BIOGRAPHY
Louise Lessél is a Danish New Media Artist and Creative Technologist based in New York. She creates sculptural artworks, digital projections and interactive installations and scenography, and has been involved in the live performance industry for 10 years, mostly working with light, music and theater artists, to bring new visions to life.
Louise's work is notable for a diverse range of visual expressions, use of software and hardware and innovative forms of interactions.
She is best known for her work with Touchdesigner, Unreal Engine and Unity, and she is a certified Laser Safety Officer.
Her work can be seen in interactive projects for companies like DE-YAN, Candystations, ZeroSpace, James Clar Studio, Future Media Lab, for clientele like Disney, Amazon Studios, Snap Inc., and Superblue. She has spent her career working with big names artists and fringe performances alike, from experimental opera to live motion captured performances.
Louise is one-half of the artist duo uberørt, that creates bespoke interactive visual experiences for musicians.
Previously exhibited New Media artworks include the internationally renowned installation ‘The Wave’, made at the artist collective Vertigo, in Denmark. She is currently working on a series of sculptures around the communication patterns of fireflies and a VR piece on environmental collapse.
BACKGROUND
Louise is an expert on designing experiences that utilize the possibilities (and limits) of the human perceptual system, and in using tracking technologies for input - You won't see any button presses anywhere near the things she programs, and if a technology doesn't exist yet, she creates it.
Louise holds two degrees in Interaction Design and Computer Science from Aalborg University and the IT University of Copenhagen, and a degree in Interactive Arts, from Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Her background covers R&D in Camera & Sensor technologies, VR, AR, Motion capture, Volumetric capture, Game Design, Exhibition design, Projection mapping and Live performance technologies, Physical computing and Lighting design.
She teaches workshops and creates educational resources for the university and open source community.
Programming
C#, Processing, Javascript, Arduino, Python, GLSL, CG, C++, MATLAB, p5.js, SonicPi, Open Frameworks
Software
Touchdesigner, Unreal Engine, Unity, Madmapper, VDMX, Max MSP, Ableton, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop
EDUCATION
2018 - 2020 :: MPS. Interactive Telecommunications Program, New York University, Tisch, USA
Graduate degree in digital media art and interactive technologies.
Camera & Sensor technologies, VR, AR, Motion capture, Volumetric capture, Special effects, Open source software, Data collection and visualization, Machine Learning, Exhibition design, Projection mapping and Live performance technologies, Physical computing and Lighting design. Thesis: Homo ex Humo. Interactive sculpture with luminous robotic branches forcing humans to slow their presence to plant time scales.
2015 - 2018 :: BSc. Medialogy, Aalborg University, Denmark
Undergraduate degree in researching, programming and prototyping interactive installations.
Interaction design and programming, Augmented reality, Sensor technologies, Sound design, Signal processing, Computer graphics, Rendering, Game theory, Animation, 3D modeling, Virtual reality, Interactive storytelling, AV production. Bachelor project: The Black Queen. Creating a system for autonomous agents and projection mapping in Unity, within the context of interactive live theatre.
2009 - 2012 :: BSc. Digital Media & Design, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Undergraduate degree in interaction design, user research, digital media strategy and communication.
Interaction design, Co-design, Research, Innovation and entrepreneurship, E-business, Prototyping, Project management, Concept development, Crossmedia, Storytelling, Communication strategy and Social media. Bachelor project: Ebooks and eye tracking. Transforming ebooks into interactive reading experiences, using eye tracking and attention theory to let natural reading patterns propel the narrative.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"I am interested in creating artworks that tell tales of non-human perceivable phenomenons, be it computer algorithmic thinking or plant system symbiosis. I base my artworks on scientific discoveries and exploration of the blind spots in human perception and the unnoticed social conditions under which we live.
Then I try to create new social spaces that humans can attempt to exist in, based on rules extracted from these phenomenons. All with the aim to describe the human condition and how focused we are on making things exist on human terms."
AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
Fulbright Denmark
American-Scandinavian Foundation
ITP NYU
Nordisk Film
Danmark-Amerika Fondet
VP Legat
Bikubenfonden AGH
Laurits Andersen Fonden
Augustinus Fonden
Glashof Legatet
Knud Højgaards Fond
Marie & M.B. Richters Fond
Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansen Fonden
Konpa Legat
Direktør Ib Henriksens Fond
Oticon Fonden
Fonden Julius Skrikes Stiftelse
Henry og Mary Skovs Fond
Frederiksborggenser legatet
Fonden af 3. november 1973