Image credit: Photos courtesy of ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community
By Bonnie Mitchell
Each year, the SIGGRAPH conference triggers the imagination, fuels excitement, and inspires new ideas. But when the conference ends and we return home, how do we keep that creative energy alive and the conversations going? For the ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Community (DAC), the answer is SPARKS (Short Presentations of Art and Research for the Kindred Spirit) — a free, online series that brings artists, designers, animators, scientists, researchers, and curious minds together to exchange ideas across a range of disciplines. Together, they present and discuss innovative work, explore new perspectives, and create new networks within this community of kindred spirits.
How SPARKS Began
SPARKS was conceived by Bonnie Mitchell in the fall of 2020 after she attended the virtual SIGGRAPH conference during the pandemic. Recognizing the potential to foster inspiring conversations year-round, she planned a series of monthly sessions, and SPARKS launched in January 2021.
Fast-Paced Presentations, Engaging Discussions
Each online SPARKS session lasts approximately two hours and typically features eight talks, with each presentation limited to five minutes. This concise format encourages speakers to share focused ideas, introduce a project, or offer a glimpse into their artistic or research practice.
The presentations are followed by inclusive discussions, giving participants opportunities to ask questions, explore connections, and consider different perspectives. Sessions are led by guest moderators and members of the DAC Committee.
The format is intentionally accessible. Attendance is free, and the online setting welcomes participants who might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet artists, researchers, and practitioners working within the international digital arts community.
The result is a lively exchange that balances brevity with depth. Rather than treating each presentation as an isolated talk, SPARKS creates a shared space where diverse approaches to art, science, technology, and culture can intersect. All sessions are recorded and available on the DAC website.
SPARKS of Many Colors
One of SPARKS’ greatest strengths is its versatility. Some sessions feature speakers selected through an open call for participation, while others are curated or showcase artists and Art Papers authors from SIGGRAPH, SIGGRAPH Asia, and DAC exhibitions. Each spring, SPARKS offers a Sneak Peek at the creative content that will be presented at the annual SIGGRAPH conference. The DAC Committee also collaborates with other SIGGRAPH communities, including the Pioneers group and the History and Archive Committee, as well as international organizations such as the International Symposium on Electronic and Emergent Arts (ISEA), Ars Electronica, and the Expanded Animation conference. These partners host SPARKS sessions that highlight and revisit work presented at their events.
Exploring the Issues Shaping Art, Technology, and the World We Live In
With 58 SPARKS sessions held to date and two more planned for 2026, the series has addressed an expansive range of topics related to digital creativity. Past topics have included generative AI, the future of filmmaking, experimental animation, robotic art, creative coding, sound art, speculative design, virtual reality, and the social dimensions of interactive technologies. Other sessions have explored environmental sustainability, decolonial media art, queer digital art, First Nations’ issues, digital cultural heritage, and Southeast Asia’s emerging generative and interactive practices. The titles themselves suggest the breadth of the community’s interests: “PLAYING For GOOD”, “AI and Artistic Autonomy”, “Animism Revisited”, “The Future of Reality”, and “Embodied Convergences: Humans, Machines, and Performance”. Overall, the SPARKS sessions foster conversations that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.
By bringing these subjects into a shared forum, SPARKS encourages participants to consider not only what new technologies make possible, but also how artists use them to question assumptions, interpret the world, and imagine alternative futures.
Help Shape the Next SPARKS
SPARKS thrives on the people who make it happen: The presenters who share their work, the moderators who guide conversations, and the participants who bring questions and fresh perspectives. The 2026 SPARKS season is coming to a close with only two SPARKS sessions remaining, and we hope you will join us in November and December. Register for free in advance.
Register for the 13 November session.
Register for the 11 December session.
The DAC Committee invites people interested in helping shape future sessions to submit a short proposal to the call for moderators. The deadline is 15 November 2026. Submit here.
A Spark Without Relevance Is Just a Momentary Flash in the Dark
The idea behind SPARKS remains as relevant today as it was at its beginning: Meaningful conversations should not be limited to a single conference or moment in time. Through short talks, engaged discussions, and a spirit of collaboration, SPARKS keeps the creative energy of the digital arts community alive throughout the year. Whether you are an artist, animator, scientist, researcher, student, educator, or simply curious about the intersections of art, technology, and the world we live in, SPARKS offers a welcoming place to discover new work and meet others who share your interests.
Join the conversation. Find your kindred spirits. Keep the SPARKS flying.
Bonnie Mitchell (Ohio, USA) currently serves as the Digital Arts Community Committee SPARKS Coordinator. She is also the committee’s website developer and serves on several sub-committees including helping with jurying exhibitions and organizing the Student Competition. In 2022, she co-organized the online DAC exhibition entitled: The Earth, Our Home: Art, Technology and Critical Action and she has moderated several SPARKS sessions.
Mitchell’s involvement with SIGGRAPH began in 1990 as a Student Volunteer at the annual conference. Since then, she has held numerous leadership roles, including Chair of the 2006 SIGGRAPH Art Show, coordinator of the Charles A. Csuri Retrospective, and Chair of the 2023 SIGGRAPH History Celebration, where she oversaw the Time Tunnel, historical exhibits, and talks. She has also served on several SIGGRAPH organizational committees, including the Executive Committee, Education Committee, Communication Committee, Pioneers, History Committee, as well as the Digital Arts Community Committee.
Beyond SIGGRAPH, Mitchell is a practicing digital artist who focuses on experiential relationships to our physical, social, cultural, and psychological environment through animation, interaction, and immersion. Her current creative practice focuses on the development of physically immersive, animated environments that use data to visualize environmental and psychological changes over time.”
