As a digital artist, motion designer, and creative director, David Bennett employs a diverse set of skills and interests in his work. Drawn to the immediacy and impermanence of the moving image, his work explores hyper saturated visuals that oscillate between abstract and figurative digitized glimpses of daily life and random ephemera. Featuring the deliberate use of pattern, color, and rhythm along with generative, automatic, procedural, and generative techniques, the works themselves are frequently deconstructed and recycled as digital seeds for subsequent iteration. Music is often an inspiration and guiding force that drives the rhythmic and sequencing decisions. He lives and works in Music City, USA – a.k.a. Nashville, Tennessee.  His website is at http://rentalunit5com.

2018 DENVER DIGERATI SUPERNOVA — 2 WORKS SELECTED FOR SEPTEMBER FESTIVAL

DENVER, COLORADO

2018 BLUE BALLS FESTIVAL 2018 — FEATURED VIDEO ARTIST

LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND

2017 DIGITAL GRAFFITI — SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD

ALYS BEACH, FLORIDA

2016 DIGITAL GRAFFITI

ALYS BEACH, FLORIDA

2016 THE GIFER: INTERNATIONAL GIF ART FESTIVAL

TURIN, ITALY

2015 DIGITAL GRAFFITI

ALYS BEACH, FLORIDA

2014 DIGITAL GRAFFITI

ALYS BEACH, FLORIDA

2006 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

2005 48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

2002 RGB

THE GREEN DOOR GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

2002 ADOBE DYNAMIC MEDIA SAMPLER REEL — MOTION DESIGN WORK INCLUDED IN COMPILATION

2001 INFECT

THE GREEN DOOR GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

2001 ADOBE DYNAMIC MEDIA SAMPLER REEL — MOTION DESIGN WORK INCLUDED IN COMPILATION

2000 ADOBE DYNAMIC MEDIA SAMPLER REEL — MOTION DESIGN WORK INCLUDED IN COMPILATION

1999 HEROES

LOCUS SOLUS GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1998 REVOLT OF THE MACHINE

LOCUS SOLUS GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1998 BLACK IS BLACK, I WANT MY BABY BACK

GALLERY V, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1997 COMPENSATED

LOCUS SOLUS GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1997 VARIOUS ARTISTS

GALLERY V, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1997 KANSAS CITY MUNICIPAL ART COMMISSION PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

PURCHASE AWARD & HONORABLE MENTION AWARD

NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ART & 11 ADDITIONAL VENUES, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1997 VARIOUS ARTISTS

THE LATE SHOW GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

1996 THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE

THE LATE SHOW GALLERY, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

2009 PRINT REGIONAL DESIGN ANNUAL

LXIII: VI

2002 EFX ART & DESIGN MAGAZINE

VOLUME 9, NUMBER 35

2002 COMPUTER GRAPHICS WORLD MAGAZINE

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 4

SELECTED BROADCAST DESIGN AWARDS

2018

GOLD • 39TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2017 (CRAFT: MOTION GRAPHICS / DESIGN)

SILVER • 39TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2017 (GENERAL: LIVE EVENTS)

BRONZE • 39TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2017 (CRAFT: ART DIRECTION)

2017

GOLD • 47TH CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2016 (ON AIR GRAPHICS)

GOLD • 47TH CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS

CMT NETWORK IDs (SHOW OPENINGS / IDs / TITLES)

BRONZE • 38TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

CMT 2017 NETWORK REBRAND (USE OF GRAPHICS)

BRONZE • 38TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

SUN RECORDS (MAIN TITLES)

2016

GOLD • 46TH CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2015 (SHOW OPENINGS / IDs / TITLES)

SILVER • 46TH CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS

GAINESVILLE (SHOW OPEN)

SILVER • 46TH CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2015 (SHOW OPENINGS / IDs / TITLES)

2015

SILVER • AMERICAN IN-HOUSE DESIGN AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2014 (ON AIR GRAPHICS)

BRONZE • 36TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2013 (USE OF GRAPHICS)

BRONZE • 36TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

FNA USA (SHOW OPEN / USE OF GRAPHICS)

BRONZE • 36TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

PARTY DOWN SOUTH (SHOW OPEN / USE OF GRAPHICS)

2014

BRONZE • 35TH ANNUAL TELLY AWARDS

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2013 (USE OF GRAPHICS)

HONORABLE MENTION AWARD • 44TH CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

CMT MUSIC AWARDS 2013 (CONSUMER TV CAMPAIGN)

2011

SILVER • 41ST CREATIVITY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AND INTERACTIVE DESIGN AWARDS

CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR 2010 (SHOW OPEN)

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE • COMMUNICATION ARTS 52ND ANNUAL DESIGN EXHIBITION

CMT IDENTITY PROGRAM

2010

SILVER • PROMAX BDA NORTH AMERICA DESIGN AWARDS

RUNNING WILD FROM TED NUGENT (SHOW OPEN / SALON DE REFUS)

2009

CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE • PRINT REGIONAL DESIGN ANNUAL

HOLIDAY PROMOTION FOR CMT (IDs)

2008

GOLD • 38TH CREATIVITY AWARDS

CMT GIANTS: HANK WILLIAMS JR. (SHOW OPEN)

EXPERIENCE

CMT / VIACOM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

SENIOR DIRECTOR, ON-AIR DESIGN

FEB 2014 – PRESENT

CMT / VIACOM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

DIRECTOR, ON-AIR DESIGN

OCT 2008 – FEB 2014

CMT / VIACOM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ON-AIR DESIGN

SEP 2007 – SEP 2008

CMT / VIACOM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

INTERIM DIRECTOR, ON-AIR DESIGN

JUN 2007 – AUG 2007

CMT / VIACOM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

SENIOR DESIGNER/ANIMATOR, ON-AIR DESIGN

2004 – MAY 2007

CMT / VIACOM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

DESIGNER/ANIMATOR, ON-AIR DESIGN

MAY 2002 – 2004

WATKINS COLLEGE OF ART, DESIGN & FILM — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR

AUG 2012 – DEC 2012

LIVEWIRE PRODUCTIONS — KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

DESIGNER/ANIMATOR

AUG 1997 – NOV 2001

EXCERPTS FROM 2017 DIGITAL GRAFITTI INTERVIEW

How much technology is required to create your work? If you didn’t have it, how would you produce it?

My current work depends on technology to be what it is. For software I work mainly with After Effects, Studio Artist, Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere, and Audition. And for hardware I also use a variety of workstation computers, laptops, iPhones, digital cameras, scanners, photocopiers, printers, projectors and VHS VCRS. Without all of that technology it would be less convenient and less efficient to create work in the mode that I do. The technology enables the numerous experiments and alterations during my creative iteration. I am very much drawn to the moving image and can imagine exploring other non-digital means of animation, like zoetropes for example, as a means of continuing to create if it suddenly became necessary to do so without my current technology.

What else can you tell us about your work, for example your use of color (or lack of), rhythm or visual texture?

Generally, my work is process oriented discovery through repeated experimentation. I begin with smaller motion sketches of exploration

around a specific technique or theme and I’ll generate many iterative renders along these lines. Those small parts then become the building blocks when I move into an editing phase where I will juxtapose and create relationships for the sake of a longer and more deliberate and cohesive outcome. Music is often an inspiration and guiding force that drives the rhythmic and sequencing decisions in a piece. In my piece featured in this years DG I wanted to include typography as central ingredient. So I sourced and appropriated content from several different generations of advertisements ranging from early 1900s to 1980s. A free associative narrative emerges from the text when randomly layered together and combined with the accompanying audio track. I enjoy incorporating this degree of chance and accident from procedural automation and randomness. The work explores both figurative/representational imagery and its subsequent deconstruction into abstraction. Ordinary high saturation colors flashing at varying cyclical frequencies brings a satisfying optical sizzle and intensity that helps to amplify the visual overload alluded to in the title of the piece.

What do you find most remarkable about projected art?

The most remarkable quality of projection art to me is how large-scale public projection can connect and engage the audience in a more profound and immersive manner than when viewing the same work on a personal mobile device. The viewer’s experience and understanding

of the art significantly benefits by direct and in-person observation. Projection art is ephemeral and fleeting and this fragile impermanence gives it a unique vitality and immediacy.

How do you see expanding your use of projection for your art?

Looking ahead to the future, I am interested in pursuing more immersive/interactive experiences with projection art. As well as developing more location specific projection mapping experiences that explore and challenge perception. I am also interested in incorporating more natural media in the digital space.

1996 B.F.A., UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI, WARRENSBURG, MISSOURI