‘Foam‘ is an trans-national online collaborative research network or ‘distributed laboratory’ that focuses on transdisciplinary research, creative collabortion and the fostering of a diverse and loosely structured community of artists, academics, theorists, designers spanning Amsterdam, Brussels and Singapore. I came across the site whilst researching the work of media artist and researcher Christopher Salter, who is a member / affiliate. Their research and production interests are stated as ‘experimental situations, responsive environments, active materials, generative media, culinary performances and other forms of participatory culture’. Additionally the website states their activities as including the organisation and hosting of workshops and public events as well as the production of co-authored publications, on-line and on-site libraries and archives. The website also includes a forum and an events calender that links to various external events and online resources.
From the website:
[foam] is committed to growing inclusive, resilient and abundant worlds. We do this by providing a context and a structure to research, design and reflect on transdisciplinary creative practices. By seeking out and connecting people in the interstitial spaces between professional and cultural boundaries, we are smoothing the way for a community of ‘generalists’. This diverse community enables its members to tackle complex challenges, in the cultural, as well as technological environments. While facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops, or mixing digital and physical realities, [foam] steers the creative practices towards ethically and environmentally sustainable practices. Our motto, ‘grow your own worlds’ alludes to our mission; to move from wasteful consumption and mindless dependence to responsible participation in all aspects of our lives.
The site appears to be a reasonably good reference for Dynamic Media given their stated aims and approach of facillitating a collaborative research community coupled with the publication of an online database resource. Perhaps most notable is their novel approach to the problems of data architecture and taxonomy (of which we are increasingly aware!): what they call the the ‘Libarynth‘:
“The ever-growing Libarynth is exactly what its name implies – a hybrid between a library and a labyrinth, a maze of pages in various stages of completion. FoAM’s collaborators and friends use the Libarynth as their research diary, sketch-book, or activity log. Some pages are valuable references, on a variety of topics; from visual programming, to inflatables and even vegetarian-friendly restaurants around the world. Others are fully-fledged research reports, or concept documents.”
However there is perhaps too little emphasis on the taxonomy / tagging systems or generally towards producing a dynamism with respect to the data available on the site, particularly from a usability perspective – much of the data seems at least partially obscured by the architecture of the site itself. Ths reiterates the importance of techniques of data visualisation and other approaches in dealing with the complex networks of loose, ongoing and emergent connections between data, various kinds of bodies and organisations. There is a real elusiveness to the solution of simple and elegant design for dealing with a complex and chaotic network of heterogenous structures and forms of data.