Flux Factory’s inaugural building-wide exhibition

on view every Saturday and Sunday 12 – 6 pm until March 21st.

Housebroken remains on view every Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 6 pm until March 21st.

Curated by Jean Barberis and Georgia Muenster

Participating artists: Carey Ascenzo; Ali Aschman; Man Bartlett; Ranjit Bhatnagar; David Bohl & David Kagan; Brandstifter; Adam Brent; Matt Bua; Paul Burn; Ian Burns; Lucille Calmel; Paula Castro; Cyprien Chabert; Gabriel Cohen & Megan Snowe; David Court & Carolyn Lambert; The Deterritorialized Church; Kerry Downey; Jason Eppink; Cassandra Ferland & Boyd Shropshire; Tracy Gilman, David Schleifer & Lauren Silberman; Nick Golebiewski & Marin Tockman; Eckart Graeve; Kathryn Hamilton; Amy Lynn Herman; Peter Hristoff; Thom Hutchison; Jaime Iglehart; Doreen Jakob; Anna Lise Jensen; Benjamin Johnson/BADSTUDIO & Hiroko Takeda; Darren Jones & Ryan Roa; Jack Kalish & Katie Westgate; Bernard Klevickas; George Kroenert; Sara Krugman; Elizabeth Larison & Jesse Novak; Fabienne Lasserre; Matt Levy; Michelle Levy; Amy Longenecker & Christopher Ulivo; Nelson Loskamp; Caroline Mak; Greg Martin; Lili Maya & James Rouvelle; Olive McKeon; Ian Montgomery; Martina Mrongovius; Georgia Muenster; Jo Q. Nelson; Nick Normal; Issa Nyaphaga; Adrian Owen; Molly Page; Clare Parry; Douglas Paulson; Damon Pelletier & Chess Venis; SKOTE; Brendan Ravenhill; Annie Reichert & Etosha Terryll; Rob Rhee; John Roach; Julius Schmeidel; Eugenia Semjonova; Igor Siddiqui; Terence Smith; Julia Solis; SP Weather Station; Jeff Stark; Josh Thorpe; Gabriela Vainsencher; Hein Verwer; Barbara Westermann; Meng-Hsuan Wu; Chin Chih Yang

It seems like just yesterday. In fact, it was the early ’90s. Grunge was au courant. A fresh-faced saxophonist from somewhere down South had just taken the White House. And you could still get large empty warehouse spaces in Williamsburg for next to nothing. We moved in without rooms or a toilet to piss in. Literally. We were pissing into a hole in the middle of the floor. I never did find out where that hole went. But it didn’t matter. Mystery was in the air. Only later did the art arrive. First mystery pissing, then art, I always say.

What did Flux Factory stand for back then? I don’t remember. But it stood, and that alone was an accomplishment. Stefany’s (Shuffy) mother visited us once in that first year. A few weeks later we received a large package in the mail. It was a box of fire alarms, extinguishers, and an escape ladder. The Braun Brothers built a music studio right in the middle of the space and recorded Negatones songs between 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning on most weekdays. Once, for reasons long forgotten, the landlord tried to brain me with a crowbar. He missed, and later we had tea.

Then the French arrived. Jean and Seb blew in on a cloud one day and said, “Let’s have a show.” But of course! Jean had been living on a planet of happy bubbles. He brought a suitcase of those bubbles to Brooklyn. Days later, the bastards blew up the towers and we moved to Queens. Stay ahead of the curve, we thought, stick to the margins. We were starting to feel a sense of confidence. Not one of us knew what anyone else was doing but sometimes we’d look at each other in the glow of late-night tinkering on a just-about-to-open show and we’d nod in the way that says, “Freedom, goddammit, just a little bit of frickin’ freedom.” We nominated Shuffy queen of the new art ship and continued to make things up as we went along. Our philosophy was tape and the ability for tape to hold fabric tunnels together. Our mantra was “Good Enough!” Our ethics were to let everyone talk until sheer exhaustion made us love each other. Has anyone ever had a better idea?

Just as Shuffy and I were petering out the Gods sent us a savior out of Israel via Toronto. This messiah we called “Chen”. Chen picked up the pieces and started things anew. She blew some dust on Jean’s happy bubbles, tweaked the gonogonatros and extra-invigorated the wingdingers. Thank Heaven. It’s a new era. But a lot is the same, too. A spirit of mystery and hole pissing has maintained itself all along.

God knows there are more important things in the world, but I will always love Flux Factory especially. One thing art does, at least, is to make sure that the actual world doesn’t get too grumpy and set in its ways. At Flux, we always figured out new ways. Usually, they were worse than the previous ways, but they were ours. We built a world together over the years. It took a long list of crazies and their unemployed friends to do it. But we built a world together. I will not ever forget that. And the story continues.

Love to all,

Morgan Meis, original Founder

OPENING FEB 19th, 8pm till late (click for info)

Thank you to our amazing volunteers!

Lamia Akar, Nicole Caruso, Sheila Donovan-Moore, Eileen Emond, Moses Gates, Justin Grotelueschen, Melanie Hegge, Charlotte Herzig, Elizabeth Larison, Carly Leibman, Karen Lynn Miller, Ian Montgomery, James O’Meara, Sarah Overholt, Michael Owen, Terence Smith, Damon Peletier, Sammy Phuntsog, Margaret Rosario, Tucker Sabath, Shalin Scupham, Christina Vassallo, Kerra Vick, Elizabeth White, and Lucy Yang.

Housebroken remains on view every Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 6 pm until March 21st.

Housebroken is made possible with public funds fromNew York State Council on the Arts,New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,
and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

We are grateful for the support of Campari,
Build It Green!, and Materials for the Arts

Science Fair will be a collaborative effort that examines science based projects and concepts through the lens of art. Artists will be encouraged to create their own Science Fair “booths” and experiments to be on display at the Fair. It is our hope to discover the potential for science as a breeding ground for art: a way to inform and inspire art as a springboard for creative thought.

The Fair will showcase several projects including a room of kinetic/robotic sculptures, a gallery-space-as-fish tank, an artist-run weather station, and homemade hot air balloons. Science Fair will also feature workshops and panel discussions with scientists, artists, and other professionals.

We invite you to apply with your best Hypotheses, Inventions, and Experiments.

Interested parties should submit:

-One paragraph explaining your project and its requirements (electrical, etc). 300 words maximum. Please title your document in this format: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_LETTER.DOC or .RTF

-Documentation of previous work: Maximum 2 page PDF document or 5 JPEG images (72 dpi only)
Images should be titled: LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_IMAGE#
Or 5 minutes of video. Please do send movie files. Instead, include a link to your work online in the proposal paragraph.

-Resumé or bio, maximum 2 pages. Titled LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_BIO.DOC or .RTF

Please put “Science Fair Proposal” as the subject of your email. And for goodness’ sake, put your name and email on everything.

Submissions should be sent to sciencefair@fluxfactory.org. If you have any questions, please send an email with “Science Fair Question” as the subject line.

Do not send original material. Nothing will be mailed back to you.

We’re looking forward to your proposals!!!

Suggested donation, $15 (tax-deductible)
Open bar courtesy of Campari, 21+
Please rsvp to rsvp@fluxfactory.org

click here for our facebook event invite!

Join us on Friday, February 19th for Housebroken, Flux’s inaugural show! In celebration of our newest home, we’ve invited dozens upon dozens of artists to create works throughout the building. Housebroken is easily our biggest project ever, with over 100 installations, performances, and homey additions to our factory…. Eclectic performances and unparalleled reverie begin at 8 pm, continuing on into the night.

Housebroken will remain on view every Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 6 pm until March 21st.

click here for full project information.

On Goings, Happenings and Performances for Feb. 19th:

8:00 – 9:00 Nick Golebiewski & Marin Tockman Souper Ate dinner party and projection, kitchen

8:00 – 9:00 Adrian Owen: Arias in the Shower

9:00 – 9:30 Olive McKeon, Quiet raucous on the kitchen table

8:00 – 11:00 Nelson Loskamp: Electric chaircut, gallery annex

8:00 – 10:00 David & David perform Self Help Singing Sculpture, elp,gallery

10:00 – 10:30 White Limo rocking metal in the pit

10:30 – 2:00 DJ Taliesin and Mosholu Park with video art by NES.Avi

Throughout the evening:

Anna Lise Jensen: Conversation Piece in the library

Matt Levy: Action Misdirection, tours of the building. Find him.

Lucille Calmel: Intimate performance and screening in downstairs studio.

SKOTE: To grok (pronounced /ˈɡrɒk/) is to share the same reality or line of thinking with another physical or conceptual entity.

Tracy Gilman, David Schleifer & Lauren Silberman Make It Happen in the office

more info click here..

Housebroken is made possible with public funds from New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

We are grateful for the support of Campari, Build It Green!, and Materials for the Arts.

Best Deal of the Century
(It’s true, with inflation)

Join us for a stellar night of performances, music, free booze, and excellent people.

With specially commissioned prints at extremely ridiculous prices.* Dec 10th, 2009

Open bar cocktails at 7:30

Performances at 8:30

Suggested Donation $20

39-31 29th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101

We’ll have box sets with limited-edition work by:

Brandstifter, Bread & Butter Collective, Andrea Dezso, Kerry Downey, Heather Jones, Aya Kakeda, Miwa Koizumi, Simone Meltesen, Nick Normal, Ward Shelley, and Swoon

Priced at a measly $1500 per box set

And!

Goody bags with limited-edition work by:

Parfyme, Paula Castro, and Georgia Muenster

and other surprises for only $50!

Performances and screenings by:

April March, Adira Amram and Nick Jones, Marie Losier, Nick Yulman, and Sxip Shirey

and surprise special guests!

Open bar cocktails start at 7:30

Performances at 8:30

Suggested Donation $20

*Art makes awesome holiday gifts!

39-31 29th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101

Flux Factory is pleased to announce two projects in partnership with European collectives:

Water Girls, Water Boys at the Athens Biennial, Opening June 14

Two Flux Factory artists, Chen Tamir and Douglas Paulson, will collaborate with Urban Void, the Network of Nomadic Architecture, and Damon Rich & Jae Shin on Water Girls, Water Boys at the upcoming Athens Biennial. Together with the public, they will explore Athens’ coastal suburb of Phaliron at the mouth of the Kifissos River and the island of Psytalleia. These areas have fallen victim to ecological irresponsibility, and Flux Factory and company will be creating an open-source tour guide to the area.

Please see douglaspaulson.com, faliron-bay-athens.blogspot.com and kifissosguide.wordpress.com for more information.

Reverse Pedagogy at the Venice Biennial, June 1-7

Flux Factory is partnering with Reverse Pedagogy, an experimental, nomadic art school in session during the first ten days of the 53rd Venice Biennial, bringing with it an international cast of artists, curators, and writers. Taking off from its first installment at the Banff Centre (Canada), Reverse Pedagogy turns the city of Venice into its own site of art and knowledge production, communal living, play, and conversation. With air mattresses, tents, crash pads, and eleven canoes in tow, participants engage round-the-clock in activities within the residency and the Biennial itself.

Reverse Pedagogy will travel to New York in 2010 as part of Flux Factory’s newly established residency program.

For more information, please visit www.reversepedagogy.com.

We’re excited to report that we’ll be occupying an 8000 square foot, 3 story building just two blocks north of Queens Plaza at 39-31 29th street. We’re working with the wonderful HWKN design team to create a multi-purpose arts center with galleries, studios, and production facilities.

The new Flux Factory will still be devoted to producing collaborative projects and providing affordable work residencies for artists. We’ve got wonderful projects coming up in 2009, including our famous bus tours and a grande science fair! And of course an inaugural show once we’re done renovations.

You can check out photos of the new space here.

We’ve got a lot of work to do- and we want your help! We’re working in the space every Tuesday through Saturday from about 10-6, sometimes later, from now until mid-July.  We need volunteers to help with all aspects of demolition and construction. Come ready to learn all about how to renovate a building using green techniques and recycled materials, or spend an afternoon showing off your superhuman sheetrock skills for a good cause.  We’re also looking for administrative volunteers to help us with different aspects of running a sprawling non-profit, like alternative materials acquisitions, event production, mailings, and other fun office stuff.  We’ll make you lunch, give you beer after you’re done with the sledgehammer, and have so much fun together.  All levels of ability, from 98 pound weakling to master carpenter, are welcome and encouraged to come by for as much or little time as you’d like.

Interested? Call or email Shalin at 678.936.7721  or shalin.scupham@gmail.com.

We need your help in the form of donations!
Tax-deductible donations can be sent via check or Paypal:

Please make cheques payable to Flux Factory Inc.	Paypal
and mail them to: P.O. BOX 370700 Brooklyn, NY 11237

If you still have any questions, please fill out the following form.

We will reply to you at our earliest convenience.

Examples of past shows include turning the gallery into a giant music box, a exhibition inspired by a movie, an exquisite-corpse exercise in a derelict building, an interdisciplinary monument to Tatlin, an edible art show, bus tours by artists, and many many more.

Since we’re temporarily losing our headquarters, we’re looking for itinerant projects, or ones that we could find specific venues for. Budgets for each show are around $4000 all inclusive.

Think big!

Submissions should be no longer than a one page description of the project, and should be emailed to info@fluxfactory.org with the subject heading “Proposal.” Deadline for submissions is November 26th, 2008.A bit about us:

Flux Factory began as a collective living space in 1994, in an old spice factory in Williamsburg, New York City. Its original members were undergraduates at the New School For Social Research (now New School University). About four years later, with a new stage built and twice as many members, the Flux Factory living room evolved into a site for art events and performances of all kinds. Flux became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1999 and moved to Long Island City, Queens in 2002.

We have since evolved into one of the major arts organizations in the Queens cultural life, producing art shows attended by thousands. Our mission is to commission innovative collaborative art projects. These projects force participants to work with people they’ve never worked with before, or with unfamiliar media, or formal constraints. Over 500
international and local artists have collaborated with and through Flux Factory.

Since becoming incorporated in 1998 our funding has grown steadily. We have recently received funding from the Greenwall Foundation, The Andy Warhol Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, New York State Council on the Arts, Puffin Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Queens Council on the Arts.