About Em Pac Brochure
Transcript of About Em Pac Brochure
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EMPACC U R T I S R . P R I E M E X P E R I M E N TA L M E D I AA N D P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E R
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R E N S S E L A E R P O LY T E C H N I C I N S T I T U T E | T R O Y, N Y
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+ E M P A CThe Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and
Performing Arts Center (EM PAC) opened its doors
in 2008 and was hailed by the New York Times as
a technological pleasure dome for the mind and
sensesdedicated to the marriage of art and science
as it has never been done before.
Founded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, EMPAC offers artists,
scholars, researchers, engineers, designers, and audiences opportunities
for creative exploration that are available nowhere else under a single
roof. EMPAC operates nationally and internationally, attracting creative
individuals from around the world and sending new artworks and innovative
ideas onto the global stage.
EMPACs building is a showcase work of architecture and a unique
technological facility that boasts unrivaled presentation and production
capabilities for art and science spanning the physical and virtual worlds and
the spaces in between.
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+ P R O G R A M S
EMPAC is much more than a performing arts
center: it is a laboratory that enables artists and
scientists to independently and collaboratively
advance research projects at the intersection of
art and technology.
EMPAC is a platform for intellectual exchange
that offers: adventurous interdisciplinary public
programming; commissions for new work and
residencies for scholars, artists and engineers;
creative research; and a local, national and
international hub for performance, media, art,
science and technology.
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Workspace Unlimited (Tomas Soetens and Kora Van den Bulcke) in residence working on They Watch, anEMPAC commission for the 360 panoramic screen. Photo: Workspace Unlimited
The Albany Symphony Orchestra with Per Tengstrand at EMPACsInaugural Concert. Photo: Ray Felix
Yvon Bonenfants performance of Beacons in conjunction withhis residency at EMPAC. Photo: David Shearing
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EVENTSSince 2004, EM PAC has been presenting concerts, performances, site-specific
works, installations, screenings, and lectures to t he public, on campus and now in
our new building. Its programming features contemporary work by choreographers,
composers, media artists and others working in genres and disciplines st ill to be
defined. Artists have included choreographers (Tere OConner, BalletLab, and
Cathy Weis); music ensembles (Flux Quartet, So Percussion, Dirty Projectors and
the Anthony Braxton 12(+1)Tet); theater artists (The Builders Association, Elevator
Repair Service and Basil Twist); and media and installation artists (Toni Dove, Kurt
Hentschlger). EMPAC is an important new addition to the cultural landscape of the
Capital Region, bringing contemporary performance to local audiences and attractingnew visitors to the area.
ARTIST RESIDENCIES & COMMISSIONSThe combination of artist-driven content with new, high-end technology stands
at the center of EMPACs artistic activities. Artists projects will intersect with
research in science, engineering and the humanities, challenge and inform each
other, and lead to new approaches and insights in all these disciplines. To this end,
EMPAC provides an environment that supports the realization of complex works
at any stage from inception to completion. Along with a st ate-of-the-art facility,
EMPAC offers residents the support of a st aff of experts in audio, video, interactive
interfaces, and stage technologies.
RESEARCHEMPAC is creating an environment of fertile creation, cross-pollination, and
intellectual stimulation. Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting
scholars and researchers will participate in the formation of an intellectual community
in scientific and engineering disciplines that may also engage perceptual and artistic
knowledge and practice. EMPAC will be a platform for areas such as augmented and
virtual reality, scientific vi sualization, audification, haptics, human/machine interaction,
auralization, and large-scale multi-modal environments.
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Chunky Moves performance, Glow. Photo: Rom Anthoni Brent Greens performance God Builds Like Frank Lloyd Wrightwith guestmusicians Brendan Canty, Howe Gelb, and Jim Becker. Photo: EMPAC
Rensselaer professor Barbara Cutler presenting her research on Interactive Architectural Daylight Design. Photo: Eric Ameres.
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+ B U I L D I N G
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EMPACs 220,000 square-foot center is a signature
work of architecture that brings together four main
venues as well as many smaller studios and lab
spaces under one roof. All can be used independently
and simultaneously, allowing EM PAC to present
events, host student gatherings, and dedicate space
to research and residenciesall at one time. EMPACincludes many firsts and exceptional attributes in
the fields of acoustics, structural integrity, theatrical
presentation, and digital media. High-bandwidth
computer, audio and video networks create a
technical infrastructure unlike any other performing
arts centers. And, when linked to Rensselaers CCN I
supercomputer, EMPACs superb venues can provide
opportunities for research that surpass those of any
other media research center.
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HISTORY, DESIGN & CONSTRUCTIONIn March 2001, Rensselaer initiated a competition by inviting four of the worlds
leading architects to submit a design. A distinguished jury selected Grimshaw, a
London-based firm founded by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, whose work is characterized
by spatial and organizational clarity, fl exibility, innovation, and a rigorous approach to
detail. Grimshaws emphasis on the research and application of new materials and
construction techniques is amply demonstrated in EMPAC.
Design and construction of the building required the collaboration of experts
and firms in a variety of disciplines including Buro Happold (Structural & Service
Engineer), Kirkegaard Associates (Acoustician), Fisher Dachs As sociates (TheatreConsultant), Turner Construction Company (Construction Manager), and Davis,
Brody, Bond LLP as the Architect of Record. Groundbreaking for the project took
place on September 17, 2003, and E MPAC opened to the public on October 3,
2008 with a three-week inaugural festival.
EMPAC embodies a number of design and construction innovations. An
extraordinary baseline of quiet has been achieved through acoustic separation
literally a space between the walls and floors of each venueto prevent conduction
of noisy vibrations. To further cushion vibrations, parts of the building sit on springs
embedded in the foundation. The entire building is secured by 215 cable anchors
that reach deep into the hillsides bedrock, making EMPAC one of the most
seismically secure buildings in the region.
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+ V E N U E S
EMPACs multi-tiered lobby and cafe are flooded
with natural light from the grand staircases ninety-
foot high glass wall and the skylight that encircles
the concert hall. The enormous glass north wall has
heated fluid circulating through its frame to prevent
condensation and allow for clear views. As a result,
the caf and lobby form an attractive campus social
space. In addition to the major venues, EMPAC has
several studios and workspaces for residencies by
artists, scholars and researchers. Studio Beta is a
rehearsal and performance space particularly suited
to use by student groups.
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+ C O N C E R T H A LL
The Concert Hall combines the outstanding acoustics,
refined materials, and comfort of great concert halls
of the past with the flexibility and technology of the
21st-century. The halls superior acoustics come
from a number of innovations. Convex walls and other
shaped surfaces allow performers or loudspeakers
to be anywhere in the hall, redefining the notion that
music comes only from the stage. A fabric ceiling
was developed for the first time ever for both for its
acoustic and aesthetic properties. Air rises quietly
from under the seats rather than being forced down
by noisy fans. Visually, staging elements or screens,
projectors, and platforms can be flown anywhere in
the hall; high-definition video can be projected on the
56-foot wide screen; and uncompressed video and
audio recording over fiber cables is possible.
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The theater incorporates theatrical technology
and capabilities that were previously found only
in the most advanced stage spectacles. The
seventy-foot fly tower (the space directly above
the stage, which itself is 80 feet by 40 feet) allows
for scenery, screens, lights etc. to be flown in
and out. Computer-controlled rigging means that
anythingprops, projectors, or peoplecan be flown
(and controlled by computer in real-time, a first in
theater technology) throughout the stage space.
The theater is as quiet as a recording studio and
has the technological infrastructure of an HD video
studio. The low stage allows for tangible immediacy
between audience and performers.
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+ S T U D I O S
The Goodman Studio/Theater and Studio 2 are
exceptionally versatile spaces for the integration
of digital technology with human expression and
perception (sometimes referred to as multi-modal
environments). Catwalks and control rooms are
located above and outside the studios to allowfor completely unencumbered space, and for the
projection of lights and images virtually anywhere
in the volume of the studios. Acoustic wall tiles
offer a completely novel approach to the acoustics
of immersive sound environments. Both studios
are equally quiet and highly networked, rewarding
audiences and supporting experimentation by artists
and researchers alike.
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R E N S S E L A E R
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824,
is the nations oldest technological university. The
school offers degrees in engineering, the sciences,
information technology, architecture, management,
and the social sciences and humanities. For over
thirty years, the Institute has been a leader in
interdisciplinary creative research, especially in
the electronic arts. In addition to its MFA and
Ph.D. programs in Electronic Arts, Rensselaer
offers Bachelor degrees in Electronic Arts, and in
Electronic Media, Arts, and Communicationone of
the first undergraduate programs of its kind in the
United States. The Center for Biotechnology and
Interdisciplinary Studies, Computational Center
for Nanotechnology Innovations and EM PAC are
three major research platforms that Rensselaer has
established at the beginning of the 21st century.
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5,000,000EMPACs volume in cubic feet (imagine a cube that is as high,wide and deep as the length of a football field.)
640,000feet of fiber optic and copper cable for digit al transmissionthroughout the building
221,200square footage of the entire building
100,000cubic yards of earth excavated for E MPACs foundation
23,000visitors to EMPAC during our Opening Festival
2,600tons of steel used in construction
2,500audience members for EMPAC 360 Event
2,164custom designed acoustic panels (1,280 diffusive, 884 absorptive)
1,279sine wave light dimmers
1,200number of seats in the concert hall
400 number of seats in the theater
215 inch thick rock anchors, some 210 feet long, sunk into the hillside
162 x 196channels of HD video matrix
acres of video projection screens
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+ B Y T H E N U M B E R S
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+ V I S I TO R I N F O
LOCATIONEMPAC is just north of Albany NY, on the Hudson River: two and a half hours
north of New York City by car or by Amtrak and three hours from both Boston and
Montreal by car. From the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, E MPACoverlooks Troy, a city that played a central role in the Industrial Revolution and that
still preserves some of t he 19th centurys finest architecture.
TICKETS & VISITOR INFORMATIONTickets are available from the box office in the EM PAC lobby or online at
www.empac.rpi.edu. For more information, contact the box office at
[email protected] or 518.276.3921.
DIRECTIONS & PARKINGEMPAC is best r eached locally via Route 7 or Route 2 from I-787. For detailed
directions, see www.empac.rpi.edu/visit. Parking is available beginning one hour
before an event in the campus parking garage off College Avenue; additional
parking may be available in any open lot on campus. During business hours,
parking on 8th Street and College Avenue is advised.
PUBLIC TOURSEMPAC offers regular guided tours of the building with a glimpse inside the
venues when possible. See www.empac.rpi.edu/visit for s chedules and more
information. Tours are by appointment only during the summer.
ACCESSIBILITYEMPACs main entrance is from the campus on the east side of the building.
All venues are wheelchair accessible. Please contact the box office to requestaccessible seating or additional disability- related accommodations.
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Photo: Ray Felix
EMPAC 2009/10 presentations, residenciesand commissions are supported by grantsfrom the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation inpartnership with the National Endowmentfor the Arts Regional Touring Program, theNational Endowment for the Arts, the NationalDance Project of the New England Foundationfor the Arts (with lead funding from the DorisDuke Charitable Foundation; additional fundingprovided by the Ford Foundation, the AndrewW. Mellon Foundation, and the CommunityConnections Fund of the MetLife Foundation)and the New York State Council for the Ar ts.Special thanks to the The Jaffe Fund forExperimental Media and Performing Arts forsupport for artist commissions.
cover photo PETER AARON/ESTO
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C U R T I S R . P R I E M E X P E R I M E N T A L M E D I A A N D P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E RR E N S S E L A E R P O L Y T E C H N I C I N S T I T U T E | 11 0 8 T H S T R E E T , T R O Y , N Y 1 2 1 8 0