Psy-Geo-Conflux
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Psy-Geo-Conflux (better known as Conflux) is an annual
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
festival dedicated to
psychogeography Psychogeography is the exploration of urban environments that emphasizes interpersonal connections to places and arbitrary routes. It was developed by members of the Letterist International and Situationist International, which were revolutionar ...
, 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.


Founding

Conflux was co-founded by David Mandl of the Brooklyn Psychogeographical Association and
Glowlab Glowlab was an artist-run space, artist-run initiative that produced and presented experimental work related to city, cities and psychogeography, including interactive artworks and projects, events, exhibitions, and artists' gatherings. Brooklyn a ...
's Christina Ray. The first Psy-Geo-Conflux event was held in May 2003 at
ABC No Rio ABC No Rio is a collectively-run nonprofit arts organization on New York City's Lower East Side. Founded in 1980 in a squat at 156 Rivington Street, following the eviction of the 1979–80 Real Estate Show, the center featured an art gallery s ...
in New York. Psychogeographers from the U.S., Canada, UK, France and the Netherlands conducted experimental walks using computer code, decks of cards and other systems for
navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...
; a mobile-phone-guided drift through the streets of New York; a life-sized
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
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 ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...
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.".


History

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 The New Museum of Contemporary Art is a museum at 235 Bowery, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1977 by Marcia Tucker. History The museum originally opened in a space in the Graduate Center of the then-name ...
; 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 The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
, and included over 50 participating international artists and groups. In 2005, Conflux was replicated by
Providence Initiative for Psychogeographic Studies {{more footnotes, date=November 2009 Providence Initiative for Psychogeographic Studies (PIPS), sometimes referred to as "People Interested in Participatory Societies," is a small collective of artists in Providence, Rhode Island which promotes art ...
in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
,
Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
in an event known as Provflux. An additional Conflux-related event titled "Open Lab" was held at Art Interactive in
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,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. The 3rd annual Conflux festival was held in Brooklyn for the first time on September 14–17 2006. McCaig-Welles Gallery in
Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...
served as Conflux headquarters, with events taking place in and around the gallery. The 4th annual festival was held at in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the 5th annual festival at the
Center for Architecture The Center for Architecture is located in the neighborhood of Greenwich Village at 536 LaGuardia Place, between West 3rd Street and Bleecker Street in Manhattan, New York City. The center was designed by architect Andrew Berman and complet ...
in lower Manhattan, the 6th annual festival at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
in the
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development The New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development (commonly referred to as NYU Steinhardt) is the education school of New York University. The school was founded as the School of Pedagogy in 1890. Prior to ...
on September 18-20th, and the 7th annual festival was held on October 8–10 at NYU Steinhardt's Barney Building, in 2010.


Notes


Bibliography


In Brooklyn, a Confluxion Junction
by Martha Schwendener, New York Times, September 18, 2007 * by Patrick Ellis, CIAC Magazine Special Issue: The Virtual City, Autumn, 2004. * by Andrea Moed, Knowledge Circuit niversity of Minnesota Design Institute September 12, 2004. * by Joseph Hart, Utne magazine, July / August 2004 *{{usurped,
PSY-GEO-CONFLUX
} by Alan Lockwood, New York Press ol 17 - Issue 19 May 12–18, 2004, p. 42.
Psy.Geo.Conflux 2004, psicogeografia a New York
Neural.it, November 7, 2017.
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 sychogeography - 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.


External links


Conflux Festival websiteGlowlabABC No Rio
Festivals in New York City Psychogeography