Aeolab Founders to Speak in Lecture Series

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 27, 2010) − The University of Kentucky College of Design welcomes Elise Co and Nikita Pashenkov, founders of the design and technology firm Aeolab, to campus to speak in this year's UK College of Design Lecture Series. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, in 209 Pence Hall.

Co, a multimedia designer and programmer, graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a master's degree in media arts and science and a bachelor's degree in architecture. While working at the MIT Media Lab, Co studied the synthesis of fashion and technology. Her work has been featured internationally, including exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, SIGGRAPH, IMRF Tokyo, Cooper Union in New York, and the New York Art Directors Club.

Before founding Aeolab in Los Angeles, Co taught courses in interaction design and physical computing at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst, located in Basel, Switzerland.

Pashenkov earned a bachelor's degree with honors from Princeton University School of Architecture and a master's degree in science from MIT. He worked as a researcher for the MIT Media Lab's Aesthetics and Computation Group and at GK Tech Inc., a branch of the Japanese industrial design company GK Design Group.

Pashenkov's work examines the intersection between design, programming and electronic technology and has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, Eyebeam Atelier in New York and the Ginza Gallery in Tokyo.

Within Aeolab, Co and Pashenkov specialize in projects that involve multiple technologies in an effort to create a truly compelling experience. The firm's areas of expertise include interactive software and hardware, environmental installations, responsive lighting systems and electronic device prototyping.

Co and Pashenkov believe that design is solution and technology is art. The two are motivated by the notion that the beauty of technology can enable complex tasks, communicate stories and enhance the space around them.

For more information on the Co and Pashenkov lecture or any of the UK College of Design Lecture Series events, call the UK College of Design at (859) 257-7617 or visit their website at www.uky.edu/design.