Chicago, Ill. - ACM SIGGRAPH announced the selection of Irish Artist and Director Catherine Owens, best known for her staging and film work with the Irish rock band U2, as a featured speaker for SIGGRAPH 2008 to be held in Los Angeles this August.
Owens will present "Giving Technology Emotion: From the Artist's Mind to 'U2 3D,'" which details her co-directing and producing experiences during production of the film "U2 3D," the first digital 3D, multicamera, real-time production.
"Catherine's ground-breaking work with 'U2 3D' is an excellent example of how the computer graphics industry continues to evolve and push the boundaries for the next generation," states Jacquelyn Martino, SIGGRAPH 2008 Conference Chair from IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. "Even the most complex technologies and films begin with an idea and emotion. Catherine's work illustrates the artist's process perfectly -- from imagination to fruition."
Owens also directed U2's spellbinding "Original of the Species" music video, which was nominated for two VH1 Music Video Awards in 2006. The video, which explored CG motion capture technology, was in many ways a precursor for her work on "U2 3D."
Currently Owens is working on a new body of drawings in her studio, where she is also creating content for the next U2 album and tour campaign.
Based on overwhelming positive feedback provided after the switch from a single keynote speaker format to multiple featured speakers in 2007, SIGGRAPH will once again provide focused content by offering presentations from different prominent industry leaders and technology experts. Each featured speaker will provide key insights on the future of computer graphics and interactive techniques.