britta & rebecca: window farms
other britta & rebecca projects >
window farms
photos and other press resources
Recent
Ready Made magazine 10/09 and Ready Made Blog (link:
)
Art in America 10/09
Click on any of the photos below to download a high resolution version. Or you can download a selection of our preferred photos in a zipped package. If you use them, please include photographer credits where indicated. Email us at britta [at] windowfarms [dot] org for more information.
Big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Lindsey Castillo.
Big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Lindsey Castillo.
Big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Lindsey Castillo.
Detail of big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009.
Detail of big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009.
Detail of big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Sydney Shen.
Detail of big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Sydney Shen.
Detail of big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Sydney Shen.
Gabriel Willow's Window Farm, July 2009. Photo by Gabriel Willow.
Gabriel Willow's Window Farm, July 2009. Photo by Gabriel Willow.
Gabriel Willow's Window Farm, July 2009. Photo by Gabriel Willow.
Gabriel Willow's Window Farm, July 2009. Photo by Gabriel Willow.
Gabriel Willow's Window Farm, July 2009. Photo by Gabriel Willow.
Gabriel Willow's Window Farm, July 2009. Photo by Gabriel Willow.
Detail of big window farm at Eyebeam, July 2009. Photo by Sydney Shen.
Prototype window farm at Eyebeam, June 2009. Photo by Morgan Jones.
Britta and Rebecca with the first window farm, May 2009. Photo by Julia Makarova.
Britta and Rebecca with the first window farm, May 2009. Photo by Julia Makarova.
The first window farm, Brooklyn, May 2009.
Detail of the first window farm, Brooklyn, April 2009.
Prototype window farm at Eyebeam, June 2009. Photo by Morgan Jones.
For more photos, see the Window Farms Flickr Sets
Text:
Artists Britta Riley’s and Rebecca Bray’s participatory artworks and events approach environmental issues through new technology and communication structures. Participants in the events re-experience their own authority outside of the traditional framework of a hyper specialized consumer society. The artists’ work is a response to Big Science’s R&D industry, which must engage in infrastructure-heavy mass solutions. Inspired by concepts of local production (the coming network of 3-D multimaterial printers), mass customization, and Web 2.0-enabled mass collaboration, they call the approach “R&D-I-Y,” or research and develop it yourself. The works bring ordinary people together to break apart scientific breakthroughs into actionable local tasks while also contributing the valuable insights of the end user. The aim is to create multiple process solutions rather than a product. Currently, Bray & Riley have set out to start a windowfarm craze in New York City. Michael Pollan recently proposed that the best “green” action an individual can take is to grow some of his own food. “Yeah, right, I live in an apartment” has been the NYer’s response.
Window Farms are hydroponic vertical vegetable gardens for NYC windows. Through a residency at Eyebeam Art & Technology Atelier, Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray are crowdsourcing the further R&D of these food-producing systems to make them best integrate with NYers’ lives. Fifteen NY “pioneers” are creating derivative windowfarms and a multiplicity of design options to pass on to future windowfarmers. This starter group of ordinary people is growing food in their own apartments, replacing their blinds with natural beauty and a source of fresh nutrients for their families. The pioneer’s windowfarms, as well as a few the artists will build in high visibility public windows, will advertise the project and its website to curious passers-by. The artists’ hope this will lead to a viral spreading of both windowfarms and participation in their ongoing evolution online.
Video:
Download mov file, or see YouTube and Vimeo videos.
