Upgrade! Boston is a monthly
gathering of artists, curators and the public that fosters dialogue
and creates opportunities for collaboration within the new media
community. Hosted by the Studio
for Interrelated Media
at Massachusetts College of Art and Design,
each meeting consists of one or two hour-long presentations interspersed
with questions and comments from the audience. Theme-based panel
discussions are organized once or twice a year. The events are
informal, free, and open to all. Founded by Turbulence.org
in January 2005, Upgrade! Boston continues to grow as a local
node within the global Upgrade! International (UI) network.
Upgrade! International Mission Statement:
Upgrade!
is an international, emerging network of autonomous nodes united
by art, technology, and a commitment to bridging cultural divides.
Its decentralized, non-hierarchical structure ensures that Upgrade!
(i) operates according to local interests and their available
resources; and (ii) reflects current creative engagement with
cutting edge technologies. While individual nodes present new
media projects, engage in informal critique, and foster dialogue
and collaboration between individual artists, Upgrade! International
functions as an online, global network that gathers in different
cities to meet one another, showcase local art, and work on the
agenda for the following year. Three gatherings have taken place
so far:
New
York, United States - September 2005
Oklahoma City, United States
- November 2006
Skopje, Macedonia - September
2008
Current Nodes (32): Amsterdam (The Netherlands),
Belgrade (Serbia), Berlin (Germany), Boston (United States), Brussels/Ghent
(Belgium), Chicago (United States), Dakar (Senegal), Eindhoven
(The Netherlands), Lisbon (Portugal), Johannesburg (South Africa),
Istanbul (Turkey), Montreal (Canada), Munich (Germany), New York
(United States), Oklahoma City (United States), Östersund-Stockholm
(Sweden), Paris (France), Salvador (Brazil), São Paulo
(Brazil), Scotland (United Kingdom), Seattle (United States),
(Second Life), Seoul (South Korea), Skopje (Macedonia), Sofia
(Bulgaria), Tel Aviv-Jerusalem (Israel), Tijuana (Mexico), Vancouver
(Canada), Warsaw (Poland), Vienna (Austria), Wellington (New Zealand),
Zagreb (Croatia).
Future Nodes: Indiana (United States), Newcastle
(United Kingdom).
Organizations: Eyebeam, Turbulence.org, New
Media Scotland, Art Centre Nabi, InterSpace, i-camp, DCA, CCA,
No-Org.net, NOMAD /santralistanbul, program angels/lothringer13,
Line Initiative and Movement, Open-Node.com, t-u-b-e, C-M.TV,
Lisboa 20, AT. joburg, University of the Witwatersrand, Ars Longa,
911 Media Arts Center, Ars Virtua / BitFactory (Second Life),
Studio for Interrelated Media at Massachusetts College of Art
and Design, Melkweg, New Media Developers, I Love People, Vooruit,
Okno, Emergent Art Center, Dream Addictive, .
Upgrade! Background: Since April 1999, a
group of new media artists and curators have gathered in New York
City. The first meeting took place at a bar in the east village
with Tim Whidden & Mark River [MTAA], Mark Napier and founder
Yael Kanarek. Upgrade! New York partnered with Eyebeam in March
2000.
Jo-Anne
Green, September 2008 |