Overview

Niranjan Rajah is an Assistant Professor at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University. He is the convenor of the annual New Forms Festival Conference, Vancouver. He is a Researcher in Residence at the TechLab, Surrey Art Gallery developing an exhibition on the junction of Sacred art and Digital technologies titled Sacred Spaces. Niranjan is a member of the Media Arts Advisory Committee for the Canada Council for the Arts, a member of the Board of Directors of Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Centre A), Vancouver as well as a member of the advisory board for the BANFF New Media Institute (BNMI). He is also a founding member of the Accented Technologies Collective, a Canadian Collective for culturally reflective computing. Niranjan has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Inter Society for Electronic Art (ISEA). Niranjan was Keynote Speaker at the ‘Collapsing Geographies Forum’ of the 2nd Multimedia Art Asia Pacific Festival Brisbane and he won an Asian Scholars Award at the 15th International Congress of Aesthetics, Tokyo.

Current Research Interests

• Post-traditional Media: Developing a theoretical framework for culturally reflective media.
• Sacred Spaces: Historical/Curatorial research on the relationship of Sacred Art and Digital Technology
• Pranic Interface: Designing a Breath based Interface for Navigating Sacred Content

Education

• MA Fine Art (Studio Masters, equivalent to MFA), Goldsmiths College, University of London, 1993
• Postgraduate Diploma in Law (Equivalent to LLB.), University of Westminster, 1986
• B.Sc. (Hons) Economics, Queen Mary College, University of London, 1983
• MA Fine Art (Studio Masters, equivalent to MFA), Goldsmiths College, University of London, 1993

Academic Appointments

• Assistant Professor, School of Interactive Art and Technology, Simon Fraser University, Surrey , 2005 to Present
• Visiting faculty, First Ambassador Corps Program, TATA Consultancy Services (TCS), Trivandrum, India - 2005
• Course Developer/ Sessional lecturer School of Interactive Art and Technology, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, 2004-05
• Associate Professor, Faculty of Applied & Creative Arts, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 1995-2002
• Visiting Associate Professor, Residency Programme, Cyberarts Research Initiative (CRI), University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore, 2002
• Visiting Associate Professor, International Studies and Overseas Programmes (ISOP) Fellowship, Joint Appointment at Department of Design|Media Arts and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, University College Los Angeles (UCLA), 2001

Publications: Complete Books / Exhibition Catalogues

• Bara Hati Bahang Jiwa: Expression and Expressionism in Contemporary Malaysian Art, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2002
• Insyirah: The Art of Sulaiman Esa 1980 - 2000, Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur2001
• Co-editor, E-Art ASEAN ONLINE, Document of Online Journal, Database and Forum, National Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000
• Gema: Resonance, National Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1998
• Co-author, 1st Electronic Art Show, National Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 1997

Publications: Chapters In Books

• Between Art And Science: Internet Technology and Web Based Art in Art and life in the 21st Century: technology, science and creativity, ed. Diana Domingues, Universidade Estudal Paulista (UNESP), Sao Paulo, 2003
• Prosthetics for the Mind in Digital Creativity Reader, ed. Colin Beardon and Lone Malmborg, Intellect Books, Bristol/ Portland (pp. 34-40), 2002
• Co-author, Arcadia List Serve in Arcadia: Writings on Theology and Technology, ed. Samara Mitchell, Australian Network for Art and Technology (pp.16-25), 2002
• Two Portraits of Chief Tupa Kupa: The Image as an Index of Shifts in Human Consciousness, in Mind@Large: Reframing Consciousness II, ed. Roy Ascott, Intellect Books (pp.78-83), 2000

Publications: Reviewed Journal Articles

• Co-author, The Evolution of Electronic Art In Malaysia in Special Digital issue No. 27, ART-Asia Pacific Journal, Australian Humanities Research Foundation, Fine Arts Press PTY. LTD. Sydney Australia (pp.64-69), 2000

Publications: Reviewed Papers In Conference Proceedings

• Liminality In Recent Malaysian Art: Political And Networking Interventions In A Transnational Scenario, Locus 2: Interventions in Art Practice, Pananaw ng Sining Bayan, Inc./ The Eugenio Lopez Foundation, Japan Foundation, Rizal, Philippines , 2005
• Beyond Translation: Locating the Idiom in Asian Art – OK La! Asian Media Art Even!, MUTATIONS CONNECTIONS: Cultural (Ex)Changes in Asian Diasporas Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, 2005
• From the Aesthetics of Perceptual Objects to the Metaphysics of Interactivity, XVth International Congress for Aesthetics, International Association for Aesthetics/ Japanese Society for Aesthetics/ Science Council of Japan, Tokyo (CD-Rom), 2001
• Online Pooja: The Internet as a site for the Contemplation of the Divine, Extreme Parameters:New Dimensions, Universitat Obreta De Catalunya/ CaiiA-STAR, Barcelona, 2001 Published Online in English, Spanish and Catalan http://www.uoc.edu/artnodes/eng/art/rianan0302/rianan0302.html
• Between Art and Science: Internet Technology and Web Based Art, Art and Science International Exhibition and Global Symposium , Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing (pp. 213-215), 2001

Reviewed Conferences Convened

• Convenor, Eco Systems: Towards the Convergence of Natural, Cultural and Technological Systems in a Post-traditional Ecology’, New Forms Festival, New Forms Society/ Museum of Anthropology, UBC, Vancouver, 2005
• Convenor, Old And New Forms: A Post-Traditional Technography of World Media Arts, New Forms Festival 2004, New Forms Society. Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, 2004

Reviewed Conference Sessions

• Session Chair, Art in an Age of Multimedia Borderless Transactions: A Critique Annual Conference of the College Arts Association, Los Angeles Papers: Machiko Kusahara, Joachim Blank, Rozalinda Borcila, Niranjan Rajah

Reviewed Conference Papers

• Towards A Pan-Asian View of Animation – A Malaysian Perspective, Sarawak Millennium Film Festival Conference, Sarawak State Government/ Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 2002
• Towards the Use of Digital Tools as Sacred Instruments, E-naissaice, Fondazione Fitzcarraldo/ CAiiA-STAR, Turin, 2001
• Nation, National Culture And Art In An Era Of Globalization And Computer Mediated Communications, Conference of 4th International Ipoh Arts Festival, Yayasan Kesenian Perak, 2000
• Divine Interface: Towards the Use of Digital Tools As Sacred Instruments, Art in a Postbiological Era, Observatoire Leanodo des Arts et des Technosciences (OLATS) /CAiiA-STAR/ Médiathèque de l'Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, Paris, 2000
• The Universe, And The Painting On The Wall: An Approach To the Question of Consciousness In Terms of Art And Aesthetics, Interfacing The Future Symposium, Third Annual UA Digital Arts Symposium, University of Arizona College of Fine Arts, 2000

Lectures (selected)

• E-Folk: Locating The Folk In An Era Electronic Art, Electronic Folk Art Panel, Surrey Art Gallery, 2005
• Art and Design Education at the Cusp of Globalization, Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, Vancouver, 2003
• Web Art in Malaysia: The Early Years, Cyberarts Research Initiative (CRI), University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore, 2002
  http://www.cyberarts.scholars.nus.edu.sg/ccri/events.html
• Media Art in a Cultural Perspective, Dept. of Art Theory and History, School of Fine Art, Lasalle SIA College of Art, Singapore, 2002
• Southeast Asian Media Art in the Contexts of Politics, Economics and Religion, EDA, Department of Design | Media Arts, UCLA, Los Angeles, 2001
  http://www.design.ucla.edu/eda/archive
• Internet Technology and the Digital Divide, Fine Arts Programme, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, 2001
• The Image as an Index of Consciousness, EDA, Department of Design/ Media Arts, UCLA, Los Angeles, 2000

Research Projects

• Pranic Interface, (Preliminary Stage)
• Sacred Spaces: Sacred Art, Contemporary Technology And The Immanent Space Of The Heart, Media Lab, Surrey Art Gallery, (CND 55,000.00), 2005-07 Art Historical research investigating sacred art and architecture, in the context of contemporary technological developments.
• Virtual Temple: Preliminary CAVE Experiments. Sponsored by Virtual Reality Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,( RM 10,000.00), 2005-06 Technical Trials and Usability Study of VRML Temple and Icon of lord Shiva in 4 four wall Tan Cube System powered by an SGI Onyx Infinite Reality computer, Lightning application by Fraunhofer IAO.
• Expressionism in Contemporary Malaysian Art, Funded by Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture (Malaysia), via National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, (RM 60,000.00), 2000-02 Art Historical research developing cultural theory of Expressionism in Modern Malaysian Art.
• Islamic Modernism: Sulaiman Esa, Funded by Petronas Corporation, via Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (RM 50,000.00), 1999-01 Art Historical contextualizing the work of one of Southeast Asia’s leading Islamic Modernsts within wider cultural, political and religious movements.
• Modernism and Modernity in East Malaysian Art, Funded by Ministry of Youth (Malaysia), via National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (RM 35,000.00), 1998-00 Art Historical Research contextualizing modern art from rural areas and remote urban centres of Sabah and Sarawak. Developed in tandem with analogous research in South Australia.
• Networking hub for Southeast Asian Electronic Art, Funded by Short-term Research Grants, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (RM 20,000.00), 1999-00 Research & Development of a networking Hub for the Electronic Arts Community in Southeast Asia.
• Online Temple, Funded by Orpheus Multimedia, Chennai. Sponsored by Sillicon Net, Sarawak. (RM40,000.00), 1997-01 Research and Development of VRML Temple built on an actual physical model and contextualized within mythological and historical and theological contexts.
• Electronic Art in Malaysia, Funded by Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture (Malaysia) via National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur (RM, 50,000.00), 1996-97 Researching Art and Technology in Malaysia covering a period from the 1970’s to the mid 1990’s.

Curatorship (selected)

• Sacred Spaces: Sacred Art, Contemporary Technology And The Immanent Space Of The Heart, Media Lab, Surrey Art Gallery, 2007-08
• Curator, Bara Hati Bahang Jiwa: Expression and ‘Expressionism’ in Malaysian Art, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2002
• Co-curator, 36 Ideas from Asia, Traveling Exhibition, Singapore Art Museum/ Association of Southeast Asian Nations Committee on Culture and Information (ASEAN-COCI), 2001-04 Touring: Museum Kuppersmuhle Sammlung Grothe, Duisberg, Germany; Kastelymuseum Kht., Keszthely, Hungary;Rupertinum Museum of Modern Art, Salzburg Austria; The National Museum, L'Aquila, Italy. Reconfigured as, ‘15 Tracks: Contempotrary Southeast Asian Art’ to tour Japan.
• National Consultant (Malaysia), Invisible Boundary: Metamorphosed Asian Art, Utsunomia Museum of Art, Japan, 2001 Touring: Nigata Prefectural Civil Centre Gallery and Utsunomia Museum of Art, Utsunomia, Japan.
• Preparatory Survey Consultant, Imagined Workshop the 2nd Fukuoka Triennale, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, 2001
• Curator/ Team Leader, Faculty of Applied & Ceative Arts Contingent, Public Universities Research and Development Exhibition, Malaysian Ministry of Education, Putra World Trade Center Kuala Lumpur, 2001
• Curator, Insyirah: The Art of Sulaiman Esa, Petronas Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2001
• Co-curator, Between Remote Regions, Traveling Exhibition, National Art Gallery/ South Australian Country Arts/ Adelaide Festival, 2000-01

Exhibitions (Selected)

• Identities: Who We Are, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2002
• Photo Conceptualist Work in group show curated by Valentine Willie.
• Layers…Reality…Memory, Substation, Singapore, 2001
• Internet Installation in Two Man Show with Joe Lewis of Los Angeles.
• Rupa Malaysia: Re-Viewing Modern Malaysian Art, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000 Internet Installations in major National Retrospective curated by Redza Piyadasa.
• Missile Launch (Online Exhibition), 2nd Multimedia Art Asia pacific festival, Brisbane, 1999
• Online exhibition of International Web work.

Reviews / Citations / Interviews (selected)

• 2003
  Interview by Carol Sill in Electric Living in Canada, DVD-Rom, Electric Living Productions Ltd.
• 2001
  Citation/ Review in Crossing Boundaries by Redza Piyadasa, Rupa Malaysia Exhibition Catalogue
  National Art Gallery (pp. 55-63)
• 2000
  Exhibition Review, Virtual Region MAAP and the Virtual Triannale by Linda Carroli, Art Asia Pacific, Issue 27 (p. 26)
• 2000
  Journal Review: Digital Creativity by Yvonne Spielmann, Leornado Digital Reviews
• http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/reviews/oct2000/jl_DIGCREspiel.html

Awards and Grants (Recent)

• Culturally Diverse Curatorial Research, (Surrey Art Gallery), Visual Arts Section, Canada Council for the Arts (CND 36,000.00), 2005
• Conference Grant (New Forms Festival), Media Arts Section, Canada Council for the Arts, (CND 25,000.00), 2005
• Conference Grant (New Forms Festival), Aboriginal Arts Secretariat, Canada Council for the Arts (CND 10,000.00), 2004
• Conference Grant (New Forms Festival), Media Arts Section, Canada Council for the Arts, (CND 25,000.00), 2004
• Conference Grant (New Forms Festival), Reverie Foundation, Montreal, (CND, 5,000.00), 2004

Directorships

• Board of Directors, Vancouver Int.l Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Centre A), Vancouver, 2004-Present
• Board of Directors, Inter Society for the Electronic Arts (ISEA), Rotterdam 2000-02

Advisory Boards

• Advisory Board, BANFF New Media Institute, Banff Centre, 2006-Present
• New Media Arts Advisory Committee for the Canada Council for the Arts, 2006-Prresent
• Advisory Board, Millénaire Fluid Arts Project: Dissolving the Digital Divide, Leonardo Online/ Miksike/ Millenaire: The Third Millennium Education Project 200-01
• Advisory Board, Astrolabe: Ethical Navigation through Virtual Technologies project, Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, Ohio State University, 1999-00

Planning / Management Committees

• Cultural Diversity Committee, Inter Society for the Electronic Arts (ISEA), Rotterdam, 2000-05
• Planning and Acquisitions Committee, National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, 2000-01

Judging / Nomination / Review Committees

• New Media Research Initiative Assessment Committee, Canada Council/ National Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), Ottawa, 2004
• New Media and Audio Peer Assessment Committee, Canada Council for the Arts, Ottawa, 2004
• Judge, Short Film Category, Malaysian Video Awards 2001, Malaysian Video Awards Council, 2001

Programming Committees

• Programming Committee, NFF:05 TRANSFORMATIONS, New Forms Festival, New Forms Society, Vancouver, 2004-05
• Programming Committee, NFF:05 ECOLOGY, New Forms Festival, New Forms Society, Vancouver, 2003-04
• Programming Committee, NFF:04 TECHNOGRAPHY, New Forms Festival, New Forms Society, Vancouver, 2004-05
• International Programme Committee (IPC), ISEA 2002, 11th International Symposium on Electronic Art, Nagoya, 2002
• Advisory Panel, Sarawak Millennium Film Festival, Sarawak State Govt./ Univi. Malaysia Sarawak, 2001-02

Professional Associations/ Societies

• Accented Technologies Collective, Canada
• Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art (Centre A), Vancouver
• New Forms Media Society, Vancouver
• Inter Society for Electronic Arts (ISEA), Rotterdam
• Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT), Melbourne
• College Arts Association of America (CAA), New York
• Internet Society (INET), Reston, Virginia