Usually when I check out a new tech product, it’s me in a conference room (or sometimes alone) listening to someone wax poetic about its features. But nope, not LG. They recently announced their phenomenal new LG Ultra HD TV 4K and LG OLED TVs in about the coolest way I’ve ever seen: With a celeb-packed digital design student award competition and gala in NYC last week. And lucky me, I got to attend as one of their media partners.
The Art of the Pixel gala featured 9 finalists and two big winners (no idea how they pared them down from the 300 entries) from design schools across the country, all of whom created video, digital artwork, and animation to suit the incredible 4K capabilities of the TV.
Also it was fun to get a glimpse of art collectors and advocates Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Spacey and “LG Pitchman” (as he self-deprecatingly called himself), Neil Patrick Harris–who is not above going off-teleprompter and sneaking in a college student pot-smoking joke that brings down the house. Nice score, LG.
SJP looked ravishing even in front of all those monitors. You should have seen the shoes!
If you want a taste of what’s in store for the art world from our most talented digital natives, I’ve narrowed it down to just a few of my own favorites from all the Art of the Pixel entries, along with the two very well-deserved wins.
Just imagine what your own kids might be creating in a few years.
Grand Prize Winner John Summerson, Pacific Northwest College of Art: Painting From Life (video)
Runner-Up Joseph Bui, Pratt University, 110 Fathoms
Other great pieces worth a look:
Taeyang Kim, Maryland Institute College of Art: Fireworks
Marcela Ortiz Rubio, Parsons: Dribble (video)
Yu Chen, Maryland Institute College of Art: No Deal, No Kill
Madeline Kobald, School of the Museum of Fine Arts: Be Still
Katherine Sangmyeong Lee, Maryland Institute College of Art: Fruity Alphabet
Ozlem Ayse Ozgur, San Francisco Art Institute: Going to School in Gaza
Joon Hee-Chang, Maryland Institute College of Art: The Fifth Element (video)
Naomi Alpert, San Francisco Art Institute: Dream Room
Quinne Larsen, California Institute of the Arts: Flowerhouse (video)
Ya Han Yang, Maryland Institute College of Art: Detail Oriented
Lian Tsai, Maryland Institute College of Art: The Most Ideal (video)
Rachel Frank, Maryland Institute College of Art: Amused Anteaters
Diyou Wu, Maryland Institute College of Art: Home
Doug Kessler, Pacific Northwest College of Art: My Great Movie (video)
Ricardo Imperial, Laguna College of Art and Design: Enjoy the Color (video)
And yes – you should have seen the winners on those amazing, high-def, super slim TVs. Whoa.
Thanks to our sponsor LG for letting Cool Mom Tech join them for the Art of the Pixel event and for launching the careers of some amazingly talented digital design students. You can also learn more about the LG Ultra HD OLED 4K TV here.
