Scott Deal
Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Professor, Center Director
United States
Performer, composer and media artist Scott Deal engages new works of computer interactivity, networked systems, electronics and percussion. His recordings have been described as “soaring, shimmering explorations of resplendent mood and incredible scale”….”sublimely performed”, and his recording of Pulitzer Prize/Grammy Awarded composer John Luther Adams’ “Four Thousand Holes”, for piano, percussion, and electronics was listed in New Yorker Magazine’s 2011 Top Ten Classical Recordings. His recording of Adams’ percussion solo, “Ilimaq”, was used in the musical sound track for the 2015 Academy Award-winning move “The Revenant”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Between 2007-12, Deal, together with ecoacoustic composer Matthew Burtner, created the award winning telematic opera, “Auksalaq”. This work integrates artistic expression, scientific information, and social/political commentary into an interactive, multi-dimensional collection of narratives that provide a stirring commentary on global climate change, performed simultaneously on stages throughout the world connected via the internet. In 2012 Deal and Burtner were awarded the prestigious Internet2 IDEA Award for the creation of Auksalaq. In 2020 Deal launched the Earth Day Art Model online Festival (earthdayartmodel.org), held over 24 hours, highlighting over 70 artists from 14 countries, and reached audiences in 83 countries. The now annual festival uses the Deck 10 Media system, a concert and musical events platform developed in collaboration with Chuiyuan Meng. Deal is a Professor in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI, and the Director of the Donald Tavel Arts and Technology Research Center.