Announcing Conflux 2009!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 26, 2009
Inquiries: Holly Hampton, Communications Director
media ::at:: confluxfestival.org
Glowlab announces the 6th Annual Conflux Festival in partnership with New York University.
Conflux, the art and technology festival for the creative exploration of urban public space, is pleased to announce the 6th annual Conflux Festival will take place from September 17-20, 2009.
The festival will be headquartered in Manhattan with our partner and host, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. As in past years, Conflux events will take place throughout New York’s five boroughs.
The future of the festival was uncertain after the initial five-year run ended last year. In the midst of the econocalypse, however, artistic and critical attention to the complexities of urban space has taken on a heightened significance. It thus seemed imperative for the festival to continue with a special emphasis placed on resource-sharing, academic analysis, and hands-on and collaborative approaches to the creative examination of the urban environment.
The structure of the festival continues to evolve with this year’s presenters curated by invitation from within the existing Conflux community. In keeping with its commitment to openness, the festival will also include a special open-format daylong event called ConfluxCity that will allow for a diverse range of new participants and projects.
ConfluxCity 2009
In keeping with its commitment to urban artistic exploration, community participation, shared knowledge, and critical civic engagement, Conflux will organize a user-generated open format event on Sunday September 20th, 2009 from 10am-6pm.
Through an open submissions process, ConfluxCity will provide a platform for artists, urban geographers, technologists and others to organize and produce innovative activities dedicated to the examination, celebration and (re)construction of everyday urban life.
Drawing inspiration from Burning Man’s creed of radical self-reliance and BarCamp’s philosophy of openness and participation, ConfluxCity will adopt an open-space approach in which participants will be expected to organize, promote, and host their own activities and events. To facilitate this format, the Conflux Festival headquarters and website will serve as a central communications hub directing festival attendees outward to individual event websites and locations.
ConfluxCity participants must submit their proposal by July 20th ($10 administrative fee). All proposals will be judged based on artistic merit, originality, and feasibility.
The 2009 Conflux Festival schedule, venue, and other details will be announced soon. Stay tuned.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Conflux Festival is the annual New York festival for contemporary psychogeography. It is a three-day event that promotes the intellectual and artistic investigation of everyday urban life though emerging artistic, technological and social practices. Over the past five years, the festival has grown into an international art event with a global reach and a reputation for presenting cutting-edge artistic work within the realm of public-space arts.
For a few days each September, Conflux transforms the city into a temporary laboratory for creative experimentation and action. Past Conflux works and events have included mapping projects, high-tech mobile public space interventions, artist-facilitated walking tours, public installations, interactive performances, bike and subway expeditions, workshops, lectures, film programs and live music performances.
Conflux is attended by people with a common desire to understand, explore, celebrate, and improve the urban environment. Conflux visitors are introduced to strategies for utilizing performance, visual art, and music to address the environment, sustainable development, the increased presence of technology in cities, emerging trends in social/local networking, and ways to encourage community dialogue and humanize the urban experience.
As a fiscally sponsored project of the Brooklyn Arts Council, Conflux has received grants and donations from the New York State Council on the Arts, Artists Space, the Puffin Foundation, the Independence Community Foundation and private contributors. The festival has been featured extensively in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal Online, The Village Voice, Time Out, New York Press, Flash Art, Art Review and many others.
Conflux is produced by Glowlab, an innovative art project space and creative catalyst for contemporary urban art. Our represented artists, technologists and inspired thinkers are true social change agents, modeling progressive approaches to urban living. We specialize in presenting spatial and social concepts through artworks and exhibitions related to cities and the urban environment.
3 Comments currently posted.
Larry Caveney says:
Aaron Williamson says:
@Larry Caveney: you can submit a proposal on our website at http://confluxfestival.org/2009/submit-a-project/ — if you need to make other arrangements, please contact us at info :: at :: confluxfestival.org.
Larry Caveney says:
I found it…..thanks
What’s the address for sending this proposal?