CRATEL, Wichita State University’s Center for Research in Art, Technology, Education and Learning, will open “Wired IV,” an exhibition of final projects by Technology: Art and Sound by Design students, with a reception from 6-10 p.m. Friday, April 24 (Final Friday) at the Hack.Art.Lab, 403 S. Commerce St. (Finn Building).

The exhibition will also be open 1-5 p.m. Saturday, April 25; 6-10 p.m. Friday, May 1; and 1-5 p.m. Saturday, May 2.

On exhibit are seven projects by students enrolled in the 2009 TASD class.

Created collaboratively among students with diverse backgrounds, projects represent a semester’s worth of immersion in new media art technology, offering viewers an opportunity to experience art that reacts to their presence.

Pieces in the exhibit range from simulations of weather and other natural phenomena to games that come alive with viewers’ participation.

“These projects will amaze and delight those who have come to expect their art to stand still,” said John Harrison, director of CRATEL.

Technology: Art and Sound by Design, in its fourth year at WSU, is a course intended to foster conversation among creators in diverse disciplines.

It is offered yearly under the umbrella of WSU's Center for Research in Arts, Technology, Education and Learning (CRATEL), which was founded and is directed by Harrison, concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, a founder of Hack.Art.Lab and an engineer at PWI Inc.

CRATEL opened in January 2006 to explore the intersection between the arts and technology; challenge notions of technology, expressiveness and learning; provide a medium for empathy, understanding and collaboration among diverse groups; provide resources for creative and innovative ideas throughout the WSU campus.

Sample the 2008 “Wired III” exhibition at http://vimeo.com/994958.

For more information about CRATEL, contact Harrison at (316) 208-4925 or john.harrison@wichita.edu.