Interview with Garry Paxinos, SIGGRAPH Treasurer

by Jessica Fernandes
July 22, 2002

What first drew you to computer graphics?

When asked this question, Mr.Paxinos could not think of a particular event, or person, that led him to the field. Instead, he linked his interest to his previous work in medical hardware design for medical imaging. It is reasonable to say that if anything, it was this, along with his work using graphics for industrial process control that drew him to the CG field.

What was the first time you contributed to SIGGRAPH?

Having first attended as an exhibitor in 1992, he went on to return as an attendee in 1993 and as a volunteer in 1994. In 1995, at the last minute, he was appointed Chair of the Electronic Media (EMedia). In 1996 he opened the ACM SIGGRAPH Chapters booth. In 1997 he was on the CAL Committee, which he would later chair in 1998. Now, ten years since his first SIGGRAPH, he completes his final term as Treasurer.

What year/city was your first SIGGRAPH? Which was most intense? Why?

His first SIGGRAPH took place in 1992, in Chicago. His most intense was in 1995, in L.A. It was then, as Chair of EMedia, that he faced the daunting task of managing a news service that archived and provided real-time SIGGRAPH coverage, online daily, on the SIGGRAPH website.

When asked about the subsequent history of EMedia, Mr. Paxinos informed me that it had mainly been an experimental project in 1995. After the trial run that year, various changes were implemented in 1996 and 1997, to make EMedia a more feasible endeavor. Due to a lack of promise in the results, the project was eventually abandoned.

What contributions to SIGGRAPH are you most proud of?

Having worked so many positions, both on several levels within the conference and in the organization, Mr. Paxinos does not feel any one of his contributions stands out from the others. Instead, he is proud of all his contributions, taken as a whole, over the years.

What is the favorite thing you have seen at a SIGGRAPH conference?

One of Mr. Paxinos' favorite things was the use of a non-traditional rendering device presented either at the ETech or Art Show, a few years back. Here, wood blocks were used as a rendering mechanism. That is to say, as the blocks rotated and flipped, an image was displayed on them.

What near/intermediate developments in CG do you look forward to?

When asked this question, Mr. Paxinos expressed his interest in seeing more applications of computer graphics in consumer space. At the moment, he sees a lack of the use of computer graphics to enhance human-computer interaction. He looks forward to seeing this change.

What are your feelings about the expected absence of the Creative Application Lab (CAL) at next year's SIGGRAPH?

In his own words, the CAL provided an extremely important service, namely access to hands on courses. It is Mr.Paxinos' belief that the CAL, in trying to do so much of so many types of things, overextended itself and became an underutilized resource in terms of its initial purpose. Even if the CAL does not return next year, it is his hope that that there will still be some sort of hands on courses offered.