About
Mikhail Mansion is an artist and engineer who combines digital and mechanical forms in order to design interactive shared experiences that connect people to nature and to each other. His work often uses custom software and electronics to cull real-time data from the environment in order to move kinetic art, generate robotic drawings or compose sonic experiences. Many of his installation artworks seek to translate the hidden forces and phenomena embedded in the world around us into poetic expressions to evoke empathy, or invite discovery and play.
His projects have been exhibited at de Young Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, The Ringling, Miraikan - The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Biomuseo, LEXUS Intersect Gallery, Pyongyang Winter Olympics, Ars Electronica Festival, Currents New Media Festival, Meow Wolf Las Vegas, among others.
He has taught and lectured on art and technology at University of Tokyo, Rhode Island School of Design, Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design, Brown University, Ringling College of Art and Design, among others. He is co-founder of several cultural institutions, including: OK! Transmit, an open community art + technology meetup; Natura Machina, an international artist collective; and Fairgrounds St. Pete, an immersive art museum and cultural destination.
Mikhail is a veteran of the United States Air Force.
CV
Exhibitions
2024 - Nature Pix, Gallery at Creative Pinellas, Largo, FL
2023 - Soundform No.4, Shape of Things, NTT InterCommunication Center, Tokyo JP
2023 - Forest Series, Nature 2023, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gimpo-si KOR
2022 - Soundform No.3, Ethereal Cycles, INTERSECT by Lexus, Tokyo JP
2022 - Generative NFT Series, Abstract Labs, NFT Solana Gallery Launch, www
2022 - Rain and BowIncarnated Ghosts, Lee & Lee Gallery, Los Angeles CA
2022 - Streams, Film, Animation, New Media Exhibit, Scarfone-Hartley Gallery, Tampa FL
2022 - Soundform No.2, Sense Island 2022, Sarushima Area, Sarushima JP
2021 - Overflow Sculpture, Skyway 2021, Ringling Museum, Sarasota FL
2020 - Exhibit Design & Technology, Fairgrounds St. Pete, St. Petersburg FL
2021 - Metaworm, Meow Wolf, Omega Mart Area 15, Las Vegas NV
2020 - Soundform No.1, Japan Media Arts Festival, Miraikan, Tokyo JP
2020 - Plastic Form No.1, Film, Animation, New Media Exhibition, Scarfone-Hartley Gallery, Tampa FL
2020 - Immersive Masks (Tryptic), Muse Awards, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Pete FL
2019 - Abstract Algorithmic Works, Full Circle, Digital Arts Exhibition, Warwick Arts Center, Warwick RI
2019 - Soundform No.1, Ars Electronica, St. Florian, Linz AT
2019 - Novem, Muse AwardsMuseum of Fine ArtsSt. PeteFL
2018 - Aquatic Lifeforms No.2, Biodesign : Inspiration to Integration, Woods-Gerry Gallery Providence RI
2018 - Playform No.2, Currents New Media Festival, El Museo Cultural, Santa Fe NM
2018 - Craftsmanship Sculpture, Unboxed, Winter Olympics, Samsung Pavilion, Gangneung KOR
2017 - Toyota, Concept-i, Consumer Electronics Show, LV Convention Center, Las Vegas NV
2017 - Playform No.1, Temporary Exhibition, Steel Yard, Providence RI
2016 - Waveform No.2, Granoff Center Commision, Brown University, Providence RI
2015 - Time Machine, Gallery Exhibition, The Wurks, Providence RI
2015 - Drawing Machine Performance, To Search, Symposium, RISD Museum, Grand Gallery, Providence RI
2015 - Displaced Seismic Rays v0.2, 2015 RISCA Fellowship Exhibit, Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, Newport RI
2015 - Museum of the Future, Government Summit 2015, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai UAE
2014 - Museum of the Future, 2014 Government Summit 2015, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai UAE
2013 - Sisyphus 2.0, Glory Road Performance, Grace Plaza, Manhattan NY
2013 - The Observatory Project, Observatory Project, Ladd Observatory, Providence RI
2013 - Locus No. 1, Observatory Project, Ladd Observatory, ProvidenceRI
2013 - Transit Room Transmission, Observatory Project, Ladd Observatory, Providence RI
2013 - N41.83893, W71.39911, Observatory Project, Ladd Observatory, ProvidenceRI
2013 - Eye of Paradox, Observatory Project, Ladd Observatory, Providence RI
2012 - Artifax, The AnnualGladstone Hotel. TorontoCA
2012 - Solar, Sonic Performance, Pixilerations v.9, Brown University, ProvidenceRI
2012 - Back to the Land, DeCordova Museum, Lincoln MA
2012 - Sonic Wind Sculpture, Coastal Institute, Narragansett RI
2012 - Video Sound Design, When We Didn't Touch the Ground, Cohen Gallery, ProvidenceRI
2012 - Musing Pool, Mediated Realities, Cohen Gallery, Providence RI
2011 - Waveform No. 1O, Ocean States, Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, NewportRI
2011 - Time Machine no. 2ICT Exhibition, Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, Providence RI
2011 - Bamboo Forest Prints, Woods-Gerry Summer Exhibition, Woods-Gerry Gallery, ProvidenceRI
2011 - Cymatico, Pixilerations 8Sol Koffler, Providence RI
2011 - Bamboo Forest Prints, For Real, Digital + Media Exhibition, Tompkins Projects, Brooklyn NY
2011 - Two Rivers, RISD MFA Show, Convention Center, Providence RI
2011 - Ear Lift, Public Work in Downtown Providence, Providence RI
2011 - Seismic Tonal Shift no. 2, Granoff Center, Brown University, ProvidenceRI
2011 - Time Machine no. 1 Digital Plastic, Gelman Gallery, Providence RI
2011 - Trace Memories, Granoff Center, Brown University, ProvidenceRI
2011 - Seismic Tonal Shift no. 1, Sonic Flux, Venture Building, ManhattanNY
2010 - Interactive Video Wall, 2010 World Expo, Vogue Magazine, ShanghaiCH
2010 - Time and Tide Wait for No Man, Pixilerations 7, Sol Koffler, Providence RI
2010 - Quiet SpaceDigital + Media BiennialSol Koffler, ProvidenceRI
2009 - Viewer Discretion, The Exit Show, Scarfone-Hartley Gallery, TampaFL
2009 - Circus - Animated Short, MTV Connext, Connext Project, Clearwater FL
2009 - Video Chandelier, Sensory Overload 3, Honey Pot, Ybor City FL
2008 - A2Z Project, Noche de Arte, Cuban Club, Ybor City FL
2007 - Multimedia Installation, Heroes, The Bank, St. Pete FL
2006 - Sound Installation, Sensory Overload 1, Cuban Club, Ybor City FL
Teaching
Courses
Ringling College of Art & Design
- Projection Mapping, Motion Design
University of Tampa
- Spatial Computing, Film, Animation & New Media
- 3D Design for Fabrication, Film Animation & New Media
Rhode Island School of Design
- Network Art, Photography
- Motion Graphics, Illustration
- Computational Imaging, Digital + Media
- Creative Computation, Digital + Media
- Drawing Machines + Robotics, Industrial Design
- Sensor-Driven Design, Industrial Design
- Physical Computing, Industrial Design
Brown University
- Time Deformations, MEME
- Digital Art Foundations, Visual Arts
Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design
- Data Visualization
- Computational Photography
Salve Regina University
- Digital Art Foundations, Art Dept
- Web Programming, Art Dept
Saint Petersburg College
- Interactive Media
Workshops
- Mixed Reality Storytelling w/ Unity
- Creative Coding w/ Processing / P5JS
- Interactive Sound w/ MAX MSP
- Interactive Graphics w/ TouchDesigner
- Physical Computing w/ Arduino
- OK! Transmit, Art & Technology Meetup Co-Organizer
Talks & Symposia
2023 - Artist Talk, Algorithmic Art, Dali Museum
2023 - Artist Talk, Expressive Systems, University of Chicago, AxLab
2022 - Art + Technology Talk, Negev School of Architecture, Beersheba, Southern, Israel
2022 - Intro to AI and Machine Learning, Ringling College of Art & Design, Sarasota FL
2022 - Artist Presentation, Eyeo Festival, Minneapolis MN
2022 - Future Cities Panel, CodaSummit, Fort Lauderdale FL
2021 - Guest Critic, Hyundai Future Cities Research Collaborative
2021 - Artist Talk, Ringling College of Art & Design, Sarasota FL
2021 - Artist Panel w/ OK! Transmit, Skyway 2021, Ringling Museum, Sarasota FL
2020 - Interactive Art Discussion w/ George Fifield of Boston Cyberarts, Dali Museum + OK! Transmit
2019 - Research Presentation, Meta Materials for Sonic Sculptures, University of Tokyo, Tokyo JP
2019 - On Art & Technology Entrepreneurship, Lowth Entrepreneurship Center, Tampa FL
2019 - Panel on Artificial Intelligence and Art, Dali Museum
2019 - Art + Technology Symposium, NEA, NSF, Knight & Ford Foundations
2019 - Artist Talk, CodaSummit, El Paso TX
2018 - Design Presentation on Terraform Table, CodaSummit, Santa Fe NM
2017 - Artist Talk, Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design
2015 - Symposium, Virtual and Material Lives of Objects, Haffenreffer Museum
2014 - Artist Talk, Rhode Island School of Art & Design, Providence RI
2012 - Artist Talk, Brown University Science Center, Providence RI
Research
2021 - Contributing Researcher, NEA, Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation
Tech as Art, Supporting Artists Who Use Technology as a Creative Medium
2018-19 - Visiting Design-Researcher, Kakehi Lab, University of Tokyo
Robotic Instruments & Kinetic Objects
2013-14 - Visiting Design-Researcher, Fabrica. Treviso IT
Design Non-Fiction, Immersive Storytelling
Publication
2023 - Making Data Tangible
2023 - Art, Computers and Systems (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
2023 - Soundform Series
2023 - Grids in Nature, Design and Generative Art
2023 - Code as a Creative Medium
2021 - NEA Field Study on Art & Technology
2021 - Flashback! 2021
2018 - Musical Instruments, Transformed (Core77)
2017 - Shaping Nature through Ecological Art (TEI Research Paper)
2011 - Natural Fantasy, Treatise on cyber-nature and ecological new media art
Awards
2023 - Annual Artist Laureate Award, Creative Pinellas
2023 - Professional Artist Grant, Creative Pinellas
2023 - Annual Muse Award, Saint Petersburg Arts Alliance
2021 - Best Museum Award, Best of the Bay, Creative Loafing, Tampa FL
2020 - Excellence Award for Soundform No.1, 23rd Japan Media Arts Festival
2017 - Professional Artist Grant, Saint Petersburg Arts Alliance
2014 - Professional Development Grant, Rhode Island School of Design
2014 - Technical Research Grant, 3D-Printing, Rhode Island School of Design
2014 - NSF Grant, Bay in Flux Research Lab, Rhode Island School of Design
2012 - Professional Artist Grant, Rhode Island State Council for the Arts
2010 - Graduate Research Grant, Rhode Island School of Design
Education
2024 - Doctoral Candidate, xLab, University of Tokyo, Japan
2011 - MFA, Digital + Media, Rhode Island School of Design
2009 - BFA, Electronic Media Art & Technology, University of Tampa
2008 - AS, Computer Science / Digital Media, Saint Petersburg College
2024 - Cert, Data Engineering, MIT (candidate)
2020 - Cert, Machine Learning, Goldsmiths University
2017 - Cert, Nature of Code, Processing Foundation
2010 - Cert, Sheridan Teaching & Learning, Brown University