features

	18/9/2003
	Excerpt from noise magazine

The way we interact, remember, communicate and create has been dramatically opened up over the last decade. And when it comes to making art, the new media landscape is giving up-and-coming young artists the type of DIY opportunities unheard of even five years ago. Access to computers and the net, combined with unlimited scope for expression, a broad audience and the possibilities for their interaction, have opened up an entirely new realm for art and social comment in Australia and beyond.
Digital Allsorts is an online noise project that aims to create compelling content and explore ways of using interactivity on the internet, focusing on  young local artists hailing from a non-English speaking background. The project came about through a partnership with the Australia Council�s New Media Department.

Alberto Santiago, is one of seven artists chosen from hundreds of applicants.
 �I�m 22-years-old. My parents migrated from the Philipines to Australia in the late �70s... Since as early as I can remember I�ve always wanted to be an inventor � when I was in primary school I drew schematics of inventions and futuristic spacecraft. They became integrated into my style as I progressed into becoming an artist/designer. I�ve always been a fan of the sci-fi genre, growing up with cartoons like Robotech and Transformers, it felt only natural to make mecha designs.
�I�ve learnt my skills in new media, 3D graphics and animation outside of the educational curriculum � just as a hobby.�
�At first I didn�t think about entering noise because I felt I was too much an Aussie to enter, even with a Filipino background. But I guess that�s also what made me enter, because we all seem to feel like we belong to Australia regardless of nationality. My project will be a 3D animated family tree, which will allow people to travel through the winding branches and explore the family line. As you click on each person they�ll unravel their story of life in Australia and how they are connected to the others, this will be video and text based. The audio element will include sound effects generated by the tree as you interact with it. I chose this method of interactive animation because it hasn�t been thoroughly explored on the internet at a high level of quality.�

�Digital Allsorts is a way for me to test myself creatively, to perform and produce work that involves fresh ideas, pushing the boundaries of new media.�

The final Digital Allsorts projects will be showcased thoughtout October on the noise website.