Based in Shrewsbury, New-Media artist and software designer Andy McKeown, has a passion for Kaleidoscopes, responsive environments and interactive real-time projected light installations.

Having taught a broad range of art and design subjects for 12 years, Andy’s work changed direction almost overnight when he encountered computers for the first time in 1986. The hardware was incredibly simple by today’s standards and the software a basic eight colour pattern maker but its impact was immense, and within a year Andy had been seconded to the Advisory service, taught himself to program and set up the CIA (Computers In Art) project. He spent the next eight years developing and supporting the creative use of computers in Art and Design, Music and Modern Foreign Language teaching and presented papers, courses and workshops in the UK and Europe.

In 1995 Andy set up Wild Strawberry to produce interactive multimedia software and has created 70 plus CD-ROMs and interactive content for some of the UKs largest publishers.

“Much of my practice since the early 90’s has been based on my own software (and increasingly hardware adaptations) and this has now become an integral part of the art making and delivery process.”
(A. McKeown)

Kaleidoscopia extends Andy’s passion for making kaleidoscopes with a special Festival of Light ‘Kaleidoscopia’. The software is free to download,
and anyone can create their own kaleidoscopes and submit them for inclusion in the project, subject to selection.

Andy currently has a real-time text driven colour work (Tempest) in the
Istanbul Museum of Contemporary Art Web Biennial 07

For more information visit www.andymckeown.com