The MIT campus buzzed with artistic vibrancy on March 13 as Artfinity — the Institute’s fresh festival dedicated to creativity and community — took command of numerous venues, offering interactive experiences, displays, and performances.
Participants of Artfinity navigated their unique journeys through interrelated artistic experiences throughout the campus, delving into augmented reality (AR) interactions in the Infinite Corridor to groundbreaking musical showcases at the Media Lab. The activities were crafted to build upon one another, enabling visitors to transition seamlessly between locations while encountering a variety of creative expressions.
Daytime events featured a number of exhibitions: Coloring with Wide Tim at the Welcome Center; “Golden Cargo: Conquest of the Tropics” at the ACT Gallery, which scrutinized the intricate history of the United Fruit Company; two exhibitions at the List Visual Arts Center — “List Projects 31: Kite” and “Pedro Gómez-Egaña: The Great Learning”; and “Mission Control” at the Media Lab. Throughout the daylight hours, the “Layers of Place” AR experience unveiled concealed histories and viewpoints on the pillars of Building 7, “The Alchemist” sculpture, and the Infinite Corridor.
The MIT Museum functioned as the evening’s center, hosting its After Dark series, which included a presentation on the intersection of technology and art by the Media Lab’s Critical Matter group director and acclaimed designer Behnaz Farahi (whose large projection on MIT’s dome, “Gaze to the Stars,” was displayed later that evening), in addition to galleries featuring faculty works, showcasing Rania Ghosn’s “Cosmograph,” Azra Akšamija’s “Hallucinating Traditions,” along with other fresh exhibitions from the Media Lab. Throughout the museum, guests participated in interactive activities ranging from quick portrait sessions to textile creation.
As the night unfolded, the campus morphed with performances and installations. The Media Lab presented Moving Music, debuting two distinct compositions: “Here…NOW” by Ana Schon and “MAICE” by Tod Machover, a new piece dedicated to the renowned marimba artist Ji Hye Jung. Large-format projections also lit up campus structures, including “Creative Lumens,” where students transformed the facades of the new Linde Music Building, the MIT Chapel, and Zesiger Center with dynamic projections.
Additional happenings that evening encompassed the Argus Installation, examining the relationship between light and hand-blown glass at the MIT Museum Studio; the Welcome Center’s speed networking event for artists and creatives, followed by All Our Relations, where MIT’s Indigenous community united native and non-native individuals for song, dance, and storytelling; and a film showing at the Open Space Screen, offering an insider’s view of Laura Anderson Barbata’s “Intervention: Ocean Blues.”
Attendance exceeded 1,000 on campus that evening, with numerous others enjoying the large-scale art projections as they passed by. Artfinity will continue until May 2 and will showcase over 80 complimentary performing and visual arts events that celebrate creativity and community at MIT.