Inkjet print, explanatory text, being part of portfolio of a documentation of the event / exhibition, 'Portrait Virus', curated by Patric Prince for CyberArts, Pasadena Convention Centre, 1992.

This inkjet print consists of text explaining the idea and the process of the exhibition / event.
Text:
Portrait Virus
Curated by Patric D. Prince

Using a camcorder and a complete digital studio, Michael Wright will create computer altered digital portraits providing inkjet prints for a limited number of participants. Michael will make the initial images for the Portrait Virus installation.

Computer artist / photographer, Paras Kaul will receive images from Michael Wright and will add auras to the portraits. She works within a crystal healing context and will analyze the data and add attributes before sending it down the line.

Beverly Reiser will add text to the data before the portraits are displayed. "I like to think that there's a piece of poetry in the heart of every person. So my part in this progressive portrait is to integrate a line of poetry into the picture - like an unspoken inference that gets to the heart of the matter."

Computer / Video Artist Liz Crimzon will use the data to define and express society's expectations as manifested in the face of today.

At 10:00 am on Saturday, 31 October, we will link data with Barbara Mones-Hattal in Washington, D.C. She has been making computer generated sculptures for several years and cerates work in virtual reality. She will return the manipulated images to us at CyberArts in Pasadena and these will be displayed on the visual system.

The rest of the time, images will be shared via a network in the gallery and projected at intervals on the visual system.

Given by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Patric Prince

The inaugural Portrait Virus event, curated by Patric D. Prince, took place at Cyberarts, Pasadena Convention Centre, Oct. 29 - Nov. 1, 1992. The event was organised to create digital portraits via a computer network.
The Amiga computer system, operated by Michael Wright, was established as the first link of the network and was used to scan in black and white portraits of participants in real time.
Next file formats containing portrait data were converted to Macintosh file formats and transferred to a second link, a Mac workstation. Artist Liz Crimzon, painted backgrounds for the portraits,
A second Macintosh, linked to the first Mac by an internal network, was operated by Paras Kaul who sent the computer enhanced portraits by modem from a phone line at the Convention Centre to Paras Productions in Washington, D. C.
At this location computer graphic campaign buttons for the democratic party were added.
Portraits were then sent back to the Amiga workstation which was connected to a 16 monitor video wall at the Convention Centre where they were viewed by Cyberarts participants.

This is a page from a portfolio of information about the Portrait Virus event. The portfolio also includes the following text description of the project:

"The inaugural PORTRAIT VIRUS event took place at CYBERARTS, Pasadena Convention Center, Oct. 29 - Nov. 1, 1992. The event was organised to create digital portraits via a computer network.

The Amiga computer system, operated by Michael Wright, was established as the first link of the network and was used to scan in black and white portraits of participants in real time.

Next file formats containing portrait data were converted to Macintosh file formats and transferred to a second link, a Mac workstation. Artist, Liz Crimzon, painted backgrounds for the portraits.

A second Macintosh, linked to the first Mac by an internal network, was operated by Paras Kaul who sent the computer enhanced portraits by modem from a phone line at the Convention Center to Paras Productions in Washington, D. C.

At this location computer graphic campaign buttons for the democratic party were added. Portraits were then sent back to the Amiga workstation which was connected to a 16 monitor video wall at the Convention Center where they were viewed by CYBERARTS participants."

E.987:11-2008