ALAVs (Autonomous Light Air Vessels), a traveling media art installation, are a flock of flying objects that integrated current and emerging Sun Microsystems technology into an artful entertainment experience — extending the brand's exposure into new markets.
As networked objects aware of their surroundings, the ALAVs sense and react communicating the concept of co-habitation and connectivity among people, objects, and the environment. Through performance and mass-participation ALAVs respond to each other and to people; engaging an audience with interactive play scenarios. With the use of mobile technologies people can influence the behavior of the ALAVs by starting conversations and building closer relationships with them, reflecting upon the current state of connectivity in our everyday lives.
Nikhil Mitter is a Group Creative Director at R/GA. He was born and raised in Dubai and comes from a background in Fine Arts. He received a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts and Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Master's degree in Media Design from Art Center College of Design.
His work has been situated across multiple disciplines at the intersection of design, art, research, and technology. He has previously held positions leading experience, product, and branding teams at an emerging biotech, frog design, AREA 17, and part of a newly formed Experience Design practice at Tribal Worldwide. As an Art Director Nikhil has engaged with clients including LVMH, AIGA, and Pentagram. He has also worked in an architectural context designing interactive installations at Lincoln Center in New York, City Center in Las Vegas, and Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Nikhil’s projects have been featured in several funded research initiatives, including developing emerging technology prototypes for Sun Microsystems Laboratories and Hewlett Packard’s Consumer Applications and Systems Laboratory. He has exhibited internationally in venues such as the Maker Faire hosted by O’Reilly’s Make magazine; ACM Interactive Arts Exhibition at the University of California, Santa Barbara; Digital Art Festival at The Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei; Art Center Nabi in Seoul, South Korea; FILE New Media Arts Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and The Beall Center for Art+Technology in Irvine, CA.Â
His work has been recognized by the Webby Awards, Discovery Channel’s Beyond Tomorrow, Adobe’s Design Center Think Tank, the Type Directors Club, the VIDA International Awards, and the Association for Computing Machinery.
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