Seth Riskin

Seth Riskin’s Light Dance embodies the core method of his art and thought. He developed the art form at the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS). He earned a masters degree at CAVS under the direction of German artist Otto Piene, and a PhD at the Center for Advanced Integrative Arts (CAiiA) at Plymouth University in England (with Roy Ascott). Riskin pursues his art in connection with vision research, e.g., at MIT, Carnegie Mellon University and the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany. On a Fulbright scholarship to India 1992-3, he studied Hindu fire dancing in its philosophical context. Riskin teaches original, interdisciplinary courses, e.g., “The Architecture of Light” and “Light as an Art Medium” at the Rhode Island School of Design and the annual “Vision in Art and Neuroscience,” offered by the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Riskin is the founding manager of the MIT Museum Studio and Compton Gallery, a program that brings experimental museum practice to forefronts of MIT research and education . Perception is a core interest at the Studio, bridging art and science.