Psy-Geo-Conflux
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Psy-Geo-Conflux [also known as Conflux is the annual New York City festival dedicated to psychogeography, where visual and sound artists, writers, urban adventurers, researchers and the public gather for four days to explore the physical and psychological landscape of the city.
In May, 2003, psychogeographers from the U.S., Canada, U.K., France and the Netherlands gathered in New York for the first Conflux. Participants conducted experimental walks using computer code, decks of cards and other systems for navigation; a mobile-phone-guided drift through the streets of New York; a life-sized chess game using humans as pieces; several talks and presentations; a noise parade; an art exhibition; and a night of psychogeography-inspired live music, DJs, and video. Village Voice writer Bryan Zimmerman noted, "The event is centered around a seasoned yet growing field of creative recreation and alt-geographic exploration called psychogeography. Trying to define this obtuse field is an adventure itself, although a relatively straightforward definition includes "the study of the effects of the geographic environment on the emotions and behavior of individuals." One of the boldest characteristics of psychogeography may be its ability to influence and bring together all kinds of artists, social scientists, philosophers, urban provocateurs and spelunkers, and even traditional geographers, in an entirely accessible venue-public space." [1] The 2003 Conflux was co-produced by ABC No Rio, the Brooklyn Psychogeographical Association and Glowlab
Conflux 2004 featured a full program of events over the course of four days, including experimental walks using altered maps and navigational aids; high-tech drifts through the city using wearable computing devices; a walking presentation of an urban documentary project commissioned by the New Museum of Contemporary Art; a gallery exhibition; a series of temporary installations, lectures, audio and video works and more. The second annual event took place at PARTICIPANT INC non-profit arts center on the Lower East Side, and included over 50 participating international artists and groups.
In 2005, Conflux was hosted by Providence Initiative for Psychogeographic Studies in Providence, Rhode Island as Provflux, see PIPS.
In 2006, the 3rd annual Conflux will be held in Brooklyn for the first time and will take place September 14–17. McCaig-Welles Gallery in Williamsburg will serve as Conflux headquarters, with events taking place in and around the gallery.
Documentation of all Conflux events and other information can be found on the Conflux website.
1. Psychogeographers Navigate New York City's Changing Landscape by Bryan Zimmerman, Village Voice, May 7, 2003.
[edit] References
Ambling Through the Psy.Geo.Conflux by Patrick Ellis, CIAC Magazine Special Issue: The Virtual City, Autumn, 2004.
Adrift on Memory Bliss by Andrea Moed, Knowledge Circuit [University of Minnesota Design Institute], September 12, 2004.
A New Way of Walking:Artist-explorers called psychogeographers are changing the way we experience the city by Joseph Hart, Utne magazine, July / August 2004
PSY-GEO-CONFLUX by Alan Lockwood, New York Press [Vol 17 - Issue 19], May 12-18, 2004, p. 42.
Psy.Geo.Conflux 2004, psicogeografia a New York, Neural.it, May 13, 2004.
Three Days of Psychogeographic Heaven – An Overview of the PsyGeoConflux 2003 in NYC by Dave Mandl, Christina Ray, et al., Year Zero One Issue #12 [Psychogeography - Space, Place and Perception], Summer 2003.
Street Artists, Fighting Over Gentrified Streets by Corey Kilgannon, The New York Times, May 12, 2003, Section B, page 6.
