Member Profile: Andrés Burbano
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I consider myself both a media artist and a scholar of media technology history. Growing up in a large family, I developed a deep appreciation for bringing people together; something that now fuels my passion for organizing academic and artistic events. The most ambitious and complex of these was chairing the SIGGRAPH 2024 conference. I am currently an Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Humanities at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC) in Barcelona, Spain, where I have been based for the past three years. Prior to this, my academic and creative journey took me across several countries and continents.
2. What was your first job?
While I was in high school, I worked as a guide at an anthropological museum in my hometown, Pasto, in southern Colombia. It was an incredible experience that gave me direct and constant contact with archaeological artifacts, including the first known human-made platinum objects. Being surrounded by such rich cultural history at a young age deeply influenced my appreciation for material culture and human creativity.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
I completed a PhD in Media Arts and Technology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Due to the transdisciplinary and complex nature of my dissertation, I had a five-member doctoral committee. The chair was George Legrady, a pioneer in experimental information visualization. The committee also included Curtis Roads, a leading figure in computer music; Marko Peljhan, a media artist known for his work with outer space technologies; W. Patrick McCray, a historian of science and technology; and Lisa Jevbratt, a multidisciplinary artist. Having the guidance of such a diverse and accomplished group allowed me to develop a project with rich historical, technical, and conceptual depth.
I will always treasure the education I received in the Media Arts and Technology (MAT) program, as well as the incredible people I had the opportunity to engage with during my time there. Serving as the coordinator of the doctoral seminar for a couple of years gave me the unique privilege of briefly getting to know influential artists, technologists, and scholars, including David Em, Harold Cohen, Lisa Parks, and many others whose work deeply shaped my thinking and practice.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I was interviewed and ultimately invited by Roy C. Anthony, the SIGGRAPH 2018 Conference Chair in Vancouver, to serve as the Art Gallery Chair during a curated edition of the gallery. To this day, I still don’t know who first recommended me for the role, a fact that I see as a testament about SIGGRAPH’s dedication to seeking out new voices beyond its already well-established and influential network. It is truly an honor to contribute to an organization that actively embraces fresh perspectives and emerging talent.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
One of my most cherished memories is delivering the welcome speech as Conference Chair of SIGGRAPH 2024. I was the first person from Latin America to hold this role, and standing on that stage in Denver, knowing that everything my team and I had envisioned was finally being shared with the audience, was incredibly fulfilling. The entire program was built around the theme of “Scales” exploring the presence of computer graphics and interactive techniques across the vast spectrum of reality, from the atomic to the cosmic. It was an incomparable feeling of satisfaction.
On a more personal note, I also treasure the moments spent with my family during the diverse conferences. One vivid memory that stays with me is riding a tandem bicycle with my daughter along the sea shore in Vancouver, after the conference in 2018. It was one of those rare, quiet moments of joy that I carry with me.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
Black Sun, Bright Sun is a video installation I presented recently, the result of a dual exploration. Visually, it features footage captured by me during a near-space weather balloon mission in California. Conceptually, its narration is AI-generated, weaving together two interpretations of the word “intelligence.” The outcome is an enigmatic, thought-provoking experience that invites viewers to reflect on the role and value of AI-generated narratives in today’s world.
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
If I may take a small detour; I would love the chance to have dinner with the keynote speakers from SIGGRAPH 2024. The demands of organizing the conference left me with very little time to truly engage with them, which is something I regret. I was left wanting more meaningful interaction. That group of speakers represented an extraordinary range of perspectives on media technology today: from industry to critical theory, from social impact to space exploration. The lineup included Dava Newman, Theodora Bardouli, Manu Prakash, Mark Sagar, Daniel Cardoso, Jensen Huang, and even Mark Zuckerberg. Their collective insights offered a powerful cross-section of the current and future landscape of our field. I’m especially curious about how the conversation might unfold after the second glass of wine.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
Some in the SIGGRAPH community may already know this, but most people are surprised to learn that I actively practice castells, an incredible Catalan tradition of building human towers. I train twice a week with my local team, colla, and this experience has deeply shaped how I think about collaboration and trust. While organizing SIGGRAPH 2024, I used castells as a metaphor for teamwork: the careful balance, shared effort, and collective strength needed to build something extraordinary. To my joy, this idea inspired one of the most memorable collective interactive experiences at the conference, an unforgettable introduction to the Computer Animation Festival, brilliantly brought to life by John Kalaigian, the Electric Theater Chair, and his amazing team.
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
If I were to pinpoint a key influence, it would likely be Gilles Charalambos, a French media artist who was living and teaching in Colombia when I was pursuing my undergraduate studies. He introduced me to the world of video art, interactive experiments, and computer-based imagery. A passionate Commodore Amiga enthusiast, Gilles was one of the pioneers in Colombia, creating some of the first computer-generated art pieces in the early 1980s. He used a Sinclair computer, which he had acquired in the UK, to develop these groundbreaking works.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Throughout my journey, I have been fortunate to have a close connection with Angus Forbes, with whom I studied in the MAT doctoral program in California. Angus has served as the chair of numerous programs, demonstrating an exceptional ability to bridge the technical and artistic realms. As an accomplished software developer, he combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of the creative process, and, beyond his professional achievements, he has been a great friend and collaborator.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
A pivotal moment for me was the publication of my book, Different Engines: Media Technologies from Latin America. The book articulates the research project I began during my time in California and reflects years of work that involved traveling across numerous countries in the Americas. It required engaging with a wide range of sources in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English, and it represents a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between media technologies and the Latin American context.