We’ll post our media kit and other tools here soon. In the meantime, here’s our preliminary press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2008
Inquiries: Christina Ray
718.388.5911
info ::at::glowlab.com

CONFLUX FESTIVAL MOVES BACK TO MANHATTAN; SPEAKERS AND CURATORS ANNOUNCED FOR FIFTH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL

New York (April 25, 2008) - Conflux, the annual New York City festival that draws artists, technologists, psychogeographers, urban explorers and experience designers from around the world, will be moving back to Manhattan for the fifth anniversary of the festival.  From September 11-14, 2008 over 100 artists will transform New York City into a laboratory for exploring the urban environment with a program of art installations, street art interventions, interactive performance, bicycle and public-transit expeditions, DIY media workshops, lectures, a film series and live music. Submissions are now open and are being accepted until May 31st through the Conflux website (www.confluxfestival.org). In June, an accomplished curatorial team will select the projects to be included in the 2008 lineup.

After two years in Brooklyn, Christina Ray, Festival Director, decided that it was time to bring the event back to Manhattan.  “Returning to our roots on the Lower East Side will allow us to re-examine this neighborhood that has undergone drastic changes over the past several years and explore how our own community of artists will apply new concepts, strategies and technologies in response to changes in the physical, political and artistic climates.”

Conflux has grown over the past five years to be a respected event that supports artists working across a wide range of media to re-imagine the city by creating a platform and space for creative action. The first confirmed panelist for 2008 is new media expert and award-winning blogger, Régine Debatty. “I had such a fantastic time there last year, it is THE most stimulating, fun and smart people-infested event I attended in 2006,” says Debatty. Flavorpill, the email magazine with a reputation for uncovering the city’s cultural gemstones, agrees – they have signed on to be the Conflux 2008 media sponsor.

In 2007, Conflux featured over 100 artists from across the US, as well as Australia, Canada, Japan and many European countries. This year, Ray expects to receive hundreds of entries from both acclaimed and emerging artists from around the world. A team of fourteen professionally recognized curators will choose projects that are representative of the most innovative work being produced in the fields of public-space arts and contemporary psychogeography (the exploration of the physical and psychological landscape of cities). Together, the curators explain their mission: “Our aim is to foster the growth of what we call an “action-tank” by bringing together a group of international artists and creative thinkers working collaboratively to model new and valuable approaches to urban living.”

This year’s curatorial team includes: Jeffrey Barke, Tamir Chen, Jonah Brucker-Cohen, Amanda McDonald Crowley, Odin Cappello, Winnie Fung, Gilbert Guerrero, Brian House, Tianna Kennedy, Amy Owen, Sal Randolph, Michael Sarff, David Felix Sutcliffe and Radhika Subramaniam.

As the event continues to expand, Conflux is at a critical moment in its life cycle. According to Ray: “We’ve operated for five years with little outside funding, relying on the enthusiasm and goodwill of our artists and partners. As a growing organization we’re taking a number of important steps, including registering as a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status, strengthening partnerships with academic and community institutions and creating an eco-friendly festival.”

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