-------- Original-Nachricht -------- Betreff: Baltan Laboratories Extra News 06/2012 Datum: Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:52:14 +0200 Von: Baltan Laboratories <[email protected]>
BALTAN Laboratories EXTRA NEWS - JUNE 2012 BALTAN LABORATORIES ENTERS NEXT PHASE WITH NEW DIRECTOR OLGA MINK *Baltan Laboratories announces its new Director, Olga Mink. With a solid local network and strong affinity for the latest developments in Art and Technology collaborations, Olga Mink is the ideal person to lead Baltan into its next phase of development as a contemporary laboratory stimulating ambitious art-technology collaborations across the local and international Media Art scene.* Eindhoven has a long tradition of art-technology collaborations. An almost mythical example being Le Poème Electronique, a project commissioned by Philips, creating the Dutch Pavilion for the 1958 Brussels World Fair. The unique experiment brought together architect Le Corbusier with composer Edgard Varèse for what was the first immersive multimedia experience ever created. Until today, Eindhoven has maintained this spirit of innovation and creativity in a unique composition of organizations and institutes that are leaders in the fields of art, design and technology. It is Baltan’s ambition to foster this unique culture and to create synergies between local and international players in art, design and technology. During its first four years of existence, former Director Angela Plohman constructed solid partnerships in the Netherlands and abroad; teaming up with local organizations such as Fontys Hogeschool, Design Academy Eindhoven, Holst Centre and the Technical University (TU/e) whilst also linking to a vast European network with partners such as Kitchen Budapest and Ars Electronica. With Angela Plohman returning to her home-country Canada, and with exciting developments in Eindhoven, Olga Mink will take on the challenge to lead Baltan in its next phase. Central to this will be the opening of Natlab 2.0 in September 2013. Sharing a building with the iconic Philips research lab, the new Natlab will become a central hub in the creative scene in and around Eindhoven meaning Baltan Laboratories will be at the center of these developments. Olga Mink has a Master in Fine Arts from the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam and obtained a pre-master in New Media and Digital Culture in Utrecht. She has been a tutor in Digital Media Technology, coach in Interaction Design and Consultant on Media Art and has played a role in several Advisory Committees and Juries. Alongside this she has extensive experience as a curator and has contributed to several research projects in Art and New Media. Ulrike Erbslöh, Board Member of Baltan Laboratories: “Angela’s decision to return to her home country Canada took us by surprise. She set a high standard for anyone to follow. We are very happy to have Olga on board. Olga is the ideal person to pursue further growth and increased contributions by Baltan Laboratories. Olga combines the necessary knowledge of Media Art with the ambition, broader interest and management skills that are needed to fulfill this position." Olga Mink: "In recent years Baltan Laboratories has reached a new level as an international media lab. As the new Director I look forward to working in this environment, as well as expanding local connections. I feel fortunate to get this fantastic opportunity in my hometown." Olga Mink, director Baltan Laboratories Olga Mink, Director Baltan Laboratories *About Baltan Laboratories* Baltan Laboratories initiates, mediates and shares innovative research and development at the intersection of art, design and technological culture. Baltan sees the laboratory as a way of working. It is both a network and a methodology for creating and sharing new concepts, tools and knowledge. Baltan is a flexible, collaborative platform for future thinking that places art and design research at the core of its activities. Baltan achieves this through: • the development of research projects and public activities for local and international creative practitioners to interact and innovate through the meeting of art, design and technological culture; • strategic collaborations with local, national and international organizations, institutes, schools and companies that promote new ways of working and create opportunities for talent development and creative innovation; • the open dissemination and discussion of developed art, technologies and knowledge; • the investigation, further development and promotion of the lab concept through practice. Baltan’s 2012 program is supported by City of Eindhoven en Mondriaan Fund Baltan Laboratories is currently in its 4th year of operation. With offices located in the Van Abbemuseum, Baltan Laboratories has successfully established itself as the main connector for media art projects and research in the Brainport region of the South of The Netherlands. The unique strengths of Baltan Laboratories are its established European network and its collaborations with academic, educational, industrial and cultural partners. Developing a vision of what Media Art labs worldwide could look like and finding a sustainable model for art-technology collaborations, has been one of the threads throughout the activities of Baltan Laboratories. Based on the learnings of various projects, workshops and expert panels, Baltan recently published it’s “Blueprint for a lab of the Future”, which will be at the base of the further development of its own business model. The Blueprint is seen as a unique exercise with potential value for the global Media Art ecosystem. Baltan Laboratories is also one of the key project partners in the redevelopment of the NatLab. This former, globally-recognized, Philips Physics Laboratory is seen as one of the regional icons of the synergy between art and technology. Located at Strijp-S, where also the STRP Festival for Art and Technology and the Annual Dutch Design Week take place, Natlab2.0 will be at the hearth of Eindhoven’s creative community. See baltanlaboratories.org <http://t.ymlp289.net/usmsaaajjqjaiahmazaqh/click.php> for more information about Baltan’s activities and recent success stories. *About Olga Mink* Olga Mink obtained her BA in Fine arts at the Fontys Academy in Tilburg and finished her Master Fine Arts at the Sandberg Insituut in Amsterdam. Working as an artist she developed interactive art, video installations and live cinema performances. She worked as a freelance curator for new media festivals. Amongst them the Plazaplus and Imageradio Festivals in Eindhoven and re:visie in Utrecht in collaboration with Centraal Museum during the annual Dutch Film Festival. Mink was a media art consultant at Kunstbalie. She is an advisor of the funding committee at BKKC. Mink lives in Eindhoven. *Contact* Olga Mink olga[AT]baltanlaboratories.org T: +31 (0)40 238 1092 For all questions to the Board: please send an e-mail with your contact details to board[AT]baltanlaboratories.org. One of the Board Members will reply by e-mail or by telephone. *Baltan Laboratories* initiates, mediates and shares innovative research and development at the intersection of art, design and technological culture. *Baltan Laboratories* Postbus 4042 5604 EA Eindhoven The Netherlands E: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://www.baltanlaboratories.org <http://t.ymlp289.net/usmuadajjqjalahmaraqh/click.php> Baltan's 2012 programme is supported by the Municipality of Eindhoven and the Mondriaan Fund. ______________________________________________ SPECTRE list for media culture in Deep Europe Info, archive and help: http://post.in-mind.de/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/spectre
