Lorraine Berry creates artworks and installations using new media technology. Her work has been exhibited in the UK and internationally. Her practice raises questions as to the nature of reality and perception and often uses illusion, interactivity and visual awareness as a means of challenging preconceptions. Berry's work is very much about the experience of Art, using the experience to draw the viewer in, but its aim is to encourage people to look beyond the surface and consider the bigger questions in life. Combining art, science and technology, her themes look at issues of humanity; who and what we are and our place in the scheme of things. She has worked with community groups, schools, museums and galleries to produce installations and interventions that aim to engage the viewer through an element of discovery. Berry was asked to speak on her work at the conference 'Embedding ICT in Art and Design' at Tate Britain on 5 May 2005. She was awarded a bursary by the Arts and Humanities Research Board enabling her to undertake the MA in Creative Technology at Salford University, obtaining a distinction in September 2006. As part of the ‘Climate Change Explorer’ project, she completed a placement with the Environmental Change Network (ECN), a group of scientists mapping indicators of climate change. (http://www.ecn.ac.uk/)

This placement resulted in an extensive body of work incorporating net art, 'fractal' images, sound pieces and video animation. (see the 'As Seasons Change' web piece under the 'new media' section on this website). In Berry’s work, fractal images are used as representations of an underlying natural order, working according to given laws that we may not fully understand. Examples of these images are shown in the digital images section of this website and in the ‘As Season’s Change’ web piece. Also as part of the ECN placement, Berry developed a method of introducing climate change data into the coordinates of a fractal image, resulting in its gradual deterioration. These images were used to produce an animated video and stills from this video are included on page 38 of the 'As Seasons Change' web piece under the heading 'Metaphorically speaking...'. An image from this series has been accepted for the Common Ground 2008 International Touring exhibition (http://www.commonground2008.com/). In addition, the sound piece 'Photosynthesis' also from the 'As Seasons Change' web piece was accepted for the Subtle Technologies 2008 Festival in Toronto. http://www.subtletechnologies.com/2008/?page_id=241

Berry's long-standing interest in illusion and identity led to a series of projects researching the online 3D virtual world 'Second Life' producing virtual exhibitions and artworks which examined the shifting boundaries between the virtual and the real. Berry also spent some time researching the educational potential of this software in collaboration with a local high school. From this Berry became interested in the more realistic graphic representations that could be achieved using alternative 3D software.This led to her further developing her skills in 3D animation, using this to juxtaposition myth and legend with contemporary concerns. From this arose 'Through The Looking Glass', a 3D animation which places the Greek myths of Pygmalion and Narcissus within the context of modern technology, specifically the use of avatars in virtual worlds. This animation was shown at Gallery Kormind in Copenhagen in January 2009. Berry is currently working independantly as a 3D texture artist and character designer.

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