Furtherfield
Encyclopedia
Furtherfield.org is an artist-led online community and arts organization. It creates and supports global participatory projects with networks of artists, theorists and activists and offers "a chance for the public to present its own views and enter or alter various art discourses".
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."
London in 1996 by artist-theorists Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett. Inspired by the cultural value of collaboration as opposed to the traditional myth of individual artistic genius, Furtherfield has focused on the development of "artware" - software platforms for creating art – that engages its users in collaborative creative endeavours.
In 2004, Furtherfield opened HTTP, a physical gallery space 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. As well as its own projects, Furtherfield has contributed to other initiatives such as Node.London., hosting exhibitions and events, and contributing to the resulting book, Media Mutandis: a NODE.London Reader; and the travelling exhibition Game/Play (2006–07), co-curated with Q Arts, Derby. In 2007, Furtherfield was ranked in Dazed and Confused’s Digital Top 50.
Specific satellite projects that Furtherfield has developed include:
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."
History and Background
Furtherfield was founded in HarringayHarringay
Harringay is a residential area of North London, part of the London Borough of Haringey, United Kingdom. It is centred on the section of Green Lanes running between the northern boundary of Finsbury Park up to the southern boundary of Duckett's Common, not far from Turnpike Lane.-Location:The...
London in 1996 by artist-theorists Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett. Inspired by the cultural value of collaboration as opposed to the traditional myth of individual artistic genius, Furtherfield has focused on the development of "artware" - software platforms for creating art – that engages its users in collaborative creative endeavours.
In 2004, Furtherfield opened HTTP, a physical gallery space for networked media art in North London, and since that time it has received funding from the Arts Council of England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
to support its activities. As well as its own projects, Furtherfield has contributed to other initiatives such as Node.London., hosting exhibitions and events, and contributing to the resulting book, Media Mutandis: a NODE.London Reader; and the travelling exhibition Game/Play (2006–07), co-curated with Q Arts, Derby. In 2007, Furtherfield was ranked in Dazed and Confused’s Digital Top 50.
Projects
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 interest in collaborative, networked art, open source, media art ecologies and provocative media-art projects.Specific satellite projects that Furtherfield has developed include:
- Artists Re-thinking Games;
- Zero Dollar Laptop Workshops;
- Media Art Ecologies;
- Visitors Studio;
- Rosalind - Upstart New Media Lexicon;
- HTTP - House of Technologically Termed Practice;
- Furthernoise;
- 5+5=5 NetArtFilm;
- Netbehaviour – new media art mailing list;
- Do-It-With-Others (DIWO).
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), Ale Scapin (Coordinator and Programme Manager), Olga Panades Massanet (Co-editor and Workshop Facilitator) and Lauren Wright (Co-producer and Coordinator). A “neighbourhood crew” and “now-sleeping Furtherfielders” are also listed on the organisation’s web site.Further reading
External links
- Furtherfield.org
- Visitors Studio
- HTTP - House of Technologically Termed Practice
- Furthernoise