TECH EVENT // NYC Tech Connect's Open Hardware Panel Discussion

Tech gurus, this one's for you.

Do have an idea for an open hardware startup? Something cool like Bitponics or MakerBot? If you do, you likely have some questions about how you can turn that idea into a reality. What's the right strategy? How can I protect my intellectual property? How can I raise venture funding or venture funding? What are the benefits of each?

You can find answers to all of these questions—while at the same time enjoying a delightful breakfast—at NYC Tech Connect's Open Hardware Breakfast & Panel Discussion on Wednesday, November 2. You'll have the chance to listen to and pick the brains of panelists Bob Pasker, a venture advisor and CTO-In-Residence at Accel Partners with over 25 years of experience in the tech and software industry, and Kelsey Nix, a partner in the Intellectual Property and Litigations Departments at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.

This event is hosted by the New York City Investment Fund, and you can RSVP at events@nyctechconnect.com.

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // This Sunday: The Brooklyn Night Bazaar Lights Up The Dekalb Market

On Sunday, October 9, the Dekalb Market in Downtown Brooklyn will host the Brooklyn Night Bazaar. Inspired by the night markets that are popular across Asia, the event has everything you'll need to enjoy your the Columbus Day weekend. "These are fun gathering places for locals and travelers to eat, drink shop and check out performances all in an animated setting," says the bazaar's organizer, Aaron Broudo. "The Brooklyn Night Bazaar will provide a uniquely Brooklyn version of this great tradition."

In addition to Dekalb Market's regular merchants, the bazaar will include dozens of other vendors, from Eagle Street Rooftop Farm and Luke's Lobster to Bags for the People and The Temporary Tattoo Project. And, of course, don't forget to check out 3rd Ward's SHOPBOX! There will also be a beer and wine garden serving up local brews from Brooklyn Brewery, Long Island's Blue Point Brewing Company, Cooperstown's Brewery Ommegang and Brooklyn Winery.

Portland's YACHT and Brooklyn's own Monogold and Trouble Andrew will kick out the jams, and there will be light and sculpture installation by Brooklyn artist and designer Jason Krugman. You'll even be able to enjoy a friendly game of Pétanque!

The bazaar will be open from 5pm until midnight this Sunday and it's free, except for the live music—grab tickets for that here.

Check out a few videos of Jason Krugman's amazing light sculptures after the jump.

CUC Custom Interactive LED Wall from Jason Krugman on Vimeo.

Breathing LED Sculpture from Jason Krugman on Vimeo.

Firefly Panel Installation from Jason Krugman on Vimeo.

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Bring To Light: Nuit Blanche Illuminates Greenpoint This Saturday

Last year New York joined more than 120 cities around the world that have presented "nuit blanche" festivals, which were first started in Paris and quickly spread across Europe and beyond. Literally meaning "white night," these festivals stay open late into the night feature light-based art installations, performances and exhibitions. New York's festival, called Bring To Light: Nuit Blanche, was initiated last year by 3rd Ward teacher Michael Zick Doherty and DoTank, and though it isn't as big as some (St. Peterburg's White Nights Festival featured a Rolling Stones concert in 2007), it's still a must-see event.

This year's festival, which is happening this Saturday, October 1, will feature more than 50 light, sound, projection, performance and new media projects along Greenpoint's industrial waterfront.

The projects include the public video art project Commercial Break, which was originally commissioned for the Venice Biennale; SWINGS, an interactive video sculpture by artist Amanda Long; Sidus Link, a mobile app that allows users to virtually brighten New York City's night sky, and The Perception of Moving Targets, a collection of short films directed by Weston Currie and scored by Portland experimental musician Grouper.

Bright To Light: Nuit Blanche runs from 6pm until 1am, with all events happening around Franklin Street and Milton Street in Greenpoint. For more information and the full schedule check out the festival's website.

-- John Ruscher

MEMBER PURSUITS // Niall McKay Presents The Inaugural Irish Film New York This Weekend (Discounts for 3rd Ward Members)

The inaugural edition of Irish Film New York is happening this weekend, from Friday, September 30 to Sunday, October 2 at NYU's Cantor Film Center, and this amazing showcase is brought to you by 3rd Ward's own Niall McKay. We caught up with him to get the inside scoop on what's in store.

McKay is no stranger to presenting and promoting Irish films. In 2003 he founded the San Francisco Irish Film Festival, which just celebrated its 8th edition this past weekend. He also co-founded the LA Irish Film Festival, which is in its fourth year. "Starting film festivals is a disease that I have," he jokes.

Now, after moving to New York last winter, McKay is bring that same spirit to the Big Apple. "They are similar in so far as my only real interest is showing great films," he says, comparing his San Francisco and New York endeavors. "I love standing in the lobby after a movie and overhearing people saying 'That was great.' The New York event will be a little more industry focused than San Francisco. We will include distributors, sales agents and producers. We are, for example, holding an industry panel at NYU on Friday afternoon."

"I really like watching films and talking about films, so I approached Glucksman Ireland House (The Irish Studies Program at NYU), Culture Ireland and the Irish Film Board," McKay says. "All three organizations have been very supportive."

More from McKay, along with a ticket discount for 3rd Ward members and the New York Irish Film trailer after the jump.

McKay is naturally excited about all of the films that'll be screened this weekend. "We have something for everybody," he says. "Knuckle is brilliant and violent. The Runway is sweet and funny. Parked is sad and profound. 32a is a touching coming of age movie. Pajama Girls is an interesting documentary and Sensation is for the rest of you. You know who you are. All films affected me emotionally and that's what I like about them."

And how did McKay manage to put together such an amazing event in just a matter of months? Well, in addition to his prior experience, 3rd Ward played a significant part. "When I arrived in New York I was living in a room whose window looked onto the Marcy Ave station," he says. "Every time the train passed (which was about every 90 seconds) I would have to pause my telephone conversation. So I discovered 3rd Ward and it became my second home. Every day, Elias would greet me and make me feel welcome. He also has a uncanny super power that seems to enable him to know that you are waiting to be buzzed in." McKay created the Irish Film New York website in the computer. "And really the whole operation is powered by many cups of the free Intelligentsia coffee," he adds.

McKay is also offering a special discount for 3rd Ward members on all tickets except for the first screening, Knuckle. Use the discount code "WARD" when you buy your tickets at Irishfilmnyc.com. You can also RSVP here for the festival's opening reception, which takes place at 6pm at the Glucksman Ireland House.

IFNY 2011 Trailer from Media Factory on Vimeo.

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // NY Art Book Fair Takes Over MoMA PS1 This Weekend

 

What do you get when you bring together over 200 booksellers, artists, indie publishers, international presses and antiquarian dealers? You get the NY Art Book Fair, which sets up shop at MoMA PS1 in Queens this Friday, September 30, through Sunday, October 2.

The annual fair was founded by NYC-based art book distributor Printed Matter in 2006 and has steadily grown into a major international event. Last year's attendance was around 16,500, and exhibitors came from 24 countries.

In addition to checking out the many exhibitors, you can also attend the fair's conference, which will feature panel discussions ranging from "Pedagogy: Artists' Books in the Juvenile Justice System"and "Radical Print: Samizdat & the Artists' Book," which will focus on underground printing in the Soviet Union. There are also some fascinating classes and special exhibitions, like "We Are The Writing On The Wall," a showcase and discussion of British Punk fanzines, and "Feminine," an exhibition of zines and artists' books by Japanese women.

Head over to the fair's website for the full list of exhibitors and events. Printed Matter is also selling some limited edition artworks to help keep the fair free and open to the public.

The NY Art Book Fair will be open 11am-7pm Friday through Sunday. There will also be a preview Thursday night from 6-9pm.

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Print's Color Conference + Giant Discount For 3rd Ward Members

Red means stop. Yellow makes you happy. Orange means Halloween. Colors mean different things to different people, and if you're an artist/designer, chances are you spend a lot of time obsessing over it.

Print Magazine knows this--and on October 4-6, they'll be hosting their first annual Color Conference. Session topics range from neuroscience to branding to dyeing, so at the end of the weekend, you'll have a full range of color theory to mull over in your brain.

Cooler though is that Print is graciously offering a whopping $200 discount to 3rd Ward members who register by tomorrow, September 22. Just enter the code 3RDWARD when you go to register.

Green means go, so get to it.

--Layla Schlack

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Our Performance Picks For BAM's Next Wave Festival This Fall

Last week the Brooklyn Academy of Music launched the 29th season of its Next Wave Festival, offering up a barrage of amazing performance, visual art, film, music and more. Past festivals have featured renowned figures like Phillip Glass, Merce Cunningham, Laurie Anderson and Ingmar Bergman, and this year's lineup is no less exciting.

You can peruse to full schedule here, but we've singled out a few events that us at 3rd Ward are particularly thrilled to check out. Check out our picks after the jump.

Symphony for the Dance Floor (BAM Harvey Theater, Oct 13 & 14 at 7:30pm, Oct 15 at 7:30pm, 10pm) - Composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain mashes up hip-hop, pop and classical music alongside visuals by renowned hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion and choreography by Millicent Johnnie. Dance party as performance or performance as dance party?

Between The Lines (BAMcafé, Sep 22 at 8pm, Oct 20 at 8pm, Nov 10 at 8pm) - "Storytellers, thinkers, and drinkers" take a look at different 21st century subjects through readings, short films, performances and more. Themes for each date are "Think You're Pretty Smart," "You Are What You Eat" and "Missionary Positions," respectively.

I don't believe in outer space (BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Oct 26—29 at 7:30pm) - Renowned choreographer William Forsythe presents wild, dark and humorous dance theater. The Guardian called it "a strange, comic cacophony of speech, song and dance – a performance in fragments that suggests a man already receding from life and gazing down at it with a detached and quizzical eye."

Brooklyn Babylon (BAM Harvey Theater, Nov 9—12 at 7:30pm) - Darcy James Argue, his jazz big band Secret Society and artist Danijel Zezelj conjure up a Brooklyn of the future, where the tallest tower in the world is being built. With a carousel on top. Zezelj paints live onstage along with projected animations and a soundtrack from Argue and Co.

Next Wave Art (Peter Jay Sharp Building, until December 18) - In its 10th year, the exhibition features Brooklyn artists such as renowned subway/graffiti artist Lee Quinones, media artist Marina Zurkow, painter Jules de Balincourt and photographer Rashid Johnson.

-- John Ruscher

HOT AUTHORS SERIES // Part 1: Christopher Koulouris Brings Humanity to Celeb Gossip

Photo: Kevin LewOn Friday, September 16th, we're teaming up with Canteen Magazine to celebrate the launch of their latest issue. For issue #7, Canteen's paired 16 white-hot authors with 16 renowned photographers, a number of which will be in attendance for a panel discussion and (of course) a party--get all the details here. To get you better acquainted, we'll be running profiles on a handful of the contributors & presenters. 

In Part 1, we talk to Chief Editor at Scallywag & Vagabond, Christopher Koulouris.

Most Wall Street traders don't seem to hold aspirations of the literary kind. Though after Christopher Koulouris retired from the trading floor in 2003 (when he was 36 years old, no less) he began dabbling in writing. Cut to 2008 when Koulouris founded pop culture site, Scallywag & Vagabond.

“I was kind of a dilletante,” he says. “I traveled a lot. I wrote. I was invited to be part of a sort of cultural collective, and I started really seeing their thought process.” Feeling like he wanted to pursue some kind of writing, he asked a friend of his, an editor at a men’s fashion magazine, what the next big thing was going to be. The answer? Celebrity gossip, of course.

But Koulouris didn’t want to do the traditional, sensational tabloid racket. “Whatever I do, it has to be art. I have to be a writer,” he tells us. So when he devised Scallywag & Vagabond, his goal was to create a site that not only reported the gossip, but would simultaneously try and investigate the societal forces that influenced it. Koulouris has no problem poking fun, as long as that’s not the end of the story. He wants to inject humanity into his subject matter--and he’s quick to remind anyone who asks that celebrities are, in fact, humans.

“As a trader, we looked at trends,” he explains. Obviously, news and gossip sites rely upon trends. They (and our interest in them) are part of larger cultural shifts and mores, and those are what really grabs Koulouris. In short, he’s not just out for a cheap laugh or an optimized, if inaccurate, headline that's sole purpose is to grab page views.

Next on his agenda: To launch a TV channel, his idea of the thinking man’s E! Network. Given his success already in careers number one and two, we feel that shouldn't be a problem.

-- Layla Schlack

ESSENTIAL EVENT // City Harvest hosts The Brooklyn Local

Courtesy: Vinegar Hill HouseFoodie heads are bound to explode on September 17th when the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg converge on DUMBO’s Tobacco Warehouse with Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Vinegar Hill House, Al di La, Roberta’s and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, to name just a few. A total of 75 vendors and 15 restaurants (hosted by Franks Falcinelli and Casonovo of Frankie’s Spuntino) will come out for a good cause: to support City Harvest--and Brooklynites get to reap the delicious rewards.

City Harvest calls itself "the first food rescue organization." It collects food from restaurants, wholesalers and retailers to distribute to food shelters and pantries. It also has nutrition training and does grassroots advocacy work to stop hunger from happening.

The Brooklyn Local is the first event of its kind, chaired by such food luminaries as Dana Cowin of Food & Wine, Ted Allen from Chopped and Sue Chan of Momofoku. It goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 9/17, with tickets costing $5 to the vendor area, $60 for the Tasting Tent if purchased in advance, and $75 at the door. We’re thinking of it as our own personal eating challenge. For a good cause, of course.

-- Layla Schlack

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Sturbridge Antique Textile and Vintage Fashion Show

Something like a thrift shop on steroids, the Sturbridge Antique Textile and Vintage Fashion Show hosts 140 vendors from around the world. On September 5, everyone from museum buyers to crafty sewers with a taste for the old school to fashion editors flying in from Japan converge upon Sturbridge, MA (three hours north of NYC) to admire rare couture and pick up quilting scraps.

“My favorite thing about the show,” says organizer Linda Zukas, who founded the event 20 years ago, “is that in one stall, you’ll have something selling for $12,000, and then at the next, people will be under a table, digging through bins for fabric. We have a lot of the stuff from the 1960s and ‘70s that’s come back in style, but a lot of our stuff is much older.”

Zukas says in addition to clothing and fabric are fashion magazines and ads, wallpaper, rugs, fans, lampshades and, for the budding seamstress, patterns. Admission is $10.

--Layla Schlack