Dan Sandin: An Interview

Dan Sandin’s pioneering contributions to electronic and computational image-making stem from an unusual blend of physics, photography, and a deep reverence for both nature and collaborative learning. Trained at Shimer College and steeped in mathematics and optics, Sandin rejected conventional art paths, instead forging a unique trajectory through technological invention and experimental pedagogy. His early work with analog computing and interactive video environments, such as the seminal Glowflow installation, exemplified his desire to create new forms of visual experience by merging scientific innovation with artistic curiosity. Sandin's seminal invention, the Image Processor (IP), became an influential open-source video synthesizer that enabled artists to perform real-time manipulations of video signals, reshaping the visual language of the era.

In this interview with artist and educator James Connolly, Sandin reflects on his career as one driven by a commitment to using emerging visualization tools to generate what he calls “experiences that have never been experienced before.” Equally rooted in the computational and the communal, his practice balances technical ingenuity with an ethos of open access, education, and shared authorship. He recounts collaborations with artists like Phil Morton, the formation of the Electronic Visualization Lab (EVL), and the birth of the CAVE virtual reality system, all motivated by a radical belief in art as a communal experiment and technology as a tool of collective transformation.