Pacific Internationally Recognised Artist
Luca Buttrose, Year 12 Visual Art student became an international artist after receiving the “Honourable Mention” Award, in the Speculative Futures Digital Arts Student Competition and Exhibition for 2024.
“Luca has consistently shown student agency in his visual arts practice by integrating his interests across disciplines such as digital technologies, science and visual arts. His disposition of being a curious learner has led him to go beyond the realms of the classroom to be recognised in a tertiary level of competition,” shares Miss Elise Black, Head of Visual Arts
In late April, Luca submitted his IA2 artworks to the International Symposium of Electronic Art (ISEA) Student Competition. This competition focuses on speculative futures and encourages students to explore futuristic themes.
Luca was one of 96 entries from 16 different countries who entered in the inaugural student competition co-sponsored by the ISEA 2024 and the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Committee. The final selection was extremely competitive and being selected into this important exhibition represents Luca’s commitment to the field of digital arts.
“In response to the increasing integration of digital technologies, our Arts programs have fully embraced the integration of technology, including Augmented Reality (AR), into the Visual Arts curriculum for students”, Miss Elise Black.
Luca's artworks explore human interaction with nature by manipulating it to serve human needs, such as cell manipulation and engineering. Luca skillfully applies scientific methods, examining cells at a microscopic level, digitally distorting them using creative coding in TouchDesigner, integrating AR and AI music to create an interactive experience that highlights the connection between the natural and the artificial.
“Luca’s single digital image taken using an iPhone camera down a microscope was manipulated to three images, using digital tools and enhanced with sound to engage with contemporary audiences. When each image is printed singularly the three images are linked to AR and using the ‘Artivive’ App, audiences unlock the fluidity of the cellular structures”, shares Mrs Marnie Whittaker, Design and Art Teacher.
As an “Honorable Mention” recipient, documentation of Luca’s work was exhibited in three high profile locations - at the 29th International Symposium on Electronic Arts 2024 in Meanjin/Brisbane, Australia (21st – 29th June 2024), and SIGGRAPH 2024 in Denver, US (28th July – 1st August), and on the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Committee website. This represents a fantastic opportunity for exposure at two major art research events and one widely consulted online platform.
“I am extremely honoured to have received this Internationally recognised Award. I have enjoyed the process of integrating technology and science into my Visual Artworks to digitally reproduce, manipulate and distort a lotus cell using the procedural software Touchdesigner to convey to audiences the evolving, disruptive relationship between humans and nature”, Luca Buttrose, Year 12 Student.
“This was an outstanding achievement for Luca in an extremely competitive competition”, said Dr Bronwyn Dolling.
Artist Statement - Luca Buttrose, Year 12
Relationships are all around us; the connection between humans and nature has, throughout most of history, been a symbiotic one. In the modern world, this relationship has been exploited through laboratory manipulation of cellular structures. Bio-emergence prompts us to confront the immediate implications of humans controlling their relationship with nature.
Bio-emergence serves as a visual representation of the evolving relationship between humans and nature, emphasising the delicate balance that has been disrupted through the modification of plants, animals and microbial cells. This prompts the question; How far can humans intervene before the natural becomes man-made?