Tag Archives: Grantees

Winner! The Anywhere Organ

Awarded $500 grant at FEAST #10, February 26, 2011

Pipe organs are astounding instruments. So much of their personality is shaped by the space around them, tempering their sound and reverberations, allowing room for an infinite variety of instruments. Unfortunately nearly every pipe organ in is bolted into a wall staring longingly at architecture all day. This is why I’m creating the Anywhere Organ.

I’ve designed a system where each note, each pipe of an organ is attached to a central air supply through a flexible hose. The air to each organ pipe is computer controlled with an electronic valve. It can be interfaced with in a thousand different ways. The pipes can be arranged in batches and distributed across any space to capture its unique sound. This means the instrument can be installed anywhere; a park, a fire escape, or a secret underwater cave. It also means that anyone can participate in the project. I’d like to get people playing with the Anywhere Organ so they can see the effect space has on music and sound.

Churches are switching over to digital music, getting rid of their pipe organs. It’s sad to see such a cool instrument phased out. However, this means that there are entire registers of pipes available for a song. I’m also reaching out to the awesome music and hacking scene in Brooklyn, finding collaborators who want to help create new music with the system and finding amazing venues to install the project in.

http://anywhereorgan.tumblr.com

Winner! Sweep

Awarded $500 grant at FEAST #10, February 26, 2011

HUSK proposes to plant broomcorn along the Gowanus Canal this spring. Broomcorn is a type of Sorghum that was once commonly used to make brooms. In fact Brooklyn was once home to something of a broom making industry. With the introduction of synthetic materials broomcorn cultivation declined and the broom making industry left Brooklyn. We will revisit this industrial/ agricultural history through the cultivation of this forgotten crop and by offering a broommaking workshop with the harvested plants. In doing so we will also draw attention to the proposed clean up and remediation of the environmentally degraded canal area.

With the help of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp. we have secured a spot to grow our crop along the canal. The proposed location is the park overlooking the canal at the edge of the Lowes parking lot on 9th Street. The garden will be open to the public and we will encourage participation in unique harvesting processes. All funding will go towards seeds, tools, irrigation, maintenance and supplies for the broommaking event.

http://husknyc.com/

Winner! The Spice Trade Expedition

Awarded $1000 at FEAST #9, November 13, 2010

In search of the disconnect between ourselves, the natural world and the food we eat, we’re going to slip on some boots, strap on a backpack, grab a canoe, and head out into the industrial wilderness of the New Jersey wetlands.

Following in the footsteps of a Marco Polo-esque spice trade, our expedition will travel by canoe past massive cargo ships and factories in search of the numerous artificial flavoring factories of New Jersey, the flavoring capital of the U.S. During our two-week industrial wilderness trip, we will interview factory employees, document our campsites and adventures, and cook with various artificial flavors in an attempt to bridge our understanding of the natural and artificial. This will be edited into a documentary about our adventures and discussions that ensue.

Our expedition will be lead by NOLS mountaineer, Ryan Van Luit, and Jon Cohrs. Our support crew includes researchers, video editors, writers, a flavorist, a photographer, and most importantly a cook willing to work with Doritos and Tofurkey. While we are on the trip, there will be a live “war room” where the public will be following our path, aiding us with information about places we visit, potential hazards, and answering pressing questions.

The ultimate goal of the project is to create a documentary that investigates questions about the artificial flavoring industry in a manner that is entertaining, humorous, and insightful. Following the trip we will have an open invitation for artists, cooks, and those interested to join us for a 3-day canoe trip through the wetlands where an all-artificial thanksgiving feast will be prepared by the participants.

http://thespicetradeexpedition.com/