Rama Carl Hoetzlein is a media artist and computer scientist. He is Create Aid Resident and a Create Aid Dedicated Contributor.

“My work explores the intersection of digital media and natural ecology. I am interested in how we understand nature through the lens of science, and how our relationships with technology shape our views of nature. My artworks are intended as both reflections and paradoxes as they explore issues of scale, revelation and over-simplification in the natural sciences. As digital media these works comment on the limitations of artificial understanding.”

The artworks in Natural Fictions use generative art to create hypothetical forms that exaggerate organic life, turning spirals and shells into numerical dreams – fascinating as unnatural diversions as they are in their similarity to nature. The works in Ithaca is Geology, created with digital and traditional media, are carved wood CNC relief panels where scanned miniaturization of the regional topology reminds us of the real massive, geology of glaciers that formed our landscape. I view these works as simultaneous reflections on nature, science, technology and ourselves, with the latter often overwhelming a truer appreciation of the former.

Hoetzlein has exhibited art works internationally in Beijing, Gevene, Seattle, New York and Copenhagen.

From 2013 to 2017 he was a Lead Engineer with NVIDIA for technology in 3D printing and motion pictures. Dr. Hoetzlein is currently Assistant Professor of Digital Media Design at Florida Gulf Coast University and Director of the Interaction Research Lab focused on 3D animation, digital ecology and data science.

He is a native Ithacan and thankful for the deep connections to people and nature that keep us grounded.