Curious about how brilliant minds revolutionize a field? This article offers just a glimpse into Stefan Kraus’ expertise! The Berlin-based media artist will be conducting a workshop on innovative 3D data displays and guiding attendees in creating their own spatial data-driven installations.
Want to connect with Stefan? Join us at DataFest Tbilisi 2024. And if you're eager for hands-on experience with data-driven installations, drop us an email at hello@datafest.ge.
Q: What first inspired you to explore the intersection of architecture and media art? How has your professional training in architecture influenced your current career and artistic approach?
A: As a teenager, I was deeply inspired by Andy Warhol's Factory and the "Plastic Exploding Inevitable," a multimedia stage show featuring the legendary band The Velvet Underground, performances, and film projector illuminations.
While studying architecture, I was introduced to 3D modeling and animation software. Access to video projectors and participation in an experimental television project in 1999 prompted my friends and me to begin acquiring vintage video mixers. Starting in 2000, we experimented with live video projection. Naturally, it wasn't long before we discovered the transformative potential of overlaying architectural forms with virtual materials and illusions, now known as projection mapping.
Q: Can you walk us through your creative process when designing a new spatial installation? How do you select and integrate different technologies and media to augment physical structures?
A: There is no single workflow that fits all challenges. Clients often have preconceived ideas about the technologies they want to use, rather than clear concepts of why they want to use them. Thus, a phase of research and consultation with the client is essential to uncover their true needs and desires. This phase helps translate their vision into a coherent concept with a compelling narrative, inspired by the space the installation will ultimately occupy.
The project is typically defined through dialogue with stakeholders, balancing constraints (time, space, budget) with the core concept and communication goals for the installation. While I would like to say that all decisions are driven by a strong conceptual idea, the reality is that these constraints often shape the project. Embracing these limitations channels creativity into finding the most innovative solutions for the given situation. Part of my role involves staying abreast of the latest technological developments and providing honest, informed advice to help clients choose the best options for their needs.
Q: What are the key challenges you encounter when working on interactive installations and live performances?
A: There are several recurring challenges, many of which stem from stakeholders' lack of knowledge about the technology and related design considerations. Technical production is always highly individualized, consisting largely of troubleshooting to achieve the driving idea behind the development. There are no fixed solutions; everything begins with research and subsequent problem-solving, all guided by a clear and strong vision.
On an artistic level, the challenge lies in maintaining enough room for creativity while managing increasingly complex combinations of different technological systems that must be rock solid when presented to the public.
Some of these challenges can be mitigated by early work with realistic simulations of the space and technologies, addressing potential issues before they arise on location. On-site, conditions are often more difficult due to working conditions, surrounding noise, and the myriad complications that arise when translating ideas into reality under time and budgetary pressure.
Q: Can you talk about a particularly memorable project or collaboration that had a significant impact on you?
A: The light installation LINIE, commissioned for the opening of the Bauhaus Museum in Weimar in 2019, was a groundbreaking project in many ways. The challenge was to create a large-scale installation in a public space with a very tight budget. I met this challenge by collaborating with highly capable partners who handled the physical and constructive aspects of the production, allowing me to focus on design and software creation. Creating artistic content for the unique format—a fifty-meter-wide line of light hovering three meters above the ground—proved to be very challenging and required entirely new approaches. Ultimately, the light sculpture was performed live over two nights.
In a subsequent iteration of the project, I had the opportunity to further explore the creation of highly abstract narratives for this new medium with a group of students, resulting in another showcase of the installation during the Weimar Triangle conference in the summer of 2021. This project marked my first experience working with LED arrays and motorized motion, after nearly two decades of focusing almost exclusively on projections.
Q: How do you approach teaching creative coding and media art to students and the community?
A: I am a strong believer in technical understanding and skills as the foundation for creative exploration. This belief is rooted in my architectural education: just as one cannot design architecture while ignoring physical constraints, one cannot conceive innovative media art and design without a certain degree of technological comprehension. My approach to teaching emphasizes both mastering the tools and using them in a highly experimental manner. It is essential for students to encounter problems arising from their conceptual ideas and to learn how to solve them through research and community engagement. We cannot teach by providing recipes; instead, we must explain how things work and educate students in problem-solving, sometimes by throwing them into the deep end.
What I teach is a blend of extensive experience and best practices to ease their journey, but primarily, it is the ability to find solutions to previously unknown problems outside the teaching context. In essence, I teach a way of thinking more than specific techniques, as these are constantly changing and evolving at a pace that makes dependence on a teacher impractical. In this context, the importance of community and peer-based learning cannot be overstated. Ultimately, we are all in this together, and helping each other out and sharing knowledge freely has been one of the strongest and most positive aspects of the creative coding community I am part of.
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring media artists and creative coders looking to make their mark in the industry?
A: The first and most important advice is not to focus too much on other people's work. While it's important to stay informed and inspired by other artists, over-referencing existing work, especially on platforms like Instagram where everything appears perfect, can be paralyzing.
Just start creating and strive to improve with each effort. Don’t aim for perfection; instead, give your best within the constraints of each situation. Hire someone to handle documentation, and don't be afraid to promote your achievements. Be confident and avoid excessive self-doubt; self-doubt is often a sign of competence, as those who are truly incompetent rarely question themselves.
Reach out to the people you admire and want to work with; they are just people, and if you have a genuine desire to create, you'll find open ears. Avoid thinking in competitive terms. Collaborate with your peers as much as possible. Share your knowledge freely and take others along for the ride. We are only at the beginning, and by learning from each other, we can all grow together.