about em pac brochure

8/12/2019 About Em Pac Brochure

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EMPACC U R T I S R . P R I E M E X P E R I M E N TA L M E D I AA N D P E R F O R M I N G A R T S C E N T E R

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R E N S S E L A E R P O LY T E C H N I C I N S T I T U T E | T R O Y, N Y


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+ E M P A CThe Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and

Performing Arts Center (EM PAC) opened its doors

in 2008 and was hailed by the New York Times as

a technological pleasure dome for the mind and

sensesdedicated to the marriage of art and science

as it has never been done before.

Founded by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, EMPAC offers artists,

scholars, researchers, engineers, designers, and audiences opportunities

for creative exploration that are available nowhere else under a single

roof. EMPAC operates nationally and internationally, attracting creative

individuals from around the world and sending new artworks and innovative

ideas onto the global stage.

EMPACs building is a showcase work of architecture and a unique

technological facility that boasts unrivaled presentation and production

capabilities for art and science spanning the physical and virtual worlds and

the spaces in between.

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+ P R O G R A M S

EMPAC is much more than a performing arts

center: it is a laboratory that enables artists and

scientists to independently and collaboratively

advance research projects at the intersection of

art and technology.

EMPAC is a platform for intellectual exchange

that offers: adventurous interdisciplinary public

programming; commissions for new work and

residencies for scholars, artists and engineers;

creative research; and a local, national and

international hub for performance, media, art,

science and technology.

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Workspace Unlimited (Tomas Soetens and Kora Van den Bulcke) in residence working on They Watch, anEMPAC commission for the 360 panoramic screen. Photo: Workspace Unlimited

The Albany Symphony Orchestra with Per Tengstrand at EMPACsInaugural Concert. Photo: Ray Felix

Yvon Bonenfants performance of Beacons in conjunction withhis residency at EMPAC. Photo: David Shearing


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EVENTSSince 2004, EM PAC has been presenting concerts, performances, site-specific

works, installations, screenings, and lectures to t he public, on campus and now in

our new building. Its programming features contemporary work by choreographers,

composers, media artists and others working in genres and disciplines st ill to be

defined. Artists have included choreographers (Tere OConner, BalletLab, and

Cathy Weis); music ensembles (Flux Quartet, So Percussion, Dirty Projectors and

the Anthony Braxton 12(+1)Tet); theater artists (The Builders Association, Elevator

Repair Service and Basil Twist); and media and installation artists (Toni Dove, Kurt

Hentschlger). EMPAC is an important new addition to the cultural landscape of the

Capital Region, bringing contemporary performance to local audiences and attractingnew visitors to the area.

ARTIST RESIDENCIES & COMMISSIONSThe combination of artist-driven content with new, high-end technology stands

at the center of EMPACs artistic activities. Artists projects will intersect with

research in science, engineering and the humanities, challenge and inform each

other, and lead to new approaches and insights in all these disciplines. To this end,

EMPAC provides an environment that supports the realization of complex works

at any stage from inception to completion. Along with a st ate-of-the-art facility,

EMPAC offers residents the support of a st aff of experts in audio, video, interactive

interfaces, and stage technologies.

RESEARCHEMPAC is creating an environment of fertile creation, cross-pollination, and

intellectual stimulation. Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, visiting

scholars and researchers will participate in the formation of an intellectual community

in scientific and engineering disciplines that may also engage perceptual and artistic

knowledge and practice. EMPAC will be a platform for areas such as augmented and

virtual reality, scientific vi sualization, audification, haptics, human/machine interaction,

auralization, and large-scale multi-modal environments.

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Chunky Moves performance, Glow. Photo: Rom Anthoni Brent Greens performance God Builds Like Frank Lloyd Wrightwith guestmusicians Brendan Canty, Howe Gelb, and Jim Becker. Photo: EMPAC

Rensselaer professor Barbara Cutler presenting her research on Interactive Architectural Daylight Design. Photo: Eric Ameres.


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+ B U I L D I N G

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EMPACs 220,000 square-foot center is a signature

work of architecture that brings together four main

venues as well as many smaller studios and lab

spaces under one roof. All can be used independently

and simultaneously, allowing EM PAC to present

events, host student gatherings, and dedicate space

to research and residenciesall at one time. EMPACincludes many firsts and exceptional attributes in

the fields of acoustics, structural integrity, theatrical

presentation, and digital media. High-bandwidth

computer, audio and video networks create a

technical infrastructure unlike any other performing

arts centers. And, when linked to Rensselaers CCN I

supercomputer, EMPACs superb venues can provide

opportunities for research that surpass those of any

other media research center.

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HISTORY, DESIGN & CONSTRUCTIONIn March 2001, Rensselaer initiated a competition by inviting four of the worlds

leading architects to submit a design. A distinguished jury selected Grimshaw, a

London-based firm founded by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, whose work is characterized

by spatial and organizational clarity, fl exibility, innovation, and a rigorous approach to

detail. Grimshaws emphasis on the research and application of new materials and

construction techniques is amply demonstrated in EMPAC.

Design and construction of the building required the collaboration of experts

and firms in a variety of disciplines including Buro Happold (Structural & Service

Engineer), Kirkegaard Associates (Acoustician), Fisher Dachs As sociates (TheatreConsultant), Turner Construction Company (Construction Manager), and Davis,

Brody, Bond LLP as the Architect of Record. Groundbreaking for the project took

place on September 17, 2003, and E MPAC opened to the public on October 3,

2008 with a three-week inaugural festival.

EMPAC embodies a number of design and construction innovations. An

extraordinary baseline of quiet has been achieved through acoustic separation

literally a space between the walls and floors of each venueto prevent conduction

of noisy vibrations. To further cushion vibrations, parts of the building sit on springs

embedded in the foundation. The entire building is secured by 215 cable anchors

that reach deep into the hillsides bedrock, making EMPAC one of the most

seismically secure buildings in the region.

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+ V E N U E S

EMPACs multi-tiered lobby and cafe are flooded

with natural light from the grand staircases ninety-

foot high glass wall and the skylight that encircles

the concert hall. The enormous glass north wall has

heated fluid circulating through its frame to prevent

condensation and allow for clear views. As a result,

the caf and lobby form an attractive campus social

space. In addition to the major venues, EMPAC has

several studios and workspaces for residencies by

artists, scholars and researchers. Studio Beta is a

rehearsal and performance space particularly suited

to use by student groups.

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+ C O N C E R T H A LL

The Concert Hall combines the outstanding acoustics,

refined materials, and comfort of great concert halls

of the past with the flexibility and technology of the

21st-century. The halls superior acoustics come

from a number of innovations. Convex walls and other

shaped surfaces allow performers or loudspeakers

to be anywhere in the hall, redefining the notion that

music comes only from the stage. A fabric ceiling

was developed for the first time ever for both for its

acoustic and aesthetic properties. Air rises quietly

from under the seats rather than being forced down

by noisy fans. Visually, staging elements or screens,

projectors, and platforms can be flown anywhere in

the hall; high-definition video can be projected on the

56-foot wide screen; and uncompressed video and

audio recording over fiber cables is possible.

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+T H E AT E R

The theater incorporates theatrical technology

and capabilities that were previously found only

in the most advanced stage spectacles. The

seventy-foot fly tower (the space directly above

the stage, which itself is 80 feet by 40 feet) allows

for scenery, screens, lights etc. to be flown in

and out. Computer-controlled rigging means that

anythingprops, projectors, or peoplecan be flown

(and controlled by computer in real-time, a first in

theater technology) throughout the stage space.

The theater is as quiet as a recording studio and

has the technological infrastructure of an HD video

studio. The low stage allows for tangible immediacy

between audience and performers.

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+ S T U D I O S

The Goodman Studio/Theater and Studio 2 are

exceptionally versatile spaces for the integration

of digital technology with human expression and

perception (sometimes referred to as multi-modal

environments). Catwalks and control rooms are

located above and outside the studios to allowfor completely unencumbered space, and for the

projection of lights and images virtually anywhere

in the volume of the studios. Acoustic wall tiles

offer a completely novel approach to the acoustics

of immersive sound environments. Both studios

are equally quiet and highly networked, rewarding

audiences and supporting experimentation by artists

and researchers alike.

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R E N S S E L A E R

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824,

is the nations oldest technological university. The

school offers degrees in engineering, the sciences,

information technology, architecture, management,

and the social sciences and humanities. For over

thirty years, the Institute has been a leader in

interdisciplinary creative research, especially in

the electronic arts. In addition to its MFA and

Ph.D. programs in Electronic Arts, Rensselaer

offers Bachelor degrees in Electronic Arts, and in

Electronic Media, Arts, and Communicationone of

the first undergraduate programs of its kind in the

United States. The Center for Biotechnology and

Interdisciplinary Studies, Computational Center

for Nanotechnology Innovations and EM PAC are

three major research platforms that Rensselaer has

established at the beginning of the 21st century.

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5,000,000EMPACs volume in cubic feet (imagine a cube that is as high,wide and deep as the length of a football field.)

640,000feet of fiber optic and copper cable for digit al transmissionthroughout the building

221,200square footage of the entire building

100,000cubic yards of earth excavated for E MPACs foundation

23,000visitors to EMPAC during our Opening Festival

2,600tons of steel used in construction

2,500audience members for EMPAC 360 Event

2,164custom designed acoustic panels (1,280 diffusive, 884 absorptive)

1,279sine wave light dimmers

1,200number of seats in the concert hall

400 number of seats in the theater

215 inch thick rock anchors, some 210 feet long, sunk into the hillside

162 x 196channels of HD video matrix

acres of video projection screens

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+ B Y T H E N U M B E R S

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+ V I S I TO R I N F O

LOCATIONEMPAC is just north of Albany NY, on the Hudson River: two and a half hours

north of New York City by car or by Amtrak and three hours from both Boston and

Montreal by car. From the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, E MPACoverlooks Troy, a city that played a central role in the Industrial Revolution and that

still preserves some of t he 19th centurys finest architecture.

TICKETS & VISITOR INFORMATIONTickets are available from the box office in the EM PAC lobby or online at

www.empac.rpi.edu. For more information, contact the box office at

[email protected] or 518.276.3921.

DIRECTIONS & PARKINGEMPAC is best r eached locally via Route 7 or Route 2 from I-787. For detailed

directions, see www.empac.rpi.edu/visit. Parking is available beginning one hour

before an event in the campus parking garage off College Avenue; additional

parking may be available in any open lot on campus. During business hours,

parking on 8th Street and College Avenue is advised.

PUBLIC TOURSEMPAC offers regular guided tours of the building with a glimpse inside the

venues when possible. See www.empac.rpi.edu/visit for s chedules and more

information. Tours are by appointment only during the summer.

ACCESSIBILITYEMPACs main entrance is from the campus on the east side of the building.

All venues are wheelchair accessible. Please contact the box office to requestaccessible seating or additional disability- related accommodations.

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Photo: Ray Felix

EMPAC 2009/10 presentations, residenciesand commissions are supported by grantsfrom the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation inpartnership with the National Endowmentfor the Arts Regional Touring Program, theNational Endowment for the Arts, the NationalDance Project of the New England Foundationfor the Arts (with lead funding from the DorisDuke Charitable Foundation; additional fundingprovided by the Ford Foundation, the AndrewW. Mellon Foundation, and the CommunityConnections Fund of the MetLife Foundation)and the New York State Council for the Ar ts.Special thanks to the The Jaffe Fund forExperimental Media and Performing Arts forsupport for artist commissions.

cover photo PETER AARON/ESTO


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