Conflux Festival

Conflux is the annual NYC festival for contemporary psychogeography where international artists, technologists, urban adventurers and the public put investigations of everyday city life into practice on the streets.

Here are some examples of the great works that have been shown at this festival:

Have a Seat by Caroline Woolard



At night, Caroline Woolward fixed a dozen seats on street posts so people could take a rest:

I feel that this architectural intervention allows any pedestrian to experience the monotony of everyday life in a new way. Perhaps this small fissure in reality will open doors for the public to re-evaluate the status quo. [...]
Anyone can rest without removing themselves from the reality of urban bustle and going to a picturesque park.


Picture is from WMMNA where you can find also more info.


Waste Carrier by Gertrude Berg

Gertrude Berg made an outfit where she could store her personal trash sorted in different bags and carry it during the festival:
For the duration of one week I will wear this uniform to all occasions, except for sleeping, and any other circumstances that would make it impossible for me to wear it. My interest lies in the experience of the extra weight on my body accumulated by waste material that normally is put out of ones sight as soon as possible. As bags could easily be subjects for suspicion in public places and on public transportation systems in NYC, I am also challenged by the reaction I will receive from the public and the officials.

Picture is from WMMNA where you can find also more info.

Trash Project

A Good Day Project by the Global Wellness Organisation




From their website:

'It's a GoodDay to reduce the trash' is the message behind this project. Keeping material useful is quite a challenge for us humans. Hopefully we will become better at it soon. Because a garbage dump is not a very nice playground for kids to grow up on.

We are working on how you can participate on this project. It's bound to have something to do with two balloons, a black edding, some carton, tape and trash.

Public gardening interventions

In Istanbul, 2005 via Culiblog:


Smack dab in the middle of the Üskudar ferry terminal, ad hoc growers have cultivated tomatoes in all of the planters.

City Farming Plant Modules by N55, 2003

High Waterline

by eve s. mosher



From the website:
High Water Line is a public artwork on the New York city waterfront designed to create an immediate visual and local understanding of the affects of climate change. I will be marking the 10-feet above sea level line by drawing a blue chalk line and installing illuminated beacons in parks. This line marks the extent of increased flooding brought on by stronger and more frequent storms as a result of climate change.

NoPark

by Natalie Jeremijenko/ xClinic



NoPark returns “no parking zones”—mostly those associated fire hydrant placement- -to low growth mosses and grasses. These micro engineered green spaces prevent storm water run off, use foliage to stabilize the soil, and to provide a durable low maintenance surface cover.