Furtherfield Explained

Furtherfield.org is an artist-led online community, arts organisation and online magazine. It creates and supports global participatory projects with networks of artists, theorists and activists.^[1] and offers "a chance for the public to present its own views and enter or alter various art discourses".^[2] Their lab-office and gallery currently operates out of in Finsbury Park in London, UK.^[3]

Furtherfield describes itself as:

History and background

Furtherfield was founded in Harringay, London, England, in 1996 by artist-theorists Ruth Catlow and Marc Garrett. Inspired by the cultural value of collaboration as opposed to the traditional myth of individual artistic genius,^[4] Furtherfield has focused on the development of "artware" – software platforms for creating art – that engages its users in collaborative creative endeavours. In 2004, Furtherfield opened HTTP, a physical gallery space for networked media art in North London, and since that time it has received funding from the Arts Council of England to support its activities. As well as its own projects, Furtherfield has contributed to other initiatives such as Node.London,^{[5] [6]} hosting exhibitions and events, and contributing to the resulting book, Media Mutandis: a NODE.London Reader;^[7] and the travelling exhibition Game/Play^[8] (2006–07), co-curated with Q Arts, Derby. In 2007, Furtherfield was ranked in Dazed & Confused's Digital Top 50.^[9]

Projects

Furtherfield's activities include artist presentations and exhibitions, residencies, reviews, theoretical texts, the Furtherfield blog, touring exhibitions, online exhibitions and events. All of these activities address the group's interest in collaborative, networked art, open source, media art ecologies and provocative media-art projects.

Specific projects that Furtherfield has developed include:

• Artists Re-Thinking the Blockchain;^[10]
• Artists Re-thinking Games;^[11]
• Zero Dollar Laptop Workshops;^[12]
• Media Art Ecologies;^[13]
• Visitors Studio;^[14]
• Rosalind^[15] – Upstart New Media Lexicon;^[16]
• House of Technologically Termed Practice;^{[17] [18]}
• Furthernoise;^[19]
• 5+5=5 NetArtFilm;^[20]
• Netbehaviour – new media art mailing list;
• Do-It-With-Others (DIWO).^[21]

People

Approximately 600 people are regular contributors and collaborators in Furtherfield activities, with an estimated global readership of 26,000.^[22] The organisation is run by a core group of six "current grafters" comprising founders Catlow and Garrett (Co-Directors), Charlotte Frost (Executive Director), Neil Jenkins (Technical Director of Projects), Giles Pender (Technical, Network and Logistics’ guru), Michael Szpakowski (Outreach and Education), Olga Panades Massanet (Co-editor and Workshop Facilitator) and Lauren Wright (Co-producer and Coordinator). A "neighbourhood crew" and "now-sleeping Furtherfielders"^[23] are also listed on the organisation's website.

Notable artists and curators that Furtherfield has worked with, in various capacities, include Shu Lea Cheang,^[24] Thomson & Craighead,^[25] Ben Vickers,^[26] They Are Here,^[27] James Bridle,^[28] Katriona Beales,^[29] Holly Herndon,^[30] Gretta Louw,^[31] Helen Varley Jamieson,^[32] Carla Gannis,^[33] and Anna Dumitriu^[34] amongst many others.

Further reading

• Web site: Artists giving up flying is "self-righteous silliness". 13 October 2009. Artsandecology.rsablogs.org.uk.
• Web site: Interviewing the Crisis – Marc Garret, Furtherfield & Netbehaviour. 13 January 2009. Interviewingthecrisis.org. 8 January 2009. it, en .
• Web site: Curediting: Translational Online Work . 25 November 2008 . 2008 . Vagueterrain.net .
• Web site: Coding cultures – part 1 . 25 November 2008 . Mancuso . Marco . 2008 . Digicult.it . 22 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722052342/http://www.digicult.it/digimag/article.asp?id=1121 . dead .
• Sterling . Bruce . 2008 . You, Too, Can Be an Erudite Net.Art Critic . Wired . 15. 25 November 2008 . Blog.wird.com.
• Web site: INTERVIEW: Charlie Gere, Christiane Paul, Jemima Rellie . 25 November 2008 . Cornell . Lauren . 2007 . Newmediafix.net.
• Book: Sloan, Helen . SwanQuake: The User Manual. The Interface Revisited . 2007 . Liquid Press . 978-1-84102-172-0 . registration .
• Loseby . Jess . May 2003 . Sampling net art . A-n Magazine for Artists . 36–37 .
• Web site: Net visions . 25 November 2008 . Mancuso . Marco . digicult.it . 3 March 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090303170931/http://www.digicult.it/digimag/article.asp?id=1183 . dead .
• Book: Wirz, Louise . Charlotte . Frost . Production Lines . 2008 . a–n The Artists Information Company . England . 978-0-907730-85-9 . 3,4.5,6 & 7 .
• Web site: Is there such a thing as an online retrospective? . 25 November 2008 . Navas . Eduardo . 2004. Netartreview.net .
• Web site: After Rhizome . 25 November 2008 . Kovacevic . Vladimir . February 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091024222754/http://geocities.com/afterrhizome. 24 October 2009.

External links

• Furtherfield.org website
• Visitors Studio
• HTTP (House of Technologically Termed Practice)
• Furthernoise

Notes and References

1. Web site: Loseby . Jess . Beyond the Big Boys . metamute . September 2004 . 25 November 2008 . 20 November 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081120061443/http://www.metamute.org/en/Beyond-the-Big-Boys . dead .
2. Web site: Bosma . Josephine . Constructing Media Spaces: The novelty of net(worked) art was and is all about access and engagement . Medien Kunst Netz . 2004 . 14 December 2008.
3. Web site: About Furtherfield – Plan Your Visit. Furtherfield. 24 October 2018.
4. Web site: About Furtherfield – Behaviour Statement. 28 November 2008. 2008. Furtherfield. 25 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081225123147/http://www.furtherfield.org/about.php. dead.
5. Web site: nodel.org . nodel.org . 21 May 2012.
6. Web site: Outside In: Organising NODE.London . 25 November 2008 . Wright . Lauren . November 2006 . 20 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100420204503/http://www.metamute.org/en/Outside-in-Organising-NODE.London . dead .
7. Book: Media Mutandis: A NODE.London Reader . Francis . M.A. . Vishmidt . M. . 9780955243509 . 2006 . NODE.London .
8. Web site: blog.gameplay.org.uk . blog.game-play.org.uk . 7 July 2006 . 21 May 2012 . 18 July 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060718162731/http://blog.game-play.org.uk/ . dead .
9. http://www.dazeddigital.com/projects/digital50/furtherfield/
10. Web site: Artists Re:thinking the Blockchain – Liverpool University Press. Liverpool University Press. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109153222/https://liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/products/100826. dead.
11. Web site: Publications . furtherfield.org . 13 August 2005 . 21 May 2012 .
12. Web site: Zero Dollar Laptop Workshops . Furtherfield.org . 6 October 2011 . 21 May 2012 . 29 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120529025638/http://www.furtherfield.org/zerodollarlaptop/ . dead .
13. Web site: Media Art Ecologies . furtherfield.org . 21 May 2012 . 26 January 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100126052140/http://www.furtherfield.org/mediaartecologies.php . dead .
14. Web site: blog.visitorsstudio.org . blog.visitorsstudio.org . 21 May 2012 . 2 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120402082531/http://blog.visitorsstudio.org/ . dead .
15. Web site: Rosalind . Furtherfield.org . 21 May 2012 . 25 March 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120325182407/http://www.furtherfield.org/rosalind/ . dead .
16. Web site: McPhail . Lora . Rosalind . Net Art Review . 2004 . 25 November 2008.
17. Web site: Olga . http.uk.net . http.uk.net . 21 May 2012.
18. Web site: Smith . Finn . Art, Autonomy and Automata . metamute . November 2005 . 25 November 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110525030126/http://www.metamute.org/en/art_autonomy_and_automata . 25 May 2011 .
19. Web site: furthernoise.org . furthernoise.org . 31 December 1989 . 21 May 2012 . 5 June 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080605061753/http://www.furthernoise.org/ . dead .
20. Web site: netartfilm.furtherfield.org . netartfilm.furtherfield.org . 9 September 2006 . 21 May 2012 . 2 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120402061335/http://netartfilm.furtherfield.org/ . dead .
21. Web site: Simi . Giulia . DIWO: CO-CREATION, CO-CURATION . Digicult . 2007 . 25 November 2008 . 22 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722052327/http://www.digicult.it/digimag/article.asp?id=809 . dead .
22. Web site: About Furtherfield . 28 November 2008 . 2008 . Furtherfield . 25 December 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081225123147/http://www.furtherfield.org/about.php . dead .
23. Web site: About . furtherfield.org . 20 September 2004 . 21 May 2012 . 26 January 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100126011039/http://www.furtherfield.org/about.php . dead .
24. Web site: Shu Lea Cheang and Mark Amerika www.furtherfield.org. archive.furtherfield.org. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109193732/http://archive.furtherfield.org/programmes/exhibition/shu-lea-cheang-and-mark-amerika. dead.
25. Web site: Thomson & Craighead – 'Being Social' Furtherfield Gallery. Carroll / Fletcher. 9 November 2018.
26. News: Artists Re:Thinking the Blockchain. Furtherfield. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109193715/https://www.furtherfield.org/events/artists-rethinking-blockchain/. dead.
27. Web site: PLAY + TEST with They Are Here www.furtherfield.org. archive.furtherfield.org. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109153230/http://archive.furtherfield.org/programmes/event/play-test-they-are-here. dead.
28. News: Transnationalisms. Furtherfield. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109193727/https://www.furtherfield.org/events/transnationalisms/. dead.
29. News: Are We All Addicts Now?. Furtherfield. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109153202/https://www.furtherfield.org/events/are-we-all-addicts-now/. dead.
30. News: Spring Editorial 2018 Blockchain Imaginaries – Furtherfield. 22 January 2018. Furtherfield. 9 November 2018.
31. Web site: Networking the Unseen www.furtherfield.org. archive.furtherfield.org. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109153210/http://archive.furtherfield.org/programmes/exhibition/networking-the-unseen. dead.
32. News: Cyberformance in the Third Space: A Conversation with Helen Varley Jamieson – Furtherfield. 24 March 2015. Furtherfield. 9 November 2018.
33. Web site: Children of Prometheus www.furtherfield.org. archive.furtherfield.org. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109153150/http://archive.furtherfield.org/programmes/exhibition/children-prometheus. dead.
34. Web site: Children of Prometheus www.furtherfield.org. archive.furtherfield.org. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109153150/http://archive.furtherfield.org/programmes/exhibition/children-prometheus. dead.