Guests celebrate the opening of Pulse 2012, complete with DJ, beneath “Follow the Drinkin’ Gourd” by Andrew F. Scott. Photo by Erin Caputo

By Erin Caputo

Pulse 2012 lit up the night and day of its opening, Feb. 27, at the Jepson Center. A grand opening launch party decorated the foyer with dancing LED lights, women in brightly lit costumes and a DJ pumping the latest hits that all followed featured artist, Leo Villareal’s premier lecture.

Guests enjoyed a number of exhibits, including Villareal’s, which was initially organized by the San Jose Museum of Art. Pulse 2012 will run from Feb. 27 – March 4. It will feature a number of lectures, workshops and performances. Villareal’s light exhibit will run until June 3.

Between 250 and 300 people walked through the doors for Pulse, according to buildings coordinator, Sonja Wallen.

“This is the only festival of its kind in the state of Georgia … and we are expecting anywhere from three to four thousand people through the week,” said Wallen.

Leo Villareal’s “STAR” is featured part of Pulse 2012 at the Jepson Center. Photo by Erin Caputo

Pulse coincides with the exhibit Game Change: Videogames as Art Medium and inspiration. A series of game poems by game designer and theorist Ian Bogost, talks about recent game technology like the Kinect, and more. The exhibit began Feb. 27 and ends April 1.

Harry DeLorme, the Senior Curator of Education at Telfair is responsible for the many programs brought to the museums, and for putting together Pulse from the start, six years ago.

“This is something that’s slowly evolved over a number of years,” said DeLorme.

He and Alan Schechner, a professor of computer arts and broadcast design at SCAD, knew they wanted to come up with something special to Georgia, so they came up with the idea of “Technology week.”

At the beginning, it was a technology festival, much as it is now. But there weren’t as many programs as there are now, and it’s now grown to be about two weeks long. With the growth the Telfair has seen in recent years, it shows no signs of stopping.

“There are 28 programs this year,” said DeLorme. “It increases every year, with this being the largest exhibit so far.”