DIFFERENT LOCATIONS - NEW YORK

17 - 20 SEPTEMBER 2009

Conflux, the art and technology festival for the creative exploration of urban public space, is pleased to announce the full festival schedule of interactive workshops, talks, and performances to take place September 17-20, 2009. Festival Headquarters will be located in the East Village's historic Barney Building (34 Stuyvesant St.), home of partner and host NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development's Department of Art and Art Professions. All festival events are free, with a suggested donation of $5.

This year's festival will include art installations, street art interventions, interactive performances, lectures, games, walking tours, DIY workshops, and more. Festival Director Christina Ray states, "We're thrilled with this year's exciting lineup of Conflux participants who are preparing to transform New York City into a weekend-long laboratory for exploring the urban environment."

Since 2003, Conflux has developed an international reputation for presenting cutting edge work by public space artists, scholars and practitioners. The festival has its roots in contemporary psychogeography (the study of the effects of the geographic environment on the emotions and behavior of individuals), and attracts participants from all over the world. Conflux hosts a broad cross section of attendees (artists, technologists, architects, urban geographers, designers, planners, performers, environmentalists, activists, students, educators, etc.) who share a keen interest in the many dimensions, challenges and creative possibilities of urban public space.

Conflux is produced by Glowlab, an innovative art gallery and creative catalyst focused on the convergence of art, technology and the urban environment. The festival is co-curated by Glowlab and Conflux 2009 Curatorial Director David Darts, Assistant Professor of Art & Media Education at New York University.

Workshops

In keeping with the DIY spirit of urban artistic experimentation and shared knowledge generation, all Conflux sessions on Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th have been labeled as “workshops.” Sessions will be presented every two hours (10am-6pm) at the headquarters (34 Stuyvesant St.) with multiple workshops running concurrently.

Highlights will include a sermon and discussion about democracy and public space by performance artists Reverend Billy (2009 Green Party Mayoral Candidate for NYC) and Savitri D of the Church of Life After Shopping. Natalie Jeremijenko and her xClinic, the Environmental Health Clinic and Lab, will present "Fish n' Microchips", a project where participants can communicate with fish via text messaging, and Marc Horowitz and Peter Baldes will lead participants on a live virtual trip of NYC using Google Maps. The College of Tactical Culture will present their think tank on creative activism led by Steve Lambert and Stephen Duncombe.

Other highlights will include Transportation Alternatives' prefabricated parks in a box, a Demolition Drugstore that exposes and destroys toxic chemicals lurking in everyday products, a human scale chess game on the streets of Greenwich Village, a presentation by Jeff Stark, the creator of Subway Theater (a Tragedy in Three Stations), an urban golf game played using iPhones, and a workshop for turning your windows into productive farms. Additional featured presenters include Elizabeth Streb, Nato Thompson and Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga.

ConfluxCity

On Sunday, September 20th from 10am-8pm, Conflux will present ConfluxCity, a user-generated open format event in which over 75 projects dedicated to the examination, celebration and (re)construction of everyday urban life will descend upon New York City. Locations will include sites in all five boroughs. ConfluxCity artists will breathe new life into New York in a single day with an eclectic mix of scientific and pseudo-scientific projects, Twitter-based and real-world experiments, maps, collages, historical recreations, pranks and cutting-edge urban art.

Featured events will include an iPhone drum circle in McCarren Park, a radio play by WFMU DJs in the form of a guided tour, a research project focusing on New York's Waterways, as well as talking plants, a large, floating wi-fi balloon, a guide to "thumping" NYC, urban Breakouts and a special appearance by The Yes Men.

Special Evening Events

Conflux is also pleased to present a number of interactive evening events throughout the weekend. The festival will kick off with a Public Space Potluck on Thursday September 17th at 6:30pm in Battery Park (meet near the Picnick Kiosk). Hosted by the Design Trust for Public Space, Conflux, and Picnick. On Friday September 18th at 8:30pm, starting at Conflux headquarters in the Barney Building, Conflux and Foursquare will present Foursquare@Conflux, an interactive iPhone-driven social networking event that will lead participants on a tour of hidden East Village locations. Conflux Founder and Producer Glowlab hosts a party from 7 to 10pm on Saturday, September 19th at their 30 Grand Street location in SoHo. The party coincides with a related exhibition entitled "Modern Ruins", a solo show of new work by artist Emily Henretta.

www.confluxfestival.org/2009/schedule/