Shada Kalo: My Experimental Music Project
In my spare time, among other things, I love making music. I compose and play all the instruments in my songs (guitars, bass, drums). I am an avid rock musician, and recently I have been more interested in dream rock, post rock, and re-stylizing Bangladeshi folk songs. I also have an interest in traditional Chinese music, and took one year of Chinese music conservatory classes at Bard College, learning to play the Guzheng zither.
Shada Kalo (which translates to "Black and White") is an outlet for myself to post any experiment, cover, or musical musings.
Significant stage performances include the Castleton Festival at Virginia (2018), where I opened for Davóne Tines. I also performed with my band at MIT, Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts Boston, Bard College, and music cafes in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I am now part of a band in the bay area called Ditiyo, on guitar and vocal.
Computational Art
Computational art is a medium that I have admired and dabbled in over the years. I have explored art in different media (data, pixels, generative algorithms, digital and physical fabrication, stage-scale mixed reality), and domains (literature, dance, history). My aim is mostly to explore and learn about different phenomena by producing art about them.
Selected Data Visualizations
I am an avid fan of data visualizations. I often encourage my students and mentees to think visually using data. Other than writing a book about visualization, I have taken up different projects as part of my research and hobby. They give me a chance to explore different domains too. Here are a few examples from my earlier projects in astronomy (visualizing billions of data points) and other scientific and investigative visualizations.
VR Sculpting and 2D Sketching
Since 2018, I have been interested in exploring VR sculpting (in 3D) and sketching (in 2D). This was partly to inform my understanding of how brushes and interactions are designed by sketch interface designers, and mostly for fun. Here are a few snapshots of quick sketches in VR and digital sketching apps.
Learning Fabrication
I love working with my hands to build physical stuff when I can. Here are a few art projects that introduced me to the world of fabrication and making, giving myself the credibility of working in a machine shop comfortably.