Daniel
Durning
Brooklyn, New York
Artist · Sculptor · Educator
Technologist · Active Since 1982
Artist Statement

I build it real,
build it theatrically,
and build it virtually.

Physical

Sculptor and fabricator. Scenic construction for Hollywood film and television. Gallery installations since 1982.

Digital

MFA Computer Art, SVA 1994. 3D animation, augmented reality, motion graphics, and interactive media since the field began.

Institutional

Teaching at LIU, NYIT, and SVA since 1996. Curriculum development across animation, web design, and digital imaging.

Self Contained Housing, 1982, installed at the Museum of Modern Art, 2017-18, with Keith Haring's work in the foreground
Featured Work
Self Contained Housing, 1982 — Museum of Modern Art, 2017–18
View work →
Installation view, Club 57 exhibition. © Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Selected Timeline Full CV →
1979–85
Early sculpture & downtown New York scene
Exhibitions at 301 Gallery, SVA, AREA Nightclub. Reviewed in The New York Times and Village Voice. Club 57 scene, East Village. Known contemporaries include Keith Haring.
1988–92
Film & television — scenic construction
Fried Green Tomatoes, Maniac Cop II, American Playhouse, Fox Television. Construction supervisor and lead set carpenter.
1994
MFA, Computer Art — School of Visual Arts First Generation
Among the earliest graduate programs in digital art in the United States. Summer Exhibition, SIGGRAPH, Academy of Science, New York.
1995–97
Production designer & animator — Manhattan Center Studios
Disney Interactive’s Aladdin’s Math Quest. American Heritage TimeTours. Animated pilots ZAK and NEMO 3000.
1996–
Full Adjunct Professor — Long Island University
3D Animation, Web Design, Digital Imaging. Graduate thesis advising. Continuous appointment since 1996.
2003
MetroCAF — Metropolitan Area Computer Animation Festival Founder
Conceived, developed, and produced the first NYC metropolitan area college computer animation festival while serving on the board of directors of NYC ACM SIGGRAPH. Now in its 25th year.
2004–11
Art & Technology — Webcast Radio, WPS1 / MoMA Creator & Host
44-episode program produced for MoMA’s affiliate WPS1.org. Interviews with leading new media artists. Archived on this site and at ArtonAir.org.
2005–
Fantastic Image — Creative Strategy & Emerging Media
Founded and continuously operating since 2005. Creative direction, AI & emerging media strategy, production pipeline consulting, immersive experience development.
2007–15
Red Hook International Film & Video Festival Founder & Chair
Nine annual editions at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, 499 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook, Brooklyn. BWAC building destroyed by fire, September 2025.
2018–
ZombieForia® — Original IP Universe Creator
Trademarked darkly comic zombie universe. Characters: Ed “The Dead,” MAW, Gnasher. Positioned for animated series or acquisition. Held by Fantastic Image LLC.
Festivals & Programs
Founder & Chair
Red Hook International Film & Video Festival
2007–2015 · 9 Editions

Annual festival at the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. International submissions, juried awards, Brooklyn premieres.

Creator & Host
Art & Technology — MoMA Clocktower Radio
2004–2011 · 44 Episodes

New media arts program produced for WPS1.org, MoMA’s affiliate webcast radio. Interviews with artists at the intersection of art and emerging technology.

Founder
MetroCAF — Computer Animation Festival
2003– · Annual

The first NYC-area college computer animation festival. Produced during tenure on the board of NYC ACM SIGGRAPH.

Selected Works All Work →
1982
Self Contained Housing
Sculpture & Installation · Museum of Modern Art, 2017–18
1982
The Horizon Line
Site-Specific Installation
1984
Modern Man in Search of His Soul
Sculpture & Installation
1994
Times Square Project
Early Digital — SGI
2001
September 11, 2001
35mm Photography
2005
Objects of Radiance
Digital & Print
2018–
ZombieForia®
Original IP
Credentials
Education
MFA, Computer Art
BFA, Sculpture
School of Visual Arts
Teaching
Long Island University
NYIT — NYC & Bahrain
School of Visual Arts
Practice
Active since 1979
Brooklyn, New York
Press
The New York Times
Village Voice
SIGGRAPH
Fantastic Image LLC

Creative Strategy & Emerging Media Consulting

One person doing the job of ten — by knowing ten jobs. Available for fractional creative direction, AI strategy, production pipeline consulting, and immersive experience development.

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