PETER G. TEREZAKIS
ASSOCIATE ARTS PROFESSOR NYU Tisch
OFFICE HOURS BY APPOINTMENT • terezakis@nyu.edu
Peter Terezakis began developing interactive work possessing a distinct technological character in 1974.
Early work began with biofeedback machines and ESP tester-trainers, which lead to the creation of electronic jewelry. In 1990 he completed a series of wall-mounted interactive constructions that responded to changes in light, presence, sound, and temperature.
In the following decade, he combined his interest in electronics to create participatory environments and installations. During this period, he created Psyche, the first gallery installation controlled by a microcomputer. The Montgomery Project followed and showcased recurring concepts in his work within an architectural context. The 1995 installation of Heart Beats Light began the continuing series of temporary site-specific light installations in deserts, festivals, and forests. In 2007 Heart Beats Light became part of a larger theatrical work entitled Sacred Sky Sacred Earth, first shown in Alpine, California.
Terezakis has exhibited in Canada, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. His work is in corporate, private, and museum collections.
While working on his degree at NYU’s vaunted ITP program (2012-14), BP’s infamous 2010 oil spill, the Fukushima event of 2011 (still venting radioactive material), and James Balog’s 2012 documentary Chasing Ice influenced the decision to make the next chapter of his life the education of next-generation artist-scientist-storytellers. In 2014, Peter began teaching Greenworld in Art and Public Policy at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. In 2016, the course moved to Tisch’s Open Arts department, where it continues.
After accompanying David and Denise Holland on their annual field research to Greenland’s Helheim Glacier in 2019, Terezakis developed a course for students to understand better and to prepare for the impact that Abrupt Climate Change will have on their lives.
In 2022, Peter started the annual Global Climate Change Film Festival. The goal of the project is to create an international film festival with student submissions from all of NYU’s domestic and international academic sites.