Feral Lab Network, here we are.
We, Eva and Rüdiger, just returned from out kick off meeting in Slovenia and let me tell you, it was nice. We met an outstanding group of motivated activists between the art, maker and science. Over the next years Schmiede and her Smiths will have the privilege to go wild all around Europe. We also hope that many feralings will make it to our island as well.
Feral Lab Network is a network of temporary dislocated hubs for research in art, technology and communities. The partners from six EU countries partners will organise a set of actions joined by their common interest into art-science research and contemporary do-it-yourself (DIY) & do-it-with-others (DIWO) communities. Instead on presentational modes like exhibitions and festivals, our main focus well be in connection and organising a series of camps and similar kinds of temporary creative environments, all with a strong emphasis on process-based activities like peer learning, field work, research and co-creation. What these activities have in common is their deliberate setting in a remote environment, away from the usual urban set-up of contemporary Creative Hubs. Partners we will create a variety of temporary creative hubs that vary in scope, format and topics covered, but are all joined by joined methodological starting point. These actions will be further extended and connected via a strong trans-national outreach and media strategy and accompanying developmental and community oriented Artist-In-Residence programmes.
For now let me present our partners:
Zavod Projekt Atol (ZPA) is the convener and initiator of the FeralLabs.net project. As an organization it has vast and long-standing experience in field work based artistic research all around the world, like the Makrolab, the Arctic Perspective Initiative and Changing Weathers. In 2015 ZPA initiated the Unmanned-Resilience project held at the Gora Plateau and the yearly PIFcamp, held at the Tiglav National Park. PIFcamp is a 7-day hacker-base set in Slovenian nature, where art, technology and knowledge meet. PIFcamp is the event in the Slovenian calendar for technology based artists and art organisations. PIF Call 2019.
Finnish Society of Bioart (FBAS) based in Helsinki, is an organisation developing, producing and facilitating activities around art and natural sciences, with a focus on biology, ecology and life sciences. The Bioartsociety is the motor behind the Ars Bioarctica program which is a long term art&science initiative with a focus on the sub Arctic environment. The activities of Ars Bioarctica encompass the Ars Bioarctica residency programm, the Field_Notes field laboratories, specific workshops and educational services for University programs. “Field_Notes – The Heavens” is taking place at the Kilpisjärvi Biological Station of the University of Helsinki in Lapland Finland. It is a one-week long art&science field laboratory. During the workweek, five groups composed of artists, scientists and other practitioners, led by expert hosts will develop, test and evaluate specific artistic approaches, based on the specific questions towards the heavens.
Radiona.org / Zagreb Makerspace organized numerous international hackathons and off-the-grid labs in the nature, combining contemporary practices of maker scene and (new) media arts with innovative use of natural resources. The lab nurtures access to knowledge and sharable cutting-edge practices in order to enhance creative processes and expression for all: the artists, the makers and the micro-communities. Electric Wonderlands Camp will gather international guests – lecturers, workshop facilitators, makers / hackers, intermedia artists, technologists, designers, scientists, engineers and DIY tinkerers. The aim of the week-long camp is to to create environment for fostering development of creative practices in the fields of hybrid arts in the wider context of DIY and DIWO cultures.
CATCH is a recently initiated greenhouse for creative students with creativity, skills and ambitions to be part of a unique, multi-disciplinary environment in Helsingør. CATCH can be anchored in Helsingør's dynamic cultural harbor, where students have the opportunity to connect theory with practice - in a meeting with real needs and premises from private and public companies and organizations that have challenges to be solved.
Makery.info / Digital Art International is both a producer and distributor of digital artworks and connected objects, was named Innovative Young Enterprise in 2014 and has launched a new media about the maker movement: Makery, media for all labs, an on-line media published in English and French. Makery, with its open-map referencing more than 1000 international fablabs, hackerspaces, medialabs, artlabs, and other third-places and creative hubs, is the platform for keeping abreast of innovations emerging from labs around the world, the scouting tool of new trends in digital fabrication, DIY culture and knowledge sharing. With its 50,000 unique visitors per month, Makery’s participation in the FeralLab consortium will help to reach an immense non-institutional audience, but even more importantly, will be able to reach places and communities engaged in the makers movement, non-formal education and open laboratories around the world.
and us, Schmiede.
Calls to follow. So even if we all want you to return to Hallein always I assume that many opportunities and impulses will emerge.
so a group shot was mandatory ;) I could only escape by volunteering to hold the camera.
super special thanks to Creative Europe for enabling us
