Living Room :: Flux Factory in collaboration with openhousenewyork :: October 4-5, 2008 :: Deadline: May 10, 2008.

Living Room is a continuation of Flux Factory’s interest in the urban experience, in New York history, and in the overlap between private and public space. Being a live / work collective, we are fascinated by what it means to inhabit a space, to make it one’s own. We want to invite artists to play with the notion of belonging to a home, and claiming a space as one’s own. So we’re going to give artists the opportunity to go into someone else’s home and make it their own, aesthetically. The project will, literally, bring artists into domestic locations in New York City to create site specific works. Aside from satisfying a mild desire for voyeurism common to us all, this project will be an opportunity for the public to peek into private sites normally off limits; either eccentric private living rooms or other variations of private space.

The locations will range from volunteers’ living rooms to private, historical sites, which we will help facilitate access to along with openhousenewyork (OHNY), a non-profit organization celebrating New York City’s architecture, culminating in America’s largest architecture and design event, the Annual OHNY Weekend. A guidebook of their locations, along with an inset for “Living Room,” will be printed and distributed throughout the city. Last year, OHNY printed 370 000 guides and had 150 000 visitors throughout their 193 sites.

Installations will address the historical, personal and social particularities of the sites with which they engage. Artists will have carte-blanche and may incorporate both formal visual amendments to the space (e.g. filling it with colored balls) and conceptual ones (e.g. re-organizing a library according to subjective categories). We encourage artists to find an appropriate private place within the five boroughs. We will help artists secure access to these sites. We will also be inviting select people to open their homes (or offices) for the event. Artists may chose locations from ones included in OHNY’s roster. A list of the 2007 OHNY venues can be found here.

Works will be on view during OHNY Weekend on October 4-5, 2008. Depending on the site, they may be open throughout the weekend, or during business hours. A materials and artist fee of $500 will be provided to each artist. To apply, please send the following:

1. A 250-word proposal indicating your proposed site (especially if they are a new sites not previously included by OHNY) with a clear description of what you propose to do.
2. Your contact information (email and phone number)
3. Bio or CV
4. Any supporting images you would like to include

Proposals should be sent to Chen Tamir by email at dearcheny [at] gmail.com. The deadline for is May 10th, 2008.