[spectre] Fwd: Baltan Laboratories, new director Olga Mink

[Andreas Broeckmann]

-------- Original-Nachricht --------
Betreff: 	Baltan Laboratories Extra News 06/2012
Datum: 	Thu, 21 Jun 2012 14:52:14 +0200
Von: 	Baltan Laboratories <info at baltanlaboratories.org>


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: info at baltanlaboratories.org <mailto:info at baltanlaboratories.org>
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.