I think I was four or five years old when I first created... a real mess on the toilets: I would lock myself in there, bringing with glass bottles, plastic tubes, wheels of broken toys, mattress springs... all sorts of things that look like pieces of a "machine" (to me), and then I would put everything together (in a more or less random way - eyes half closed though, to sense some hidden "connections" between the parts). Then I would open the faucet wide to give life to my creation: the wheels would spin with the water, the springs would jerk, and there would be spurts of water everywhere until the whole thing fell apart – a child’s version of TINGUELY's fountains. That, I think, may have been my first incursion in the domain of the "arts". Then I became a scientist by profession, but I always kept an eye on Machines (as well as liquids) as sculptures in themselves.

As a research scientist, my tools and medium are respectively Science (its method) and Technology (mainly computers and optoelectronic technology).

These "dream tools" exist already: computers - and the internet. I cannot conceive of something more versatile and potentially poetic that these "tools/mediums". However, I feel we are still in need of a more seamless human-computer interface. A “dream interface”… I am working on that!

Since this is my first serious work as a media artist, I lack sufficient perspective to answer the question. However, I would say that I am interested in new ways of representing and interacting with objects (real or virtual), as an aid for understanding the world as well as a tool for expression.

The first difficult part is keeping the conviction that the stuff I am working on right now is worth finishing before engaging in the next idea (which always looks tastier). Just when I succeed in convincing myself that the work in question is worth finishing, the second difficulty arises: knowing when to stop perfecting that work! (particularly true of software)

am using computers, lasers and optoelectronic components: therefore it’s all “media art”, by definition (*). About the difference between media arts and traditional fine arts, I would say that perhaps there was a significant difference two or three decades ago, when it was hard to tell the difference between the fascination produced by the “new technology” and the actual value of the artwork. I have the impression that this bias has somehow been corrected nowadays (are we getting used to technology or to the whole concept of “novelty”?). In any case, technology is clearly becoming just another medium for expression. In the future, the distinction between media arts and traditional fine arts may be useful only for art historians. But again, for this to happen, we still need a “dream interface” that would make any future “new technology” as intuitive and malleable as clay has been for the sculptor’s hands – for tens of thousands of years. (*) Media-art: generic term used to describe art related to, or created with, a technology invented or made widely available since the mid-20th Century – from Wikipedia.”

My position is a little peculiar since I cannot (nor do I want to) dedicate myself purely to "Media Arts": there must be in my work some relevant "scientific" content. I am working now on "human-computer interaction" and this gives me the opportunity to use interactive-art installations as the perfect "testing bed" for new interaction technologies.

Just give your idea a try, explore it. Never spend too much time thinking if it is worth your time, if it's completely original, if it has a lot of potential, etc. You will discover all these things very soon, in the very early stages of its development. And what's more, you never know what may emerge out of your hard work - perhaps an altogether different thing, more interesting than the original idea. And try to have fun.

While I am working on something (I mean, concentrating hard on something), I cannot prevent my mind from taking a coffee break of its own: then I invariably get a completely different idea and I feel almost pain knowing that I will have to wait perhaps months before I can dedicate some of my energy to this new, usually better looking thing (this certainly applies to my “scientific” work!). Also, talking with certain kinds of people put me in a completely crazy “associative state” - I am really fond of brainstorming.

For the time being I will continue working “in the edge” between Science and Art. It’s a very interesting equilibrium and I am learning tons of things (which inspire my scientific work too). I hope to continue learning and creating in this way. I also hope to work in collaboration with other artists.

・People
J.L BORGES, obsessed with Time and Repetition. EINSTEIN Relativity Theory and MINKOWSKI Space-Time. Marcel DUCHAMP’s early attempts at representing fourth-dimensional spaces in sculpture. Then my parents and brothers who influenced me (as a creator) in a deeper, albeit sometimes contradictory way. If I know anything about contemporary art, I owe it to my brother Horacio, a prolific artist who has tried all imaginable mediums. I also would like to acknowledge here some latest refreshing “influences” by media-artists such as Golan LEVIN, IWAI Toshio and Jussi ÄNGESLEVÄ(powerful brain-storm generator with an acute sense of what’s good and what should be tossed out right away).

・Computers
From the Z81 to the Atari ST - then they became whimsical, often-crashing tools, and less fascinating Machines.

・The Big Bang and its unpredictable consequences
The phenomena like me winning this prize.