So, who am I?
My name is Gian Pablo Villamil, as you may have figured out. I was born in the continental US, though most of my family is in Puerto Rico, where I grew up. I grew up mostly in Puerto Rico, with some months and years here and there in South America and in England.
I went to college at Macalester College, in St. Paul, Minnesota, where I completed degrees in History and Computer Studies. I spent a year working in Puerto Rico doing a variety of consulting projects, then went to business school at IESE in Barcelona.
After getting my MBA, I went to work for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in Madrid, where I spent the next 6 years. After a brief stint in Brazil and Italy, I transferred to London where I lived for 5 years.
From January 1999 to April 2000 I worked for Deloitte Consulting, as a partner in their London office. In June I was named managing partner of the UK practice of Braxton Associates, the strategy practice of Deloitte Consulting. Then, I moved to Cisco System’s Internet Business Solutions Group in London, advising companies in the telecom and other sectors on their Internet strategy.
After a 5 month sabbatical to study yoga in India, I rejoined Cisco in Hong Kong, where I spent a year. Then transferred to Tokyo, again with Cisco. I spent two years studying Japanese, also working on video art and other creative projects.
I recently finished the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU (in New York), an experimental media arts program at the Tisch School of Performing Arts. If you are interested in my work there, please browse my project and classwork website.
Since graduation, I have focused on producing my own artwork: integrating electronics with sculptural objects, building one-of-a-kind musical instruments, producing short video art, and working with other artists on large scale commissions that integrate a technology component.
I am especially interested in unconventional video work, using unusual equipment in challenging situations. My recent work for Mass MoCA is a great example – a non-narrative video art piece about New Orleans, made to be shown in a circular theater.