Glowlab
Encyclopedia
Glowlab was an artist-run initiative
that produced and presented experimental work related to cities
and psychogeography
, including interactive artworks and projects, events, exhibitions, and artists' gatherings. Brooklyn
artist and curator Christina Ray launched Glowlab in 2002 as an experimental, web-based arts lab to support the visibility and expression of artists within her community. Ray produced exhibitions and projects including street-based performance work and site specific interventions both in her Williamsburg loft and in the greater urban environment. Glowlab moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 2008, opening an exhibition space at the edge of SoHo
. As an innovative model advancing a niche collective of artists, thinkers and technologists, Glowlab produced over a dozen solo and group exhibitions, artist talks and performances. In early 2010, Ray re-launched Glowlab under her own name, continuing to focus on contemporary art, technology and creative projects examining the nature and psychology of the built environment.
In 2003, Glowlab's Christina Ray and David Mandl co-founded Psy-Geo-Conflux
, currently known as the Conflux Festival, which takes place annually in New York
. The Village Voice described Conflux as a "network of maverick artists and unorthodox urban investigators… making fresh, if underground, contributions to pedestrian life in New York City, and upping the ante on today’s fight for the soul of high-density metropolises.”
One Block Radius, produced for The New Museum in 2004 by Christina Ray and David Mandl created a web based "psychogeographic portrait of a single Bowery
block" with the help of media contributions from artists and the public. in Manhattan. Open Lab, at Art Interactive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a nine-week series of "deceptively simple, playful investigations of site and the social fabric of Central Square, Cambridge". At Southern Exposure
in San Francisco, Ray and Kurt Bigenho invited people to step away from the intensive social networking of internet sites like Myspace
and Friendster
, and engage in non-social meetups in real space in their project Noso.
Artists and groups who have been associated with Glowlab include Wilfried Hou Je Bek, Bethany Bristow, D. Jean Hester, Brian House, Catherine D'Ignazio (aka Kanarinka), Steve Lambert
, David Mandl, Roberto Mollá, Marisa Olson
, Mark Price, Sal Randolph
, Jesse Shapins, Swoon
, Jessica Thompson, Lee Walton
, and Wooster Collective
.
Artist-run initiative
An artist-run initiative is any project run by visual artists to present their and others' projects. They might approximate a traditional art gallery space in appearance or function, or they may take a markedly different approach, limited only by the artist's understanding of the term...
that produced and presented experimental work related to cities
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and psychogeography
Psychogeography
Psychogeography was defined in 1955 by Guy Debord as "the study of the precise laws and specific effects of the geographical environment, consciously organized or not, on the emotions and behavior of individuals." Another definition is "a whole toy box full of playful, inventive strategies for...
, including interactive artworks and projects, events, exhibitions, and artists' gatherings. Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
artist and curator Christina Ray launched Glowlab in 2002 as an experimental, web-based arts lab to support the visibility and expression of artists within her community. Ray produced exhibitions and projects including street-based performance work and site specific interventions both in her Williamsburg loft and in the greater urban environment. Glowlab moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 2008, opening an exhibition space at the edge of SoHo
SoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
. As an innovative model advancing a niche collective of artists, thinkers and technologists, Glowlab produced over a dozen solo and group exhibitions, artist talks and performances. In early 2010, Ray re-launched Glowlab under her own name, continuing to focus on contemporary art, technology and creative projects examining the nature and psychology of the built environment.
In 2003, Glowlab's Christina Ray and David Mandl co-founded Psy-Geo-Conflux
Psy-Geo-Conflux
Psy-Geo-Conflux is the annual New York City festival dedicated to psychogeography, where visual, performance and sound artists, writers, urban adventurers, researchers and the public gather for four days to explore the physical and psychological landscape of the city.Conflux was co-founded by...
, currently known as the Conflux Festival, which takes place annually in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The Village Voice described Conflux as a "network of maverick artists and unorthodox urban investigators… making fresh, if underground, contributions to pedestrian life in New York City, and upping the ante on today’s fight for the soul of high-density metropolises.”
Projects and artists
In addition to the annual Conflux Festival, Glowlab initiated a number of projects that focus on the exploration of public space.One Block Radius, produced for The New Museum in 2004 by Christina Ray and David Mandl created a web based "psychogeographic portrait of a single Bowery
Bowery
Bowery may refer to:Streets:* The Bowery, a thoroughfare in Manhattan, New York City* Bowery Street is a street on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.In popular culture:* Bowery Amphitheatre, a building on the Bowery in New York City...
block" with the help of media contributions from artists and the public. in Manhattan. Open Lab, at Art Interactive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a nine-week series of "deceptively simple, playful investigations of site and the social fabric of Central Square, Cambridge". At Southern Exposure
Southern Exposure
Southern Exposure may refer to:*Southern Exposure - a San Francisco non-profit art space.*Southern Exposure - a 2007 album released by FireHouse guitarist Bill Leverty...
in San Francisco, Ray and Kurt Bigenho invited people to step away from the intensive social networking of internet sites like Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Friendster
Friendster
Friendster is a social gaming site that is based in Malaysia, KL. The company now operates mainly from the three Asian countries namely in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore....
, and engage in non-social meetups in real space in their project Noso.
Artists and groups who have been associated with Glowlab include Wilfried Hou Je Bek, Bethany Bristow, D. Jean Hester, Brian House, Catherine D'Ignazio (aka Kanarinka), Steve Lambert
Steve Lambert (artist)
Steve Lambert is an American artist who works with issues of advertising and the use of public space. He is a founder of , an artist-run initiative which critiques advertising through artistic interventions, and of the which creates exhibitions by painting over outdoor advertisements and hanging...
, David Mandl, Roberto Mollá, Marisa Olson
Marisa Olson
Marisa Olson is a new media artist, curator, critic, and media theorist. In 2004 she auditioned for popular American television show American Idol as an artistic project. In her blog, she describes her feelings and the entire process that she must go through in order to look presentable to the...
, Mark Price, Sal Randolph
Sal Randolph
Sal Randolph is an American artist and theorist who works with issues of gift-giving, money, alternate economies, and social architecture. She founded the non-curated sound-exchange web project Opsound, which functions through the use of music released exclusively under a copyleft license...
, Jesse Shapins, Swoon
Swoon (artist)
Swoon is a street artist born in New London, Connecticut, and raised in Daytona Beach, Florida. She moved to New York City at age nineteen, and specializes in life-size wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts of figures...
, Jessica Thompson, Lee Walton
Lee Walton
Lee Walton is an American artist whose work includes drawing, concept based systems, performance, video art, net art, and public projects.-Academic career:...
, and Wooster Collective
Wooster Collective
Wooster Collective is a website founded in 2003 that showcases street art from around the world. It is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world. Updated by Marc and Sara Schiller, the site also offers podcasting with music and interviews...
.