Conflux Festival

Officers Clement and Huang Pay Us A Visit… (1)

Big shoutout to the 6th precinct today as New York’s finest paid us a lovely visit to take down one of our artist’s projects. Below, crime fighters Huang and Clement hard at work cutting down the swing installed just

outside the Center for Architecture. Don’t blame them though - they were cordial and respectful of the festival and have been awesome to the artists in the neighborhood this week. We love the NYPD. The reason they were reduced to cutting string with scissors? Leave it to senility to get the best of an old woman in the neighborhood. After promptly yelling at us (”It’s not safe!”) and then proceeding to play security guard around the swing (”don’t swing…it’s not safe!”), granny decided to phone the police (the nerve!). In the interim, an epic battle between mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, friends of Conflux, artists, homeless men and the woman ensued. She defended the swing like a knight in a medieval castle and eventually, granny got her way.

Highlight of the Battle: Granny’s initial quote. “This is the worst thing I have ever seen in this city!!!” Murders, rape, robberies and puking NYU kids got nothing on us. (Check her out below in the blue dress - and yes she was with another granny right behind her)

Signing off as the worst thing in NYC. Officially.

-Conflux 2008

SIT Projects: Have a seat! (0)

SIT Projects posted to their MySpace blog about their first day at Conflux 2008. Their post includes a summary of what they did for their project as well as a lot of photos of them in action. From their post:

We were happy with our classy arrangement of antique chairs from 1926. However we were very unhappy with each other. After a massive blowout we hugged and made up while walking over to Conflux HQ to sign in for registration.

Conflux Podcast . Tianna Kennedy (0)

Listen in on Conflux Curator Tianna Kennedy’s interview. Keep an eye on Justin Grotelueschen’sConflux podcast site for upcoming interviews, or better yet, subscribe to the RSS feed here.

Friends of the Switchback Sea (0)

Our friends Swoon and crew have been Conflux participants since waaaay back in the day when they created the incredible Serenade noise parade at our very first festival in 2003. Check the pix! In 2006 they came to deliver an overwhelmingly beautiful slide show and presentation at the festival when they were literally fresh off the boats following the Miss Rockaway Armada project. So it’s only natural, and with a great deal of pride and respect, that we add Swoon’s most recent project to our schedule this year. If you haven’t yet been out to see the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea exhibition, which opened last weekend, do be sure to make it out there for one of their performances this week. See the Schedule for details. [photo by bookishgrrl].

Feed your brain at Conflux (0)

Our Presentation Series is filled with an excellent lineup of prominent speakers on Thursday and Friday, including Chris Carlsson, Régine Debatty, McKenzie Wark, Natalie Jeremijenko and Pablo Helguera. Panel and individual discussions range from how pirate programmers and vacant-lot gardeners are inventing the future to how technology is ushering in a new breed of cartographers and explorers. Cutting-edge artists will demo new mobile and media technologies; and a screening of the newly-released film Africalls? - following the work of five artists and two contemporary art production centers of seven African cities - will also show at this year’s festival. Check the schedule for details.

Presentations on Thursday the 11th and Friday the 12th require tickets, but as a not-for-profit arts event Conflux is committed to keeping ticket prices very low despite the amazing programming we’re excited to offer. Students with valid ID are eligible for a discount [enter discount code: flux, and bring your ID]. Get your tickets today!

Take that, Fashion Week! (0)

Conflux features several “tech-fashion” projects, mixing high-fashion design with breakthrough technology. These include Jenny Chowdhury’s Wi-Fi jacket – a floral jacket with integrated illuminated strips which light up in accordance to local wi-fi strength; Kristen O’Friel’s CO2RSET – a corset which tightens and loosens as CO2 levels fluctuate; Teta Haniya’s Secrets - a mobile store of absurd electronic lingerie hacked electronically Syrian-style to add a playful edge to otherwise ‘boring’ western styles; and JooYoun’s Self-Sustainable Chair – a dress made out of polyethylene, connected to shoes that pump air into an inflatable bubble attached to its rear part on each step; creating a chair upon the bubble’s full inflation. More in the art-meets-fashion cateogory: Art.hro.poda: Cognigestation; Back-to-Back Massager (Free Mobile Massage); Every Step; Helmet Piece; Swinging Underground; Urban Fiber Flotsam; and Vertical Bed.

OMG What if it rains!? (0)

A little rain never hurt any psychogeographers. Then again, some artists with electronic gear may not be able to conduct projects in wet weather. But not to worry: Official Conflux Twitterer and Meteorologist Mike Brown will be posting news on any weather-related delays or cancellations. Follow us on Twitter to keep up with the latest.

More events added for Thursday and Friday (0)

We’ve just added more events to the Schedule! Come on over and meet the artists and participate in projects in and around the HQ on Thursday and Friday from 4 - 8pm.