Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is a new media artist focusing in interactive installations. His work, Vectorial Elevation, is one of the largest of these interactive installations. Between 1999 and 2004, the work was displayed in four different cities. The work consists of searchlights along with various new media technologies, which aloud the audience to control a design for the lights and their movement. The work defines a term, "relational architecture" for the artist, while allowing the audience to become part of the process and bring their own thoughts to the work. What is compelling about Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's work is that he is able to take these new media technologies, and take them off the computer screen and into the real world. However, he is still able to keep the balance between both worlds by relying on the computer and user to create the patterns and movement of the lights. By allowing anyone to participate in the work, it makes a fairly selective work because of its location, visible and interactive to the whole Internet using world. Similarly to the work Tribute in Light, a 2002 memorial for the victims of 911, searchlights and new media technologies are able to bring these technology into play in creating monumental works of art.