Furtherfield
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Furtherfield.org[1] is an artist-led networked community that facilitates global collaborations and networks of artists, activists and other boundary-breakers. Its activities take place simultaneously on the Internet, the streets and public venues.
Furtherfield describes itself as "the collaborative work of artists, programmers, writers, activists, musicians and thinkers who explore beyond traditional remits; dedicated to the creation, promotion, and criticism of adventurous digital/networked media art work for public viewing, experience and interaction. Developing imaginative strategies in a range of digital and terrestrial media contexts, Furtherfield develops global, contributory projects that facilitate art activity simultaneously on the Internet, the streets and public venues."[2]
Contents |
[edit] History and Background
Furtherfield was founded in London in 1996 by artist-theorists Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett. Inspired by the cultural value of collaboratively developed visions as opposed to the supremacy of the vision of the individual artistic genius, Furtherfield has focused on the development of artware - software platforms for creating art – and project that engage users in collaborative creative endeavours.
In 2004, Furtherfield opened HTTP, a physical gallery location for networked media art in North London, and since that time it has received funding from the Arts Council of England to support its activities. In 2007, Furtherfield was ranked in Dazed and Confused’s Digital Top 50[3].
[edit] Projects
As network hub or platform, Furtherfield’s activities include artist presentations, residencies, reviews, theoretical texts the Furtherfield blog, touring exhibitions, online exhibitions and events. All of these activities address the group’s fundamental interests in grass-roots, collaborative, networked and provocative media-art actions.
Specific satellite projects that Furtherfield has developed include:
- VisitorsStudio;
- Rosalind - Upstart New Media Lexicon;
- HTTP [House of Technologically Termed Practice];
- Furthernoise;
- 5+5=5 NetArtFilm;
- Netbehaviour – a networked artists’ community;
- Do-It-With-Others (DIWO.
[edit] People
Approximately 600 people are regular contributors and collaborators in Furtherfield activities, with an estimated global readership of 26,000. The organisation is run by a core group of six “current grafters” comprising founders Catlow and Garrett (Co-Directors), Neil Jenkins (Technical Director of Projects), Giles Pender (Technical, Network and Logistics’ guru), Michael Szpakowski (Outreach and Education) and Lauren Wright (Co-producer and Coordinator). A “neighbourhood crew” and “now-sleeping Furtherfielders” are also listed on the organisation’s web site.
