Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas

Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas, Folke Stone Power Plant, commissioned by the Creative Foundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017. Image by Thierry Bal.

Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas
Folke Stone Power Plant, 2017

The Stone is sited in front of Folkestone Museum, in the ancient Market Place. It was inspired by the writings and drawings of Alexander von Humboldt, the 19^th Century polymath whose studies in geography and the environment initiated the science of ecology. The 'stone' contains innovative organic batteries storing electricity capable of powering the adjacent lamp-post. The Urbonas’ art practice involves continuous research across several branches of knowledge: the batteries are still in development, representing an important and cutting-edge strand of research into sustainable energy, and supported by a network of scientists at universities in several countries (as well as in Canterbury).

Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas are artists, educators, and co-founders of Urbonas Studio, an interdisciplinary research practice for the transformation of civic spaces and collective imaginaries. Their work frequently involves collective activities contributing to cross-disciplinary exchange: network and participatory technologies; sensorial media and public space; environmental remediation design and spatial organisation; and alternative planning integration.

Urbonas’ work has been exhibited in many international Biennials, with solo shows at the Venice Biennale and MACBA, Barcelona; and recognised by awards including the Lithuanian National Prize (2007); Best International Artist at the Gwangju Biennale (2006) and the Prize for the best national pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2007).

Urbonas are co-founders of Transaction Archive and co-directors of the Pro-test Lab Archive. Their writing has been published by MIT Press, MACBA Press, Barcelona and Sternberg Press.

Urbonas are currently working on Zooetics - a research project that explores the potential to connect with the noetics and poetics of non-human life in the context of the planetary ecological imbalance called the Anthropocene.

Gediminas Urbonas is a professor and currently a head of the MIT programme in Art Culture and Technology, Cambridge, MA; Nomeda is a PhD researcher at Norwegian University for Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. They live and work in Cambridge, MA and Vilnius, Lithuania.

zooetics.net
nugu.lt/us