Ben Moren

Ben Moren is an Associate Professor of Media Arts at Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD), specializing in mixed reality, digital simulation, and environmental media art. His work interrogates the human relationship with nature through installations, performances, and generative systems that blend technology with ecological themes. He holds an MFA from the University of Minnesota and BFA from MCAD, with exhibitions at venues including the Beijing Film Academy, Weisman Art Museum, and IndieCade Los Angeles.

Key research interests include hyperreality, pervasive gaming, AI-driven art (e.g., StyleGAN2-generated Clonal Colony), and site-specific installations responding to natural environments. His projects often involve custom electronics, such as the White Oak Listener's cordwood microphone device or Birch Transducer's birch-bark speaker systems.

• Recipient of McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship (2021–22), MNSAB Artist Initiative grants, and Forecast Public Art Jerome Planning Grant
• Developed Spatial Strategies iOS app exploring non-linear environments
• Collaborated with Daniel Dean on Mobile Experiential Cinema series (2010–2014)

Recent works include 2024's Birch Transducer (Veery), an AI-driven sound sculpture, and 2020's Clonal Colony exploring generative adversarial networks trained on aspen imagery. His practice bridges fine art, technology, and ecological activism through immersive installations that challenge perceptions of nature and digital mediation.