in the zoo", the Korean Culture & Arts Foundation, Seoul, Korea
2000 (Funded) Channel-In Single Channel Video Festival, "Pouring Water l", Kwanghwamun art cube cinema, Seoul, Korea
1999 (Invited) Insa Festival, For Mr. Kim Performance, "Angels in White", Insa Street, Seoul, Korea
1999 (Invited) Youth Festival 1999 toward New Millennium, "Gate of Wing", Square Plaza of National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea
1999 (Funded) The 2nd Soft Fingers' Gap, "A Germinated Body" To-Art Space, Seoul, Korea
1999 (Invited) Incheon-Post The Dialogue, "Plastic^", Art Center of Incheon City, Incheon, Korea
1999 Exhibition for MFA, Art Works with Fish and body Images, Exhibition Hall at Museum of Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
1998 (Invited) Seeing Sides, "Haru Ji Skethy Diary", "A Fish and I Dream of Wings", Ungjeon Gallery, Seoul, Korea
- Publications & Conference Presentations
2010 Beautiful Visualization: Looking at Data through the Eyes of Experts, O’REILLY, USA
Chap.17: Immersed in Unfolding Complex Systmes, One of Six Authors, pp. 287-306 (ISBN: 978-1-449-37986-5)
2010 Booklet: "Machine Dreams", The International Generative Art Exhibition & Symposium held in 2009 Summer, co-publisher & co-curator, Seoul, Korea (ISBN: 978-89-963788-0-8)
2009 Siggraph Asia 2009, Digital Experiences, Ji, H., Wakefield, G., p. 26
Artist Statement: Artificial Nature: Fluid Space (ISBN: 978-1-60558-878-0)
2009 The 2nd International Conference on Media Art and Information Aesthetics (MAIA), Wakefield, G., Ji, H., Beijing, China
Paper: "Artificial Nature: Research and Development"
2009 Spring 2009 Symposium, Depatment of Art, UCSB, USA
Title: "MAT PhD Students Presentation: The Aesthetics of Code"
2009 EvoStar 2009, EvoMUSART Workshop, Wakefield, G., Ji, H., Tübingen, Germany
Paper: "Artificial Nature; Immersive World Making"
Applications of Evolutionary Computing, LNCS5484, Springer, pp. 597-602 (ISBN: 978-3-642-01128-3)
2008 Artist Presentation, ISEA (the 14th International Symposium on Electronic Art), Ji, H., Wakefield, G., Singapore
Title: Artificial Nature as an Infinite Game
Proceedings of ISEA2008, pp. 256-258 (ISBN: 978-981-08-0768-9)
2008 Proceedings of ASIAGRAPH, p. 350 (ISBN: 978-89-5717-200-1)
Title: Artificial Nature as an Infinite Game
2006 UCDARNet Grad Res Info/Xchage, Wakefield, G., Putnam, L., Overholt, D., Ji, H, E|DA, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA
Title: Towards the AlloSphere: Intensive Art, Immersive Worlds
2004 Education Committee, Faculty Submitted Student Work, 2004 ACM Siggraph, Los Angeles, USA,
Title: Personal VR Gallery with Realtime Game Engine
2004 HCI 2004 Beyond the Invisible, Panel: Media Artist & Media Technology, Kangwon-Do, Korea, Participated as one of four panelists.
HCI 2004 ProceedingsIII, pp. 401-402, Korea Information Science Society Issued
Subject: Media Artist & Media Technology
- Organizing & Curating
2009 MAT Innovative Showcase, Coordinator, the College of Letters & Science, UCSB, USA
2009 Audio & Visual Processes 'SUB/SCAPE', Creative Director, Gallery Loop, Seoul, Korea
2009 (Supported by Seoul Foundation of Arts and Culture) International Generative Art Exhibition & Symposium 'Machine Dreams', Curator, Gallery Space CAN, Media Space at Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea
2009 Spring 2009 Symposium 'MAT PhD Students Presentation: The Aesthetics of Code', Coordinator, Broida Hall, Department of Art, UCSB, USA
- Teaching, Lectures & Artist Talks
2011 The 9th Techno-Aesthetic Forum: From Artificial Intelligence Art to Artificial Life Art, Humanist, Seoul, Korea
Title: "Creating Artificial Natures"
2011 The 5th Seoul DMC Media Forum, Media Arts and Technology Interdisciplinary Series, KGIT, Seoul, Korea
Title: "Creating an Artificial Nature as an Open World"
2011 Artist Talk, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
2011 School of Digital Media, Duksung women's University, Seoul, Korea
Title: "Creating an Artificial Nature as a Generative Art"
2011 Computer Music Composition Class, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
Support lectures on Visual Input Music Composition for two sessions
2011 Digital Media Class, Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea
Four successive lectures on concepts and making "Artificial Nature Art in the immersive environment"
2011 Computer Science Colloquium, University of Akron, USA
Title: "Creating an Open World as an Infinite Game"
2011 Max/MSP Jitter workshop, Folk Hall, University of Akron, USA
Title: "Creating Strange Loops"
2011 Digital Art Class, University of Akron, USA
Title: "Artificial Natures: Creating Nature-Like Aesthetic Experiences through Immersive Artificial Life Worlds"
2010 Media Art Forum: 2010 Triangle Project EXPANSION, Artist Talk, Gallery RueMiJae, Cheongpyeong, Korea
Title: "Artificial Life Art"
2010 Hybrid Art Forum: Body, Digital Media and Performance, Gallery Kunst Doc, Seoul, Korea.
Subject: "The Art of Worldmaking"
2007-2009 Teaching Associate, Media Arts and Technology Graduate Program, UCSB, CA, USA.
Classes: "Transvergence Seminar", "Transvergence Studio"
2009 Electronic Music Studios, Goldsmiths University of London, UK.
Guest lecture with Graham Wakefield: "Media Arts & Technology, Artifical Nature".
2008 Lab. of Future Media Art, ChungAng University, Seoul, Korea.
Guest lecture on "Artificial Nature & Evolutionary Art"
2008 Lab. of Media Art in Aesthetic Technology, Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea.
Guest lecture on "Currents in Media Arts and Technology"
2006 Teaching Associate, Media Arts and Technology Graduate Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Organizing and delivering lab sessions for "Computational Design and Scripting for Physical Objects"
2004-2005 Instructor, Dept. of Software & Game, Hong Ik University, Jochiwon, Korea.
Instructed "Computer Graphics (Maya workshop)" & "3D Computer Graphic II (Maya texture & shading)" courses to 60 undergraduate students during fall semester. Instructing "3D Computer Graphic I (Maya modeling)" & "Drawing Workshop I" courses to 40 undergraduate students during spring semester.
2004 Dept. of Animation, Kyonggi University, Seoul, Korea.
Guest lecture on "3D Animation"
2004 Dept. of Software & Game, Hong Ik University, Jochiwon, Korea.
Guest lecture on "3D Modeling & Texturing"
2003 Teaching Associate, Dept. of Image Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
Instructed "Maya Modeling & Animation" lectures in a Computer Graphics Programming Lab Course to 12 graduate students during six weeks.
2000 Dept. of Art, Seoul Institute of the Arts, Seoul, Korea.
Guest Lecture on "Jiharu's Video Art Works"
2000 Hong Ik Elementary School, Seoul, Korea.
Instructor, Instructed "Painting & Sculpture" lectures to 60 elementary school students during two semesters.
1999-2000 3-2 Art Institute, Seoul, Korea.
Instructor, Instructed "Drawing I" and "Drawing II" lectures to 80 secondary school students during six months.
- Employment
2010 AlloSphere, California NanoSystems Institute, CA, USA, Research Associate, Working as a researcher for nano medical simulation
2009 AlloSphere, California NanoSystems Institute, CA, USA, Research Associate, Working as a researcher and designer for physical interfaces, 2009 brochure and the Artificial Nature project
2007 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, Technical Researcher, Working as a 3D computer graphic artist supporting Prof. George Legrady, Media Arts and Technology
2007 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, Research Associate, Dept. of English, Working as an architect to build "UCSB virtual campus in Second Life"
2006 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA, Technical Researcher, CREATE, Working as a 3D computer graphic artist to build and render "Allosphere Modeling Data"
1999 Media Art Lab (Inc.), Seoul, Korea, Art Director, Designed logo and Set up the beginning of the project "SoResVi"
1998-2000 Cyber Med (Inc.), Seoul, Korea, Art Director, Designed logo and Researched for 3D Rapid Prototyping medical products, Surveyed plans and Manufactured samples for 3D Rapid Prototyping products
1998 Maro (Inc.), Seoul, Korea, Freelance, Designed logo
1994 Bookwang (Inc.), Seoul, Korea, Freelance, Modeled Wax Prototypes
1988-1999 Self-employment, Seoul, Korea, Individual Lecture on Art History, Sculpture and Drawing
- Education
2005-2012 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Ph.D Candidate in Media Arts and Technology, Graduate Program
2002-2004 Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea
Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film
- Completion of Ph.D., Dept. of Image Engineering, Technology Art
1995-1999 Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Master of Fine Art, Dept. of Sculpture
Thesis: A Study on Works with Fish and Body Images
1991-1995 Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Bachelor of Fine Art, Dept. of Sculpture
- Scholarships, Grants & Awards
2011 Graduate Dean’s Advancement Fellowship, Graduate Division, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2010 Pre-doctoral Fellowship, Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2009 Grad USAP Fellowship, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2009 EvoStar Travel Bursary, Edinburgh, UK
2009 Exhibition and Symposium 'Machine Dreams' Support Grant, MAT, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2008-2009 Travel Bursary, MAT, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2008 Seoul Arts and Culture Support Award, Seoul Foundation of Arts and Culture, Korea
2008 Presidents Work-Study Award, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2008 Visual, Performing and Media Arts Award, Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2005-2008 Korean Government Overseas Scholarship Grant, National Institute for International Education Development (NIIED), Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development, Korea
2004 Fall, Awarded "Valued Instructor", Dept. of Software & Game, Hong Ik University, Jochiwon, Korea
2002-2004 Brain Korea 21 Government Fellowship, Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia and Film, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea
1991-1994 Enrolled with highest entrance exam score Honors Scholarship, Continuing ability-based Scholarship, Dept. of Sculpture, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea