Conflux 2008

Maya Suess, Helmet Piece, 2008 Courtesy the artist

From Thursday through Sunday, September 14th, Conflux, the art and technology festival for the creative exploration of urban public space, will present a number of art installations, street art interventions, interactive performance, walking tours, bicycle and public-transit expeditions, DIY media workshops, lectures, films and music. Headquartered at The Center for Architecture, Conflux will include the participation of over one hundred local and international artists. Now in its fifth year, the festival is hosted by Christina Ray (founder of New York art space Glowlab) and a team of New York-based curators.

Helmet Piece, by artist Maya Suess, is an example of one of the interactive performances. It was performed early in the festival, but if you missed it there may be other opportunities to see the work at a later date. A group of performers wear solid, spherical helmets with a stethoscope headset at the front that allows audience members to hear “a composition of subtle internal sounds made by the performers.” The artist deals with issues of interior and exterior as the internal sounds of the performers are broadcast through a simple medical instrument to the city’s urban environment.

Conflux fits right in with many of the other events, exhibitions, and happenings related to the street this fall. Given its temporal nature, be sure to catch the last few days of the festival and its programming. For scheduling information visit the Conflux website.