Foam (organization)

One concept common to many of FoAM's explorations of growth and transformation in natural/artificial worlds has been that of "responsive environments".[4]

Beginning in 2004, in an effort to remedy a perceived lack of experimental media education in Belgium, FoAM, together with nadine,[5] and okno,[6] organized a series of workshops under the name "X.Med. K.".[7] These workshops first began as introductory tutorials and were later expanded to range from master classes to informal gatherings. The programme allowed participants to become prolific media artists over a period of two years, encouraging the use of free media tools and the creative use of open source and free software. Workshop topics have included Max/MSP, Final Cut and DVD Studio Pro; physical computing, how to build a computer to fit people's specific needs, and the issues of environmentally sustainable media arts and design. In later workshops, after participants gained technical proficiency, they could opt for instruction from FoAM and okno in the use of real-time audiovisual systems and tools, and online collaboration tools, while in other seminars nadine has explored the artistic use of computer games and gaming engines.[8]

Luminous Green is a series of gatherings in which FoAM "calls upon the creative sector to enrich the public debate around environmental sustainability, ethical living and eco-technology".[9] The symposium featured prominent speakers from the fields of design, education, communication and technology, and was presented as three sessions devoted to "Change, Communication and Matter".[10]

FoAM's workshops, events, and other gatherings provide an opportunity for the various members to explore their self-avowed interest in food - not just in its functions as fuel and nourishment, but also its aspects that involve performance art, design-science, social celebration, and distribution as participatory economics.[11]

This concept of food activism has extended to public events held under the aegis of other organizations. For example, for its contribution to the "Altitude 1000" Sonic and Visual Arts Festival, held in Brussels in December 2006,[12] FoAM chose to invite Kate Rich and Kayle Brandon, who wildcrafted their own cola from an online, open source recipe. The participants of the resulting "Cube-Cola Lab" took part in Amy Balkin's "Radical Cola Challenge" by blind-tasting Cube-Cola alongside its major market rivals (including Mecca Cola and Coca-Cola).[13]

FoAM's core group of collaborators currently includes two of its founding members Maja Kuzmanovic and Nik Gaffney along with Cocky Eek, Theun Karelse, Dave Griffiths, Rasa Alksnyte, Ingrid Vranken and others.[14]