Phoenix Toews is an artist and computer programmer who works with interactive digital media. He learned Basic programming on the TRS-80 Model III when he was 10 years old. He got his first computer that same year, a Commodore 64, and has been working with digital media ever since. He studied Computer Science as an undergrad at UC Santa Cruz in the early 1990's, but eventually quit school to go adventuring around the world. After several years of hopping freight trains, traveling around the United States and the world, he eventually came back to the Bay Area and began working professionally developing software in the computer industry. In 2003 he decided to finish his undergraduate work, and went back to UC Santa Cruz to get a Bachelors degree in Art.
While a professional in the computer industry, Phoenix worked on a wide range of projects, including games, e-commerce websites, sound DSP, and internet portal websites. He was one of the designers of the product that would eventually become Adobe Atmospheres. His breadth of knowledge of computer programming techniques and practices deeply informs his digital art. He has worked on numerous theatrical and dance productions, interactive multimedia performances, and concerts. His artwork has also been featured in several art shows, installations and online venues.
Phoenix's work incorporates a variety of media, sound, live and recorded video, computer/human interaction, installation and theatrical performance. His focus is on using digital technology to transform the experience of the ordinary into the sublime. He is currently working on an MFA in the Digital Arts and New Media Program at UC Santa Cruz. His thesis project is an augmented reality application that is able to locate virtual objects, media and sound that gets super-imposed on the physical world using smart-phones.
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