Blogs

Tuesday, November 27 7pm
Tickets: $7

This panel discussion examines the use of appropriation in contemporary art, considering the various approaches to appropriation adopted by three different generations of artists spanning the 1970s to today. The panel will be moderated by art historian and writer Michael Newman, the author of Richard Prince: Untitled (couple) recently published by Afterall Books, and he will be accompanied by artists Judith Barry, Sarah Charlesworth, and others.

Afterall is a non-profit research and publishing organization, supported by Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, London and California Institute of the Arts, Los Angeles, that publishes a contemporary art journal and a series of books. For more information, please visit www.afterall.org

Photo: Richard Prince, Untitled (couple), 1977, Ektacolor photograph (detail). Courtesy Barbara Gladstone Gallery, New York.

Major new residency and performance/installation series

In January 2008, LEMUR will inaugurate "ReSiDeNt," a unique new creator-in-residence program, hosted at LEMUR's Brooklyn space in Park Slope. Each month, we will award three artists a month-long residency at LEMUR, enabling them to create a work utilizing LEMUR's resources, including robotic musical instruments, MIDI audio/video controllers, video projection and tracking system and more. Each group of residencies will culminate in a public show at LEMUR at the end of the month.

Artists from all performing and installation disciplines are encouraged to apply, including musicians, composers, dancers, choreographers, video artists, interactive installation artists, performance artists, multimedia artists and others.
LEMUR's staff will provide technical support to residents for learning and utilizing our resources. For early residencies, we will give preference to artists with a reasonable degree of technical skill with computer art. As the year progresses, we will be able to give a higher level of technical support, possibly including programming, electronic design and more.

The deadline to apply for January's residencies is Monday, December 17th. Announcement of January's residency awards will be announced the following week.

Subsequent deadlines will be rolling, allowing artists to submit applications to be considered for future residencies throughout the year. The application process is outlined below and will also be posted to LEMUR's web site shortly.

Applying to ReSiDeNt

The application process is designed to be easy. Mainly, we want to see your qualifications and past work and get a sense of the type of work you would do at a LEMUR residency.

All applications are accepted via email to resident@lemurbots.org. Please include the following information in your email.

Part 1: Contact Information
Name
Address
Email
Cell number
Alt number

Part 2: Work Samples
Send URLs of video, audio, photos and text documenting your past projects. Please indicate which works you would like us to view, in which order, and what role you had in creating the work.

We prefer to receive all work samples online. You may also attach files up to 1 MB total. If you need to email larger files which you can not put online, please contact us in advance for ftp information. If you must mail hard copy of work, you can send it to LEMUR, 461 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11215, attn: ReSiDeNt.

Part 3: Artist Resume/CV
Send us your artist resume or CV in plain text, Word or PDF format. Important - please make sure to include a list of your technical skills relevant to the residency.

Part 4: Proposal Sketch
Send us your idea or ideas for what you might do during a LEMUR residency. Include which instruments and resources you envision working with (see below). Your project does not need to be conceived in full at this time, but please instill in us the confidence that you have a reasonable plan in mind and that you can realize a work in a month's time.

Thank you for your time and interest in LEMUR ReSiDeNt. We look forward to receiving your application.

Eric Singer
Executive Director
LEMUR: League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots


FAQ
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What instruments, systems and other resources will be available to me?
GuitarBot, XyloBot, ModBots (percussion bots), HydroBots (water-based bots), Slime-o-trons (slime controllers), Chime-o-tron (MIDI wind chimes), Slink-o-trons (slinky controllers), Sonic Banana (bend controller), Ascension Flock of Birds 6-DOF tracking system with 3 trackers, sensors, MidiTron and MidiTron Wireless sensor interfaces, floor-projected video with video tracking overlay, wall-projected video, PA, PTZ camera, broadband internet, Mac and PC computers, MIDI keyboard, software (Max/MSP/Jitter, Isadora, Digital Performer, etc.). In addition, LEMUR is constantly working on new instruments, which will be made available as they are created.

How much time will I be able to spend at LEMUR working on my project?
You can spend as much time as you want, subject to scheduling with LEMUR staff. Generally, someone is there Monday through Friday from 10 am until 8 pm, and weekend times can be arranged as necessary.

Does my work have to utilize LEMUR's instruments and equipment?
Yes. A major goal of this residency program is to partner with a variety of artists to create new work for LEMUR instruments.

What length is my work expected to be?
For performances, we would like a minimum of 20 minutes of work. For music, a 40-45 minute set would be highly desirable. Installations would normally be ongoing, though we would hope that any one user would be engaged for 5 minutes or more.

Is there any stipend or other support money?
This is an unfunded residency program, so there is no stipend or support money. The support we provide is in the form of in-kind donations of our time, space and resources.

Do I have to do a performance, or is an installation ok?
Installations are fine and encouraged. Preference will be given to interactive installations over non-interactive ones.

To realize my work, I want to create new software/Max patches/electronics but I don't know how. Can someone at LEMUR help me?
Not at this time. We don't have the resources to develop custom technology outside the scope of our own work. However, if you have a technologist that will commit to partnering with you, you are welcome to propose this.

I have a great idea but I've never done computer art before? Should I apply?
At the early stages of this program, we will probably not be able to support artists who do not have reasonable skills in implementing their work.

I live outside of New York City. Can you provide room and board?
We can't, but you probably already have a friend with a sofa in New York City :-)

Will there be future opportunities to show the work I create after the end-of-month show?
The best work to come out of ReSiDeNt will likely have future opportunities to be shown. LEMUR stages performances and installations around the world, and we are always looking to incorporate new work.

What are some examples of projects you will consider?
Compositions for the robots
Interactive performances with the robots and/or controllers
Interactive installations with the robots and/org controllers
Interactive dance with the robots
Theater pieces or performance art with the robots
Interactive video installations incorporating the robots

My discipline doesn't fall into your listed categories. Can I still apply?
Definitely. These are simply examples, and we will consider work from any discipline if we feel it is possible to realize at our space.

Do I have to come in with a project idea from the beginning?
You do not have to come in with a fully formed project, but you should have an idea of what you want to do and should outline this in your application. You can develop the specifics of your project within the time frame of the residency. Also, feel free to bounce ideas off us before applying.

What if my work will take longer than a month to complete?
We can only devote one month of work time to each artist. If you need more time but can do your preliminary work off-site prior to the residency month, we will consider this.

Please feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have.

"Technical skills are less important than creative thinking," lectures Netochka in an e-mail. "The epoch of the generalist has arrived -- again. Any fool can program and most do. Software engineers are emotionally inept. In today's unstable + dynamic environment they do not stand a chance."