Turbulence Commission: "Lumens" by Matthew Belanger, Sean Riley and Ven Voisey
July 10 - October 31, 2008
Opening Reception: July 10, 6-9 pm
Venue: GREYLOCK ARTS, 93 Summer Street, Adams, Massachusetts; MCLA GALLERY51 ANNEX, 65 Main Street, North Adams, Massachusetts; and
http://turbulence.org/works/newadams/lumens/
(A shuttle bus will be available for transport between the two galleries).

Lumens is an installation of lamps networked across three spaces: Greylock Arts (Adams, MA), MCLA Gallery51 (North Adams, MA), and Turbulence.org. Scores of personal lamps that usually inhabit and illuminate the interiors of homes and shops have been borrowed from the residents of Adams and North Adams to fill the two gallery spaces. Their images and stories are represented on Turbulence.org, which also serves to connect the two locations telematically.

Clusters of lamps have been outfitted with proximity sensors and arduino microcontrollers. Lamps light up in response to a visitor's presence and simultaneously illuminate lamps in the counterpart spaces. Thus, an individual in Adams can communicate his/her presence to an individual in North Adams, and vice versa. Additionally, as visitors investigate the history of a particular lamp online, the lamp will light in the physical gallery space.

Lumens re-connects North Adams and Adams -- originally a single community -- through an exploration of location, influence, history, and the present.

Lumens is a project of Networked Realities: (Re)Connecting the Adamses, a collaboration between Greylock Arts, MCLA Gallery51, and Turbulence.org. It was made possible through New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. with funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the LEF Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. http://turbulence.org/networkedrealities
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