The archives for the Institute for Mobile Research is currently on display at the Proteus Gowanus museum in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Named for the mutable god of the sea in Greek mythology, Proteus showcases a variety of projects and artists under different themes. The theme for this year is "Commerce" with IMR exhibiting under the subgenre of "Trade Routes." As a temporary Project-in-Residence, the mission of IMR is to inform visitors to the museum about mobile vending as a platform for art, commerce, education, architecture, trade, health care, and sustainability throughout the ages. Viewing the gestalt of "mobile" as an academic and research discipline is an innovative concept that contrasts sharply with the fetishized novelty that food trucks and trendy pop-ups have singularly become in recent years. With the exhibition and continuing online publication of interviews, profiles, and original research, the long-term goal of IMR is to educate the masses on how "mobile," or portable entrepreneurship, can enrich commerce and community development in a myriad of ways, along with best practices and designs for such endeavors. IMR has recently hosted talks such as "Mobile Vending in the Underground Economy," featuring Sean Basinski of The Street Vendor Project, Justin Levinson of Makeshift magazine, and Esther Robinson of ArtBuild, a division of ArtHome. "Art and Entrepreneurship in Mobile Vending" showcased a roundtable discussion with "Trailer Park" artist and MIT Media Lab Fellow Kim Holleman and hair salon-on-wheels stylist/owner Caroline Destefano of Studio in Motion. More events will follow until the closing of the exhibition on May 3rd. The gallery and IMR archives at Proteus Gowanus is open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays from 3-6pm and on Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6pm.
