The marriage of art and technology is shown in vivid detail in the work created by Florida Polytechnic University alumnus Austin Lubetkin ’19.
His enthusiasm for both disciplines is evident in many of the projects he tackled during his final semester at the University this fall. These include stunning digital art on display in the president’s office, an app developed for the Polk Museum of Art, independent research papers, and work on a project that transforms dance movements into complex computer-generated images.
“I am really passionate about understanding the overlap between nature and technology,” said Lubetkin, who earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science in December. “We are in this building (the Innovation, Science, and Technology Building) where there’s beautiful organic forms wherever you look. I’ve really been inspired by architecture and taking it back to nature is something I’m excited about.”
The artwork is now on display in the president’s office on the second floor of the IST Building.
“I procedurally generated these AI-generated flowers, which were created with a convolutional neural network to create a flower out of some line drawings,” Lubetkin said. “I really like them – I’m leaving the campus and wanted to leave a little legacy.”
Lubetkin is beginning the next phase of his life this month, embarking on a career in aerospace with global security company Northrop Grumman in California.
“They hired me at a conference for the next generation of leaders in technology and I’m really excited to be going out there and doing more work with AI,” he said.
Although his focus will be technological, Lubetkin plans to continue his art.
His work has been displayed at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, Bakehouse Art Complex in Miami, Florida, and the Museum of Special Art in Seattle, Washington.
“The area I specialize in is computer vision, which is the overlap between art and technology where I get to take all the experience I have as an artist and apply it to training AI to understand an image and figure out what’s going on there,” Lubetkin said.
As he leaves Florida Poly, he is happy to know an app he developed will be furthering the appreciation of art in the Lakeland, Florida, community. The app he created for the Polk Museum of Art elevates the museum experience to provide information and individually targeted content based on the artwork a visitor likes.
“It is a curation and personalization experience that makes the whole museum interactive,” Lubetkin said.
Whether people are using the app or admiring his work on display, Lubetkin is happy to be leaving a legacy after his graduation.
“I’ve felt very much a part of the Florida Poly community and I really loved my time here,” he said. “I wanted to leave something behind where others will be inspired to love it the same way I love it.”
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