EMPAC Opens Artistic Doors

In October, RPI will have its grand opening for the $142 million Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

Designed by Grimshaw, a London-based architectural company, the 220,000 square foot building “combines many specialized venues under one roof, including a 1,200-seat concert hall,400-seat theater, two black box studio spaces and artist/ researcher work spaces,” as RPI stated on EMPAC’s main site (http://www.empac.rpi.edu/).

The opening will be divided into three weekends. Each weekend will have its own theme. According to RPI, “Gala Weekend” (October 3-5) will focus on the arts. Many performers such as Madlib and Billie Cowie will be featured along with the multimedia performances of Verdensteatret and dumb type. In addition, there will be an interactive 360 degree war film by The Wooster Group, where the audience is literally in the middle of the movie.

“Symposium Weekend” (October 9-12) will center on research, science and technology. The Research Symposium event will feature keynote speakers like Roger Malina, director of the Observatoire Astronomique de Marseille Provence. It is a two day gathering of top researchers in the fields of science, architecture and other sciences.

“Homecoming and Family Weekend” (October 17-19) will be about the community itself. There will be group events, many of which will include RPI students. The RPI Symphonic Band and Percussion Ensemble will perform on October 17, followed by the RPI Orchestra and Choir on October 18.

When the project was unveiled in 2003, RPI’s President Shirley Ann Jackson said in a speech that “EMPAC will be a powerful and creative presence on our Troy campus, in New York State’s Capital Region, in the Northeast United States, and indeed on the world cultural stage.”

However, while the grand opening events are open to the public, it does not seem RPI is marketing toward Troy citizens in general. Stacy Plummer, a Hudson Valley student and Troy resident, said EMPAC is “ugly, and RPI should stop wasting its money. It took too long to build. It seems like it will be a waste of resources.”
To purchase tickets for an event, call EMPAC at 518-276-4135 or go to their website www.empac.rpi.edu. Some events may also offer tickets at the door.