Don Ritter
Encyclopedia
Don Ritter is a Canadian
installation artist and writer living in Berlin
, Germany
. He has been active in the field of new media art since the mid-1980s. His work consists primarily of large interactive video and sound installations that audiences control through their body position, body movement or voice. Ritter’s most widely exhibited work is Intersection(1993), an interactive sound installation within a large dark room. The work presents the sounds of four lanes of car traffic that respond to audiences by screeching to a halt, idling, accelerating or crashing into each other. Intersection has been experienced by over 600,000 people in North America
, Europe
and Asia
. Ritter’s most recent work is Vested(2009), a large interactive video and sound installation that "reflects the commodification of human tragedy." Vested was exhibited to a large international audience at the Cultural Olympiad for the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver
, Canada
.
Ritter's interactive installations and performances have been exhibited throughout Europe, North America and Asia, including SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico
, Metrònom in Barcelona, Ars Electronica in Linz, Sonambiente Sound Festival in Berlin, New Music America in New York
, and ArtFuture 2000 in Taipei
. Ritter’s work was initially recognized by institutions associated with new media art, such as Ars Electronica
and MIT, but it now receives more recognition from museums and festivals of contemporary art. His work differs from many new media artworks because its content is primarily concerned with human behavior. The Slovakian philosopher Jozef Cseres writes, “Although Ritter uses complex technologies to create aesthetic experiences for audiences, he is not a technocrat; for him the interaction is not the aim but the means to test the influences and impacts of nature, machines and media to human personality.” Dottie Indyke writes in ARTnews
, "Ritter's play with his viewers' phobias recalls the anxiety-provoking tendencies of Surrealism."
Between 1988 and 1990, Ritter collaborated with interactive music pioneer George Lewis (trombonist)
to create a series of live performances that featured large projections of interactive video controlled by Lewis's improvised trombone playing. Their first performance was presented in 1988 at the MIT Media Lab
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These performances used Orpheus, an interactive software developed by Ritter that enables real time video to be controlled by a musical instrument.
Ritter has degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology
(University of Waterloo
), Electronics Engineering Technology (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
), a Masters in Visual Studies (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
), and he studied cinema at Harvard University
. He has worked as a telecommunications designer for Northern Telecom, a human interface designer for Bell-Northern Research
, a professor of fine arts at Concordia University
in Montréal, Québec, and professor of art and design at Pratt Institute
in Brooklyn
, New York.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
installation artist and writer living in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He has been active in the field of new media art since the mid-1980s. His work consists primarily of large interactive video and sound installations that audiences control through their body position, body movement or voice. Ritter’s most widely exhibited work is Intersection(1993), an interactive sound installation within a large dark room. The work presents the sounds of four lanes of car traffic that respond to audiences by screeching to a halt, idling, accelerating or crashing into each other. Intersection has been experienced by over 600,000 people in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Ritter’s most recent work is Vested(2009), a large interactive video and sound installation that "reflects the commodification of human tragedy." Vested was exhibited to a large international audience at the Cultural Olympiad for the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Ritter's interactive installations and performances have been exhibited throughout Europe, North America and Asia, including SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Metrònom in Barcelona, Ars Electronica in Linz, Sonambiente Sound Festival in Berlin, New Music America in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and ArtFuture 2000 in Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. Ritter’s work was initially recognized by institutions associated with new media art, such as Ars Electronica
Ars Electronica
Ars Electronica is an organization based in Linz, Austria, founded in 1979 around a festival for art, technology and society that was part of the International Bruckner Festival. Herbert W. Franke is one of its founders. It became its own festival and a yearly event in 1986. Its director until 1995...
and MIT, but it now receives more recognition from museums and festivals of contemporary art. His work differs from many new media artworks because its content is primarily concerned with human behavior. The Slovakian philosopher Jozef Cseres writes, “Although Ritter uses complex technologies to create aesthetic experiences for audiences, he is not a technocrat; for him the interaction is not the aim but the means to test the influences and impacts of nature, machines and media to human personality.” Dottie Indyke writes in ARTnews
ARTnews
ARTnews is an arts magazine based in New York, founded by James Clarence Hyde in 1902 as Hyde’s Weekly Art News. It is published 11 times a year.ARTnews covers all art, from ancient to Post-modernism...
, "Ritter's play with his viewers' phobias recalls the anxiety-provoking tendencies of Surrealism."
Between 1988 and 1990, Ritter collaborated with interactive music pioneer George Lewis (trombonist)
George Lewis (trombonist)
George E. Lewis is a trombone player, composer, and scholar in the fields of jazz and experimental music. He has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, and is a pioneer of computer music.- Biography :Lewis graduated from Yale University with a...
to create a series of live performances that featured large projections of interactive video controlled by Lewis's improvised trombone playing. Their first performance was presented in 1988 at the MIT Media Lab
MIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a laboratory of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology, the Media Lab has been widely popularized since the 1990s by business and technology publications such as Wired and Red Herring for a...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These performances used Orpheus, an interactive software developed by Ritter that enables real time video to be controlled by a musical instrument.
Ritter has degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
(University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...
), Electronics Engineering Technology (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and provides technical training and applied education designed to meet the demands of Alberta's industries...
), a Masters in Visual Studies (Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
), and he studied cinema at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He has worked as a telecommunications designer for Northern Telecom, a human interface designer for Bell-Northern Research
Bell-Northern Research
Bell-Northern Research was a telecommunications research and development organizations jointly owned by Bell Canada and Northern Telecom...
, a professor of fine arts at Concordia University
Concordia University
Concordia University is a comprehensive Canadian public university located in Montreal, Quebec, one of the two universities in the city where English is the primary language of instruction...
in Montréal, Québec, and professor of art and design at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York.