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Camille Utterback can’t make art without you.

As visitors encounter her installations, their movements are interpreted by sensors that create images projected onto the gallery walls. By combining the technology that spawned the popularity of video game systems with traditional principles of art, Utterback’s algorithm-based computer paintings are physically dependent on interaction with the viewer. In Untitled Number 5, an abstract painting continually evolves as it engages in a pas de deux, a physical dance with the viewer.

Utterback’s art not only communicates outward, but also absorbs information from an external source: the viewer. This interaction is both beautiful and tenuous as it poses questions regarding a contemporary culture that is progressing towards a virtual existence. The application of computer interface to fine art provides a novel, yet familiar experience. As tools such as Blackberries© and Facebook© become standards for social interaction, the need to examine the relationships between humanity and virtual reality becomes paramount.

Utterback received her B.A. from Williams College in Williamstown, MA and her Master’s degree from the Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants and is a Rockefeller Foundation New Media Fellow. Her work has been exhibited at Milwaukee Art Museum, MassMoCA, Art Interactive, Cambridge, MA, and Pratt Manhattan Gallery, NY.

Read more in MOCA's introduction panel and gallery guide.