Editor’s note: The <Art/Code> event will bring together 15 digital artists to show off their cutting-edge work at the Aria Stone Gallery on July 27. The event is curated by David Rodriguez (aka Dr. Gorilla) and hosted by Digital Dallas. The <Art/Code> event features works made by artists pushing pixels, writing code, and doing crazy things with light, electronics, and (we hear) brain waves. Recently, John Stalle caught up with Eric Trich, a local artist who is taking digital art in Dallas to new heights through his 3D projection mapping installations. 

Artist Eric Trich is one of 15 artists to be featured by <Art/Code>. [Photo via Digital Dallas]

A graduate of SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Eric Trich began his career by experimenting with 3D modeling, animation, and layering digital and traditional mediums. 

“This eventually led me toward creating interactive pieces using projection mapping and augmented reality,” Trich said. 

Bridging the Gap

His first room-scale installation, DIFFUSION, which debuted earlier this year, featured a four-projector set and explored the nature of complex systems and how they adapt to change. Through his work, Trich is trying to bridge the gap between the physical and the digital. 

“The reoccurring theme behind my work deals with the potential technology has to liberate us from the limitations of our physical reality and how we evolve with these new tools,” Trich said.

And talk about potential. As he prepares for <Art/Code>, Trich said he’s keeping himself busy designing virtual reality experiences using the HTC Vive.

His goal “is to create a physical sculpture and also create a 3D model of that sculpture that people can interact with in a virtual world.” (If you’re thinking this sounds like being able to give a virtually-created “David” a high-five, then you would be right.)

The Emotional Side of Virtual

Looking toward the future, Trich is excited to continue to explore virtual and augmented reality. 

“Once everyone has access to headsets that are affordable, then we will see an explosion of content,” he said. “Social applications are especially exciting.”

In the grander scheme of things, Trich believes that these technologies are taking art in a new direction. 

“Art is about stimulating people’s senses to feel certain emotions,” he said. “The capacity of digital media to completely simulate other worlds and put someone into the shoes of others is such a powerful tool for creating empathy. Ultimately, it has the potential to help us become even more connected to each other’s experiences on a level that people haven’t experienced before.”

And so, as you experience his installation at <Art/Code> , Digital Dallas invites you to take a step outside your own reality and into the future of digital art and expression. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Digital Dallas <Art/Code> Event 

On July 27, the worlds of art and code will collide from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Aria Stone Gallery, where Dallas’ top digital artists will show us how they’re taking digital design to new electronic heights. Drinks, food, and music from Digital Dallas’ roster of DJs will be provided. The gallery is 1617 Hi Line Drive, Suite 310, in Dallas. Check it out here.

This profile was originally published at digitaldallas.org. Dallas Innovates is the media partner for Digital Dallas’ <Art/Code>. 

READ MORE ABOUT THE <ART / CODE > ARTISTS

Artist Makes 1st Mind-controlled Digital Video Art Installation
Jeremy McKane is an underwater fashion photographer who has traveled around the world to capture the movement and grace of fabric-draped forms under water. 

Artist Darcy Neal Illuminates with #Hashtag Map
Electronic artist Darcy Neal of LadyBrain Studios and software engineer Alex Meswarb of Ideacombine have joined forces to construct an interactive Twitter #hashtag map that will display the “geographic location of the use of predefined hashtags onto an LED matrix.”

Alex Garcia Topete’s Music is Collision Between Art, Science
Alex Garcia is a Dallas artist who found inspiration in the cosmos for his latest musical work.

Ryan McCutcheon Creates “Ghost” in his Art 
Ryan McCutcheon is a sculptor who will be exhibiting a three-dimensional sculpture called “Bitter Sweet” that he created with unique two-dimensional shapes.

Don Relyea’s Art Intersects Tech, Biology
Don Relyea will showcase “Sharon Tate,” a series of generative portraits he built using a custom particle painting engine created with code. 

Barton Damer: His Art Resonates Pop Culture
His work is influenced by skateboarding, basketball, and hip-hop culture, and he says his “inspiration” can be seen in his work with clients such as Nike, Dew Tour, and Vans shoes.

For a daily dose of what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth innovation, subscribe to our Dallas Innovates e-newsletter.