Computer Graphics Department Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Design & Communication: The Future of Service-Learning

Ulrike Gencarelle M.A. et al. — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:29:25 PDT

Poster for a presentation at the Eastern Region Campus Compact Conference 2012.

Depicted are online writing class projects, as well as web and print design examples created by Johnson & Wales (Providence Campus) Digital Media department design students for non-profit organizations in Rhode Island communities.

Visual Metaphor in Games of Chance: What You See is What You Play

Stephen Andrade — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:29:23 PDT

Visual images have been a key element in the development of wager-based games. The legacy of visual metaphor in gaming can be traced through paper ephemera such as playing cards and lottery tickets. Both paper and printing technology ushered the age of wide spread playing opportunities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Modern play behaviors have given way to Postmodern gaming norms in digital space. The digital age has presented a new set of challenges for gaming architecture in wager-based play. Action research in prototyping games is beginning to reveal a new and different set of game characteristics.

Teaching Design and Communication through Project-Based Service Learning: Past, Present and Future

Ulrike Gencarelle et al. — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:43:11 PST

Possible Symbolics 33

Stephen Andrade — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:23:01 PST

Professor Steve Andrade is continuously experimenting in a wide range of visual arts and technology. He is an avid researcher in the areas of interactive technology, gaming, modern visual metaphor, archeology, fine arts, Western geology and the sociology of technology space.

When he is not teaching or conducting projects at the University, Professor Andrade can be found traveling or working in his studio (pictured here). His artwork includes digital imaging, graphic art posters, virtual space planning, information graphics, 2d and 3d sculpture, representational sketching, realism, video and his current passion - abstract modern painting with a hint of allegory. He is an active writer and researcher on professional and creative topics.

Andrade’s current work is influenced by recent visual research into a number of well and lesser known 20th century artists including Marcel Duchamp (French), Wassily Kandinsky (Russian), Antoni Tapies (Spanish), Willem deKooning (Dutch American), Paul Klee (Swiss), Ron Ehrlich (American), prehistoric cave painters, Southwestern American Indian glyph artists, skateboarders, steampunk, the LA art scene, the iPad, and Afghani Taliban graffiti.

His paintings are elaborate compositions of layers, surface, shape and material. The use of color both coordinates and disrupts space. Border and color are used to create frames that sometimes hold alphanumeric images that loosely weave a tale. Iconic images are embedded to deepen mystery and meaning, resulting interpretations unique to each viewer.

Andrade’s sculpture is out of the “assemblage” tradition. Created out of “found” objects, each piece redefines the relationship objects have to each other to create a whole. Roland Penrose, a prominent modern art critic writes, “Frequently it is the presence of a familiar object in unexpected surroundings that awakens us.” Andrade’s sculptures evoke the authenticity of elements such as wood, rope, wire, metal and bone.

Professor Andrade teaches a number of courses in the Computer Graphics department at the School of Technology. He has recently been active in gaming research, architecture and prototyping collaborations with GTECH experts and JWU students.