Welcome

Welcome to the Jackie Matisse - Mountain Lake Workshop website. This website is dedicated in documenting the first high bandwith Virtual Reality artwork ever created. Creation of this piece, "Art That Soars In and Out of Space," is an on-going collaborative process that includes artists, composers, and virtual reality experts from around the world.

Through the leadership of its producer/founder, Ray Kass, and its volunteers (students of Virginia Tech University and Francis Thompson, graduate student of The School of the Arts), the Mountain Lake Workshop administers the "Art That Soars In and Out of Space" project.

In early January of 2001, Ray Kass and the Mountain Lake Workshop asked Jackie Matisse to develop another space for her innovative work -- a virtual environment hosted by Virginia Tech's University Visualization and Animation Group and School of the Arts. Over many months, a collaboration with the University of Illinois' Tom Coffin, Shalini Venkataraman, Dr. Jason Leigh and Amsterdam's vitual environment at SARA gave birth to the "groundbreaking" programming required to transform a virtual reality CAVE into a vistor's playground. Using the infra-red connected "goggles" they wear and a "wand" they hold, a visitor in the virtual reality CAVE controls their experience with Jackie Matisse's kitetails, created by three-dimensional projections in front of them, to the right and left of them, and below them.

Upon completion of the first phase of the virtural reality artwork, "Art Flying In and Out of Space," Jackie Matisse agreed to visit Virginia Tech for nine days in April of 2002 which included a public kite-making workshop with guided tours of "Art Flying In and Out of Space" at VA Tech's virtual reality CAVE, an exhibition of Jackie Matisse's air and underwater kites and mobiles at Virginia Tech's Perspective Gallery, and a private workshop where Jackie Matisse created new kites with workshop volunteers.

The public kite-making workshop resulted in over 100 participants of all ages each constructing with Jackie Matisse at least one kite and experiencing the virtual reality kites within the CAVE. The initial response of the virutal reality kites was so strong that the core group, Jackie Matisse, Ray Kass, Tom Coffin, Shalini Venkataraman, and Francis Thompson agreed that futher development of the piece should proceed. Since then the project has undergone another virtual reality phase completion, invited collaborators from around the world, and continues to grow in its creative process.

Contained within this website are the project's accomplishments and current progress. We hope you enjoy!