Artists, scientists, community organizers and cultural commentators are joining together to create a collective vision of a sustainable habitat. The Habitats conference and festival is a four-day event organized to promote an exchange between art, technology, and environment. Habitats provides a model for dialogue between urban developers and environmentalists through conferences and panels, participatory and collaborative art, and educational programs. With public and private cooperative efforts leading to cleaner water, the Gowanus Canal area has experienced an increase in wildlife and improved prospects for commercial and cultural revitalization. Habitats celebrates this process. Instigated by Eidolon Culture, The Habitats conferences will include speakers such as best-selling author Steven Johnson (“Emergence” and “Mind Wide Open,”); long-standing community organizers such as the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation (GCCDC) ; electronic artists such as Pauline Oliveros (Deep Listening Foundation) ; installations designs by Amoeba Technology, Russian Art Group 2012 , interactive Gowanus soundmaps by the NY Acoustic Ecology group, site specific sound and video recordings, live music performances, site specific installations, collaborative projects, recycled art, workshops and active audience participation . The placement of the artworks in their site-specific rendition, the sharing of thought provoking ideas of contemporary cultural relevance, and the active role of audience interaction all create a “Habitat” -- a place defined by the indispensable nature of everyone and everything within it.

"Habitats" is a four day program that will address pertinent local ecological/biodiversity issues as well as constructing a 3500 square foot site specific rendition of community and collaborative-driven art and technology.

Artists include free103point9 transmission artists in a Radio 4x4 including Tianna Kennedy, Damian Catera, Michael Garafalo of Latitude/Longitude, Bryan Zimmerman of The Dust Dive. free103point9 will be setting up Radio 4x4 from 8-10 p.m. Fri. Nov. 9 with those free103point9 transmission artists working with the local airwaves.

David Linton of Unity Gain, Bill Etra, NYC, Michael Schumacher of Diapason Gallery, free103point9, NYC, Share, NYC, Keiko Uneshi, NYC, Disney NasaBorg, NYC, Harlan Emil, NYC, 2012, sponsored by CEC Arts Link, Project503, Russia, Antartic Project, Russia, Efi Amantidou, Greece, Luis Maurette, Argentina, Klauss, Argentina, Eva Sjuve, Sweden, Ken Hiratsuka, Japan, Also… Zarah Cabanias, Hans-Christoph Steiner, Kathi von Koerber, Marianna Ellenberg, Lary Seven, Zemi17, Peripheral Media, Claire Barrett, Ne(x)twork.

Speakers include Steven Johnson – author of “Emergence, the connected lives of ants, brains and cities” Douglas Rushkoff – author of “Media Virus” Peter Principle of Tuxedomoon Daniel Pinchbeck – author of “Breaking Open the Head.”

Click on more information for complete schedule. THURSDAY Nov 9th (FREE)
10am-4pm - Educational and Community Programs Adaptation Workshop – 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm (lead by Prospect Park Zoo)
Gowanus Sound Walk – 1pm and 3pm (Lead by NYSAE members Michelle Nagai)
IRUBNY – 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm (Lead by Carol Caputo and Jenny Warren)
Habitats Sound Tour - 10am, 11am, 12am, 3pm, 4:30pm (Lead by Eidolon Culture’s Education Outreach Coordinator Aaron Lazansky-Oliva)
Sound Editing workshop and demo - 4:30pm-9pm (Lead by Eidolon Culture’s Education Outreach Coordinator Aaron Lazansky-Oliva before and throughout the SHARE open jam)
4pm Opening Ceremony (for artists+speakers only) Percussion and symbolic opening action by all – the habitat gets initiated…
5pm-9pm Opening Reception (general public) opening remarks by GCCDC and Eidolon DJ TomStir (of Amoeba Technology) Gowanus video + Emerge video
6pm –9pm - Share

FRIDAY Nov 10th $15 after 5pm – FREE before 5pm
10am-4pm - Educational and Community Programs (FREE)
Gowanus Sound Walk – 1pm and 3pm (Lead by NYSAE members Todd Shalom)
IRUBNY – 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm (Lead by Carol Caputo and Jenny Warren)
Habitats Sound Tour - 10am, 11am, 12am, 3pm, 4:30pm (Lead by Eidolon Culture’s Education Outreach Coordinator Aaron Lazansky-Oliva)
NY Soundmap/Soundseeker Workshop - 4:30pm-6pm (Lead by NYSAE members Jeffrey Barke and Sha sha Feng)
5:00pm-4am - Evening Programs ($15)
5:00 pm-5:30 pm Electric Habitat Installation* (sponsored by Experimental TV Center)
5:30pm – 6:30pm – Voices in the Wilderness presentation
6:30-8pm Russian Experimental Film Screenings curated by Masha Godovannaya and Luciana Sanz
8pm-10pm free103point9 4x4 10pm-11pm Project503 (Russia) A/V
11pm-midnight dj Rhizome (NY)*
midnight-12:30am Lance Blisters (NY) A/V
12:30am-1:30am zemi17 (NY)
1:30am-2:30am Nur Habiab Tiven “Jummah Players” (NY)
2:30am-3:30am Amoeba Technology (NY) A/V
Live visuals by: Lady Firefly CJ

SATURDAY Nov 11th $15 ($5 if you arrive before 4pm)
Day (Sun) Program (12 noon-4pm) $5 Environmental Conferences + performances + installations
12 noon - electric habitat
1pm-4pm - *environmental conference* Gowanus Green Building – Moderated by Gowanus Canal Development Corporation (GCCDC)
Electric Habitat Installation* (sponsored by Experimental TV Center)
Evening (Moon) Program (4pm-midnight) $15 Open Forum + Live Performances + Installations
4pm-6pm - Kontakt s Micromirom (Contact with Micro World) (sponsored by CEC Arts Link)
4:30pm - 6pm - * open forum "emergent communities"* Instigated by Peter Principle, Douglas Rushkoff, Steven Johnson, Eidolon Culture (with open participation)
6pm-7pm - ne(x)tworks
7pm-8pm - spazecrafteone
8pm-9pm - Antarctic project (Russia)
A/V 9pm-10pm - Jim Thirlwell (FOETUS) and Lary7 environmental a/v A/V
10pm-11pm - klauss (Argentina) A/V


SUNDAY Nov 12th $15 ($5 if you arrive before 4pm)
Day Program (12 noon-4pm) $5
12 day: luke dubois (NY) A/V
1pm-4pm * Environmental Conference* Gowanus Canal Water Conditions – Moderated by Gowanus Canal Development Corporation (GCCDC) Electric Habitat Installation* (sponsored by Experimental Tv Center)
Evening Program (4pm-midnight) $15 Open Forum + Live Performances + Installations
4pm-4:30pm: Luis Maurette (Argentina)
4:30pm-6pm - Kontakt s Micromirom (Contact with Micro World)* (sponsored by CEC Arts Link)
4:30pm - 6pm - * open forum "emergent communities"* Instigated by Peter Principle, Douglas Rushkoff, Steven Johnson, Eidolon Culture (with open participation)
6pm – 6:30pm Pauline Oliveros (NY) “Tuning Meditation”
6:30pm – 7pm Eva Sjuve (Sweden) “13 Volts and 1 Carrot”
7:30 – 9pm zemi17 (Indonesia / NY ) "the orkestra jangkrik dan gamelan listrik aneh”
9pm-11pm electric habitat jam (Global) A/V (with soundmap: gowanus) All Habitats Performers encouraged to join!!
12 midnight closing ceremony@the gowanus canal We let go of paper boats lit with candles down the canal… all are welcome!
ONGOING ACTIVITIES AND ACTIONS:
Intsallation Design by:
Kim Holleman - cave walls
Harlan Emil - Abridged Merkaba
Dok Gregory – sound design
Luciana Sanz, Yuri Elik and Burle Avant - video design
Electric Habitat - electronic natural landscape by Luciana Sanz in collaboration with Dok Gregory, 2012, Greg Brill, Ash, Mikey, Burle Avant, Spacecrafteone, Luis Mauertte and all participating people who uploaded to our wesbite (Sponsored by the Experimental TV Center with an artist in residence )
Micromir Installation by 2012 (Sponsored by CEC Arts Link)
ongoing actions:
andreas sell - video mask
cilla vee “Ramble” – movement installation
erin kelly – movement
hans Steiner - sound installation
zarah cabanias - sun and moon
chris jordan – timelapse
martha walker – sculpture
marianna ellenberg – installation
spaze crafte one – live graffiti painting
live textile and grass weaving by Elena Elik
live screenprinting by peripheral media
*** bring clothes and t-shirts!!! recycled totem by carlos pinto ** bring your recyclables!!! building paper boats by arjuna, sakiko, sam and madalyn
Soundmap: Gowanus by NY Society for Acoustic Ecology (NYSAE) : Michelle Nagai, Andrea Polli, Sha sha Feng, Jeffrey Barke and other NYSAE members.
Educational Programs by Eidolon Culture, Prospect Park Zoo, NY Society for Acoustic Ecology, IRUBNY, Aaron Lazansky-Oliva.
In the cafe room : furniture and lighting fixtures by Shadi and Company Artworks by Elena Elik - also artist of the wonderful HABITATS flyer front illustration! Historical Pictures of the Gowanus Canal (donated by the Gowanus Dredgers) More info
Organic produce feeding our artists by 4prophets Farm and prepared by BEEBA