Russell Lowe was born in 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand, the third child and only son of Roslyn and Dennis Lowe. He studied Architecture at Auckland University where he received both his Bachelor of Architecture and Masters of Architecture. He began teaching at Auckland University before taking up the post of lecturer in Digital Media Design, Architectural Drawing and Interior Architecture at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. In 2007 Lowe moved to Sydney, Australia, where he began working as a lecturer in Architectural Computing at the University of New South Wales.
Lowe is both an architect and an artist. As an architect, his research is focused on the practical application of video game software and technology to areas outside of the gaming and entertainment industries (in particular its relevance in the design process). As an artist Lowe usually collaborates with other artists, and produces 3D mixed media animations, which blend traditional animation with innovative use of video game platforms.
Chief among Lowe’s collaborators is New York artist Federico Solmi, whom he first met during the 2004 Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival in New York where he offered to help Solmi with animated video footage. Since then the two have worked together on The Giant (2005), Rocco Never Dies (2005), King Kong and the End of the World (2006), and most recently The Evil Empire (2007) which sees the future Pope going on a rampage through hell. The works have been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions and group exhibitions, as well as participating in art and film festivals. The animations and paintings portray a satirical and dystopic view of modern society, commenting on the hectic nature of modern life, the acceleration and temptation of urban society. Each has been made into an edition of ten and sold into private collections, with two artist proofs going to Solmi and Lowe.
Lowe and Solmi work together on developing a story line, usually based on Solmi’s concept. Lowe then creates the foundation animation for each work. Creating the animation is a gradual process, sometimes taking twelve months to complete a four minute film. When animating, Lowe uses a combination of techniques to achieve the final result, ranging from the more traditional key frame animation to using computer game engines and “mods” or modified games. Once the animating is done, Solmi then uses the animation as a basis for his drawings. In the hell portion of The Evil Empire the process was reversed, with Solmi providing drawings to be used in Lowe’s virtual environment. In the final stage Lowe brings the stills together with the computer game footage and edits the results. Collaboration and negotiation cross every stage of their work.
Key frame animation involves the manipulation of a character’s skeleton by signaling the start and end positions in individual joints, the computer then creates the movement automatically. The movement of every joint in the skeleton is directed by an individual key frame, simple movements (such as raising an arm) require the layering of multiple joint movements. Key frames control the position and motion of every element on the screen, not only the joints of a character’s skeleton, but bone rotations, facial expressions, any shifts within the environment, the intensity and movement of light and the motion of the camera. This complete control results in hundreds of key frames, making the animation process extremely time consuming and complex.
The use of “mods” involves altering existing computer game software through editing the environment and characters. The game itself remains unchanged though it appears different due to the altered skins of the characters and textures of the environment. This method can be taken further through customizing characters (altering body shape) and creating new environments. Once the game has been sufficiently modified it will be played and filmed. The filming is done as a user is playing the modified game. Creating the “mod” takes time, but the filming itself is much faster and less limited than that of key frame animation. As the user is interacting with the environment, controlling the character’s movements and the position of the camera, each scene can be shot multiple times, each at different angles. Action sequences can be more complex and dynamic because of the level interactivity, and the ease with which each scene can be re-shot.
In the process of animation it could be argued that Russell Lowe is more a technician than an artist, bringing to life Solmi’s vision rather than his own. This is not the case, as there is a lot of collaboration during the animation process. Collaboration through frequent correspondence on narrative and conceptual developments is vital to the transition between Solmi’s artwork and the final 3D animation. In making the film, Lowe alters the story line, or action sequences, as well as making technical changes such as character redesign or alteration.
After meeting architect-artist Richard Goodwin in 2007, Lowe collaborated with him on two projects, Transformania (2007) and Surrogate Trojan (2008 – also with Adrian McGregor). The Surrogate Trojan looks at the harbour as a gateway, examining its complexity and demonstrating how this can be exploited. It particularly focuses on environmental issues, such as the importation of genetically modified plants. This urban artwork was part of the 'Back to the City’ installation project curated by Steffen Lehmann in Newcastle, where it won the award for the best installation.
As an architect Lowe has won multiple awards, including the Uncommon Ground Urbane Gaze Competition and the 20under40 competition, which he has participated three times. During his time at Noel Lane Architects, his team won the NZIA Award (New Zealand Institute of Architects), and a DINZ (Designers Institute of New Zealand) Best Design Award. He was also invited to take part in the 'Connectivity Project’ (2004) in Aberdeen, Scotland, which exhibited the work of fifteen artists/designers from around the world. Each of these achievements stems from Lowe’s expertise in the field of digital animation.
- Writers:
- De Lorenzo, Dr Catherine
Note:
Adamczyk, Urszula
Note:
- Date written:
- 2008
- Last updated:
- 2009
- Status:
- peer-reviewed
