Emerging Technologies: Synthesis - Toward A New Perception

In this era of globalisation and multiple cultures, technology is prevalent in all our lives. We now experience fusion and intersections of media, society, and culture at an ever-increasing pace. This is also reflected in the various fields of hybrid art, which merges two or more types of media or senses.

In Asia, when we think of our creativity and its effect on new technologies and art, we often transform, harmonise, or synthesise disciplines, media, and interfaces. The results blend historical, traditional media or technology with contemporary approaches. Often the works express different senses of cultures, old and new.

SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Emerging Technologies explores these new persepctives under the theme of Synthesis - Toward A New Perception. As part of the first realisation of SIGGRAPH in Asia, it is also closely related to the Art Gallery, which will be presented under the same theme.

Emerging Technologies presents paradigm-shifting technologies from Asia, a rich resource of delicate, aesthetic technologies and vivid, innovative ideas. It explores the broad connexions between old and new technologies, Asian perspectives on diversity and intersection, parallel and ubiquitous values, and innovative fusions, for example between traditional performing arts and ultra-modern technologies.

We are seeking creative and innovative technologies, applications, and ideas in these and related fields:

Displays, robotics, input devices, interaction techniques, mind-expanding explorations in virtual and mixed reality, haptic interfaces, ubiquitous systems, digital tools, HDTV technologies, computer vision, sensors, audio, speech, biometrics, wearable computing, information, data and scientific visualisation, biotechnology, graphics, collaborative environments, design, medicine, music, entertainment, education, business tools, aerospace, communication, transportation, security, military, technologies for the aging and disabled, and more.

We welcome adventurous technologies that especially deal with transformations, fusions, intersections, and paradigm shifts from Asia to the world.

Some areas Emerging Technologies: Synthesis - Toward A New Perception will explore:

  • How scientists and engineers employ new technology and the tools of fusion and intersection.
  • How globalisation and localisation affect the technologies we create.
  • How new tools and technologies can assist realisation and presentation of special applications of new, exciting, innovative, and amazing ideas.

All submissions will be juried. International works are highly encouraged. All forms of digitally mediated work are invited, as well as works created in traditional media that comment on technology.

The Emerging Technologies jury will review submissions based on the following criteria:

  • Relevance to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 themes.
  • Unique and creative uses of media or leading-edge technology.
  • Technical accuracy and precision.
  • Quality of accompanying theoretical statement.

The submission deadline is 20 June 2008. The jury's decisions will be announced in early August.

All accepted Emerging Technologies projects will be required to prepare a four-page abstract detailing the installation and research, which will be made available to SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 attendees.

Tomoe Moriyama
Emerging Technologies Chair

Adrian Cheok
Emerging Technologies Co-Chair