Luminous Flux: Perceived Power of Light

Fri, April 3: Fearless Flux, 11pm-4am, $10
Sat, April 4: Space Flux - Yuri's Night, 8pm-4am, $15-$25
Sun, April 5: Family Flux, 2pm-6pm, $5 kids/$7 adults/$20 family ticket (for four)
Sun, April 5: Luminous Flux Artist Party, 8pm-2am, $10
Fri-Sun Weekend Pass: $20

Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main St, DUMBO, BK
Official Site: www.luminousfluxnyc.com | FB: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=58316603324
Organizers: www.geminiandscorpio.com | www.leokuelbscollection.com

Gemini & Scorpio (event-planning gurus, as seen in The Village Voice "Best of 2006") and Leo Kuelbs (Dumbo-based art curator) present Luminous Flux, a full weekend of eye-popping video art on the theme of FLIGHT, as explored through selected works, installations, live multimedia performances and VJ sets in the spectacular Galapagos Art Space, April 3-5, 2009.

Luminous flux is the measure of perceived power of light. Over the course of our event, over 30 artists harness this power to present their unique interpretation of FLIGHT, with works ranging from abstract to whimsical to challenging to dazzling.

Event details

Kuelbs showcases video work in a unique 4-channel environment, a "living gallery" devoted to one artist at a time on four screens, all in one 2-hour looped reel that will be shown on all three nights. Many of the artists have worked previously with Mr. Kuelbs. Brazilian-born Adriana Varella's "Defragmentation" was projected on the footing of the Manhattan Bridge last year, while her new museum-level shows will open later this year. Chris Herbeck's video work has been seen at the Leo Kuelbs Collection, and his new collaboration with Glenn Friedel (whose "Photograms" have shown all over the East Coast) will be screened for the first time during Luminous Flux. Other artists include: Angela Freiberger, Joshua Adler with Steve Ryan, Phyllis Bulkin Lehrer, Georgi Tushev, Stephen Dirkes, Nicole Arendt, Donald O'Finn & others.

G&S concoct their usual wild mix of live performance, circus, spectacle and dance party, this time revolving heavily around innovative video work. "It's been very exciting to focus on performers who truly present multimedia work, often spanning multiple genres: aerial artistry and video feeds modified on-the-fly, puppets and projections, music and live video-mixing," they say.

Luminous Flux will consist of four live showcases over three days. Friday's Fearless Flux takes chances with experimental, explorative, and exciting multimedia performances and VJ sets. Saturday's Space Flux joins forces with Space Tourism Society to present Yuri's Night, the annual space-themed costume party to celebrate the anniversary of the first man in space. Sunday's daytime Family Flux is a video and dance party for kids big and small, with puppets, spectacle and more, while the evening's Luminous Flux Artist Party is the artist reception and live video mixing playground, with each participating VJ taking a turn at the decks.

Some of the highlights of the live program include an experimental music/dance/video performance by Z Collective & ZGT Radio Projekt (Friday), a live space-tastic performance by My Robot Friend (Saturday), and "Pillar," a specially developed duo by aerialist Jordann Baker and video artist Nathan Guisinger (Sunday). Z Collective's work has been selected for Periferias 2008 in Huesca and Art Tech Media 2008 in Cordoba, Spain. My Robot Friend has appeared on Rolling Stone magazine's Hot List, and his unique one-man space-age singer-songwriter video-light-show spectacle has graced stages around the world, opening for luminaries such as the Scissor Sisters, Le Tigre and Herbert. Jordann Baker is one of the top aerialists in NYC, while Nathan Guisinger is a founding member of the international theater company The South Wing, and a member of HERE's Artist Residency Program (HARP), 2008-2009. Also of note is a special preview (Sunday day and evening) of their new show "Wonderland" by Anonymous Ensemble, a Brooklyn-based interactive theater and spectacle troupe, nominated for the Total Theatre Award at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

"The selection process for this show is wide-open. Gemini and Scorpio work with a huge variety of performers, and we're tapping into that," Kuelbs said. "The goal is a program that is fresh, almost spontaneous, and totally diverse. When people leave, we want them to say to themselves, 'Wow, that was really something.'"

About the organizers

Gemini (a sweet, bright, angelic creature) and Scorpio (an intense, dark and moody siren) are two artsy New York City gals and creators of G&S' Fabulous Guide to Online Dating (a web guide and book-in-progress). Through their website, weekly events list and their own, sometimes unbelievable, parties, Gemini and Scorpio have gathered a crowd Village Voice called "quirky, comely, artistic, and friendly." Their events are usually marked by offbeat themes, fantastic costumes, mind-blowing music, burlesque and circus performances, and wild dancing into the morning.

"Our mission is to unite, online and off, a community of unique, intelligent and vibrant thinkers via worthy creativity-driven events: an alternative for connections to the tired bar scene, VIP parties and gimmicky singles mixers," say G&S. "This network is NOT singles-only. We don't believe in the frantic chase for 'the one.' We believe in creating a real community where unique creative types (artists, designers, writers, photographers, performers, musicians, tech geeks) can network and play together."

Dumbo-based curator Leo Kuelbs has presented video work on spaces like the Manhattan Bridge, as well as events in his private-space, Leo Kuelbs Collection. "The mass media aspect of video art make it a great compliment to the club setting. Besides being a great outlet for the artists, the work also affects the atmosphere and energy in the room," Mr. Kuelbs said.