Burak Arikan is an artist and researcher based in New York and Istanbul. He focuses on creating networked systems that evolve with the interactions of people and machines. His work confronts issues ranging from cultural sustainability to participation economy, to art and politics in networked environments. He shows the instances of these systems online and onsite through diverse media including prints, animation, software, electronics, and physical materials.

His work has presented and performed internationally at institutions including Ars Electronica (Linz), Venice Biennale, Sonar (Barcelona), DEMF (Detroit), Amber Festival (Istanbul), Club Phazon (Tokyo) and at independent venues such as Art Interactive (Cambridge), Turbulence (online), Upgrade! International (online), Hafriyat (Istanbul), Tershane (Istanbul), WMMNA (online), and Serial Consign (Online). He has lectured and did workshops at institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI), Istanbul Technical University (Istanbul), Marmara Universtiy (Istanbul), Sabanci University (Istanbul), and Istanbul Bilgi University (Istanbul).

Arikan completed his master’s degree at the MIT Media Laboratory in the Physical Language Workshop (PLW) led by John Maeda. While at MIT, he pursued research exploring networked systems that address the transition from connectivity to collectivity in the context of creative expression. Prior to MIT, he received an MA degree in Visual Communication Design from Istanbul Bilgi University in 2004, and a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Yildiz Technical University in 2001.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , Cambridge
Master of Science in Media Arts and Sciences
Graduated June 2006

Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul
Master of Arts in Visual Communication Design
Graduated June 2004

Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Graduated July 2001

Exhibitions, Screenings, Performances

2009 MediaSpace Exhibition. Mypocket and Meta-Markets. Stuttgart, Germany
2008 BoDIG Exhibition. Mypocket. Istanbul, Turkey
2008 After The Net Exhibition at Observatori. Mypocket. Valencia, Italy
2008 Turbulence.org. Mypocket. Online
2007 Amber Body-Process Arts Festival. Terms&Conditions. Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Metamorphose. Meta-Control. Tokyo, Japan
2007 Tershane Exhibition / 10th International Istanbul Biennial. Bored-er. Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Sonar Festival. Meta-Control. Barcelona, Spain
2007 Detroit Electroinc Music Festival (DEMF). Meta-Control. Detroit, USA
2007 Club Phazon. Meta-Control. Tokyo, Japan
2007 Time Warp Festival. Meta-Control. Mannheim, Germany
2006 A Stock Market in Life. Online / onsite simultaneously at Istanbul, Munich, Boston, Oklahoma City
2006 Venice Architecture Biennale. Real Time Rome. Venice, Italy
2006 Collision Nine, Art Interactive. Follow Dada. Cambridge, MA
2005 Collision, el Ocho,  Art Interactive. Micro Fashion Network. Cambridge, MA
2005 Seamless Fashion Show, MIT Media Laboratory. Micro Fashion Network. Cambridge, MA

Workshops, Lectures & Presentations

2008 Creative Networking Workshop. RISD. Providence, RI
2008 Creative Networking Workshop. MIT / VAP. Cambridge, MA
2008 Mypocket presentation. Dorkbot, New York, NY
2008 Panelist. Turbulence Mixed Realities Symposium. Emerson College, Boston, MA
2007 Network Arts Workshop. ITU TBT / Amber Festival. Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Artist talk. Marmara University Film School. Istanbul, Turkey.
2007 Terms&Conditions presentation. 400Seconds / Peka Kucha. Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Generative Arts presentation. Aksanat. Istanbul, Turkey
2007 Intel / IFTF Sensors & Sensemaking Expert Workshop. Open I/O. Palo Alto, USA
2007 Upgrade! International. Re-construction of Informational Space. Istanbul, Turkey
2006 Pecha Kucha. Open I/O. Istanbul, Turkey
2006 Istanbul Bilgi University. Computational Design Workshop. Istanbul, Turkey
2006 Sabanci University. Computational Design Workshop. Istanbul, Turkey
2006 ITU Department of Architecture. Computational Design Workshop. Istanbul, Turkey
2006 Ars Electronica. Real Time Rome. Linz, Austria
2006 Ars Electronica. Collective Systems Design. Linz, Austria
2006 ISEA. Open I/O. San Jose, USA
2005 Toshiba Research Center. Flexible Screen Applications. Tokyo, Japan
2005 AIGA. Recent work from the Physical Language Workshop. Boston, USA
2004 Istanbul Bilgi University. Programming Media Workshop. Istanbul, Turkey
2003 Yeditepe University. International Interactive Media Design Symposium. Camera-n. Istanbul

Publications

2008 “Real Time Rome”. MoMA Design and the Elastic Mind Catalogue, New York
2006 “Real Time Rome”. Arredamento Architecture Magazine. Istanbul
2006 “Collective Systems for Creative Expression”. M.S. Thesis, MIT Media Laboratory.
2005 Digital Information Design Camp. MIT Media Laboratory Physical Language Workshop. Cambridge
2003 9/11 Photographs. 9/11 New York-Istanbul. Homer Press, Istanbul

Press, Reviews, Interviews

2008 “Burak Arikan Interview“. SerialConsign.com. Online
2007 “Meta-Markets: Speculating on social media“. SerialConsign.com. Online
2007 “Real Time Rome”. The Economist Technology Quarterly. New York
2006 “Openstudio Relationship Network”. Architectural Design (AD). London
2006 “Interview with Burak Arikan”. We Make Money Not Art. Online
2006 “Interview with Burak Arikan”. Trendsetter Magazine. Istanbul
2006 “Tech for art’s sake”. The Boston Globe. Boston

Advisory Boards

2008 Prix Ars Electronica. Digital Communities. Linz
2008 Amber Body-Process Arts Festival. Istanbul
2007 Amber Body-Process Arts Festival. Istanbul
2007 Prix Ars Electronica. Digital Communities. Linz

Academic Appointments

2008 Creative Networking. Adjunct Faculty. ITP, Tisch School of Arts. NYU.
2005 Fundamentals of Computational Media Design (MAS 110). TA for Prof. John Maeda. MIT.
2004 Fundamentals of Computational Media Design (MAS 110). TA for Prof. John Maeda. MIT.