The Visible Futures Lab (VFL) announces its first Artist in Residence, James Bridle.
James is a writer, artist, publisher and technologist based in London, UK. His work covers the intersection of literature, culture and the network. He writes for a range of publications online and off, including a regular column on digital literature in the Observer and speaks at conferences worldwide. His work can be found at http://booktwo.org.
In 2011, he coined the term “The New Aesthetic”, and his ongoing research around this subject has been featured and discussed worldwide. His work, such as the Iraq War Historiography, an encyclopaedia of Wikipedia Changelogs, has been exhibited at galleries in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and has been commissioned by organizations such as Artangel and Mu, Eindhoven. In 2012 he was a Happenstance Resident at Lighthouse Gallery, lectured as part of the Four Thought series on BBC Radio 4, contributed to the Istanbul Design Biennial and Guimaraes 2012 European City of Culture, and was adjunct professor at the Interactive Telecommunications Programme at New York University.
For the VFL Residency, James will be exploring ways of visualising the network, with an emphasis on surveillance and automated systems, from digital photos, to CCTV and military drones.
The network is the internet and us, it is where we conduct much of our leisure and labour time, it is where we interact with one another, with employers and other businesses, and with the state. It is also ill-defined, intangible, and interwoven with everyday life. The challenge of the network is to make it real enough to approach, touch, and understand.
James will present the explorations of his residency through a talk on Monday, December 17 at 12:00PM at the VFL. Artifacts from James’ residency will be on display in the VFL gallery from December 17th to December 20th. The talk and the gallery show is open to the SVA community and the general public.
The Visible Futures Lab Artist In Residence Program is a seven-week opportunity for designers and artists to research and develop projects that explore and expand the philosophy of the VFL. Residences will receive a supplemental income and have access to the facilities and resources of the VFL. In return, residents will host weekly workshops and presentations to expose SVA students to their skill sets and areas research. Each residency will culminate with a final presentation and galley show at the end of the seven weeks. Residents do not need to be SVA students or faculty to apply. Applications are now being accepted thru the VFL website.
