‘Factory Direct’ - artists into manufacturing

‘Factory Direct’ (2001-2) organised by The Arts Centre of the Capital Region in Troy, New York State was a two year project bringing 16 contemporary visual artists into the manufacturing environment in order to make work that was inspired by processes, products and the histories of the factories.It was curated by Paul Miyamoto, Michael Oatman and Rebecca Shepard. Michael Oatman took up residency at a company that makes coin-operated binoculars for sightseers, accompanied employees on their 5 a.m. repair runs to tourist sites. Mark Dion & J Morgan Puett worked with ex-employees of the closed down Marvin-Neitzel, a manufacturers of nurses uniforms. Their work “Nurse Grimm, Night Nurse” was the last uniform designed and made by the corporation after 155 years of industry. Kathleen Brandt worked with Maximum Security Direct utilising their products made primarily for prisons in an installation that commented on this closed world.

There is not too much on the Internet about this project but thanks to Caz McIntee we have the catalogue so come and borrow it if you promise to return it!