PIONEER TOWER
From August 20–21, 2021, two newly commissioned artworks by internationally renowned artists Refik Anadol and Quayola illuminated Fort Worth's historic Pioneer Tower. Their large-scale new media installations, curated by Doo Eun Choi, premiered as the first of four major public art projects as part of the Fort Worth Public Art (FWPA) program, a City of Fort Worth initiative managed by the Arts Council of Fort Worth.
To create their works, both Anadol and Quayola took advantage of the newest artificial intelligence and data visualization technology. For Pioneer Tower Dreams, Anadol captured and reimagined Fort Worth citizens' memories of the city using machine learning algorithms. Quayola's Texas Surveys: New Pointillism, Landscape Scans and Horse Paintings explored the natural beauty of Fort Worth through what he calls “computational paintings,” which visualize data taken from sources such as laser-scanned trees or the motion-captured movement of horses.
Beyond Pioneer Tower, AURORA and FWPA presented a supporting exhibition curated by Dr. Lauren Cross. The show featured artworks by North Texas artists who work with technology-based media.
Refik Anadol, ‘Pioneer Tower Dreams,’ 2021. Image Credit: Paperlyte
Quayola, ‘Texas Surveys,’ 2021. Image Credit:
Paperlyte
Portrait: Quayola; © 2020, Quayola
Portrait: Refik Anadol; © 2020, Refik Anadol Studio, LLC