What does it mean to undo these architectures of inhumanity? That’s a question Eyebeam seeks to answer. Eyebeam is a not-for-profit art and technology center in New York City. It offers a platform for artists to engage technology and society.
Eyebeam was founded in 1998. John Seward Johnson III co-founded it with David S. Johnson and Roderic R. Richardson. Originally, it was conceived as a digital effects and coding atelier. It also served as a center for youth education. Eyebeam has evolved into a center for research. It develops and curates new media works of art and open-source technology.
Eyebeam hosts up to 20 residents annually. It co-produces youth educational programs. These include exhibitions, performances, symposia, workshops, and hackathons. These events involve residents and partner organizations.
Projects developed at Eyebeam have received awards. These include Webby Awards and Guggenheim Fellowships. They have also received the Prix Ars Electronica.
Eyebeam’s history began as a collaboration. David S. Johnson, a digital artist, and John Seward Johnson III, a filmmaker and philanthropist, joined forces. Roderic R. Richardson, a mutual friend, introduced them. He helped establish the venture in its early stages. The name Eyebeam Atelier drew inspiration from John Johnson’s father’s sculpture atelier. It also took inspiration from the Experiments in Art and Technology collective. David Johnson had previously used the name Eyebeam Simulations for a VR concept. The co-founders aimed to create a studio similar to those they admired. They saw a need for artists to access new technology. They also wanted to provide a shared workspace.
John Johnson also wanted to provide educational opportunities. These were for middle and high school students. Digital Day Camp was founded in 1998. It was the first youth program focused on new media education. New York high school students learned web development and design. Future sessions covered bioart and urban interventionism. They also explored game design and wearable technology.
Eyebeam’s first online forum, Interaction, took place in the summer of 1998. Jordan Crandall, a UCSD professor, curated it. The forum was an email list called . Brian Holmes, Olu Oguibe, and Gregory Ulmer hosted it. Participants included artists and educators. New media theorists and technologists also joined. Discussions from were compiled into a book. It was titled Interaction: Artistic Practice on the Network and published in 2001.
Johnson also envisioned Eyebeam as a museum. It would be devoted to new media works. In 2000, Eyebeam announced an architectural competition. The goal was to construct a space for art and technology. Diller and Scofidio’s design won the competition.
Eyebeam held its first open studios in 2002. Artists in residence and fellows participated. Exhibitors included Alexander R. Galloway and G. H. Hovagimyan. Tony Martin and Yael Kanarek also exhibited. Galloway’s Carnivore was among the projects. It allowed for creative misuse of data surveillance. Carnivore won the Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica.
Residents Yury Gitman and Carlos Gomez de Llarena created Noderunner. It was a scavenger hunt based on Wi-Fi sharing. It received the 2003 Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica. Jonah Peretti developed Fundrace.org. It tracked campaign contributions through geocoding. Peretti and Alexander Galloway collaborated on ReBlog. It was one of the first blogging platforms. It allowed users to filter content from RSS feeds. The Eyebeam Journal featured writings and interviews with resident artists. Theo Watson and Zachary Lieberman developed openFrameworks. Together with Processing, it became a popular platform for creative coding.
The Graffiti Research Lab was born at the Eyebeam OpenLab. James Powderly and Evan Roth founded it. They created experimental technologies for street art applications. They developed methods for creating graffiti messages in LED lights. They also created a system for projecting shapes drawn with a handheld laser.
Eyebeam expanded its exhibitions with MIXER. Paul Amitai curated it. It showcased performance artists in live video and audio. In 2011, Eyebeam residents participated in Talk to Me at MoMA. Ayah Bdeir’s littleBits was displayed. MoMA acquired it for their permanent collection.
In February 2014, the first Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon was hosted at Eyebeam. Laurel Ptak co-organized it. That same year, Eyebeam hosted an exhibition called New Romantics. It explored Romanticism’s influence in digital art.
Since November 2017, Eyebeam has been located in Brooklyn. This coincided with its 20th anniversary. Eyebeam continues to support artists. It invests in those who explore technology’s influence on our lives. Eyebeam provides a space for experimentation. It propels and uplifts cultural conversation. Eyebeam centers artists. It supports them in reimagining technology.