DATS wraps up a great event at HPU
As they say in show business, “It’s a wrap.” High Point University hosted the 5th Annual Design, Art, and Technology Symposium (DATS) on March 5th and 6th, 2009.
With the underlying theme of “Design Matters,” all the DATS events, activities and speakers espoused the notion that nothing of importance happens without the impact of design – from the pragmatic to the sublime.
Case in point, artist James Grashow and a team of 100 High Point University students created a 55-foot tall - from head to toe - corrugated cardboard statue of “Gulliver” from “Gulliver’s Travels.” Thursday night’s “Opening Reception” of DATS showcased the super-sized creation sporting his HPU lapel pin and casually sitting in the Sechrest Gallery of the Hayworth Fine Arts Center with one knee propped high enough for a child to walk underneath.
Clad in bodysuits and vibrant paint, dancers with Living Brush presented a fun “interactive happening” by regaling around the statue in their comparatively diminutive form, Lilliputian-style. Then the dancers and High Point University catering staff served trays of tiny appetizers and pastries, in keeping with the contrast of very large vs. very small. Another fun element of the evening included a collection of 5” by 5” Lilliputian artwork encircling the statue on several gallery walls. In all his splendor, Gulliver will continue to pose comfortably in that spot until June 5th . Interested groups who would like to see this large-scale sculpture and tour the gallery may contact gallery curator Maxine Campbell at 841-4685.
With 400 people in attendance, the two-day DATS also featured keynote addresses by High Point University President and acclaimed speaker Nido Qubein; designer and businessman Alexander Julian; researcher and educator Idit Harel Caperton; and marketing genius David Burney. There were break-out sessions on a wide range of topics from “Art, Creativity & Entrepreneurship” to “Recession-Proofing & Unlocking Social Media.”
The audience ranged from college students and professors from 10 area colleges to professionals from a wide variety of occupations, including business owners, artists, designers, architects, computer technicians, media experts and many others.
The 6th annual Design, Art, and Technology Symposium 2010 will be held at the Center for Design Innovation in Winston-Salem. For more information or updates go to the DATS website – www.datstriad.org
- by Melody Hennessee