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IMMERSIVE
OUR MISSION
3LD Art & Technology believes in the power of technology to amplify human experience and human expression, provoking empathy and complex reflection, thought and action. We also believe that new funding, business and operating models must be created so that independent artists and not for profit arts organizations can aggressively pursue artistic, technological and cultural experimentation and realistically seek self-sufficiency.
3LD exists to produce original works in performing arts, media, immersive and interactive arts and hybrid forms; to explore the narrative possibilities created by technology; to foster artists’ self-expression and skill through training initiatives and access to space, equipment and technology; and to provide an open environment free of censorship in which artists can create new works, new tools and new modes of expression and excel across a range of disciplines.
Our Story
3LD was founded by a group of artists working at the Ontological Hysteric Theater in 1994 where we created our first multi media theater work House of Bugs: A Biolofical Tragedy there in the summer of 1996. We later produced works at the Kitchen, La Mama and PS 122 among other venues. Shortly after our founding we also started a subsidiary software compnay called Wet Electrics with help from the Rockefeller Foundation, the New York City Investment Fund and a group of European Social Venture Capitalists. At the time there was no software based interdisciplinary integration tool that would allow us to control and coordinate multi channel video, audio, lighting and machines and devices so we created Production Designer. As we were bringing the software to market our HQ was detroyed in the 9/11 attacks which were followed by the tech downturn and we had to cease operations. Our software developers eventually independently developed other tools including Isadora and Production Designer ultimately influenced the developement of other tools like QLab and Touch Designer.
In recovering from the attacke we took over a 12,500 square foot former parking garage space in Lower Manhattan and ran it is a development space for adventurouls tech driven work of all kinds for 13 years producing an average of 10 award winning larger scale finished works a year and hosting an average of 750 artists a year from 25 different countries. We closed the space because of declining funding for the arts and finally shut down the company when Covid decimated our revenue.
3ld current focus
3LD is working diligently on a new model for independent and not for profit artistic production by creating a “virtuous cycle” relationship between our not for profit and institutional and commercial entities. This model coupled with targeted philanthropic support, we believe, will produce a realistic sustainable model in support of pure creativity across disciplines.
In our view much of the innovation in creative forms and new technology development originates in the independent and not for profit cultural sector, but the sector and the work are under resourced and creators often do not benefit directly from their inventions. We are working to create administrative, technological, and physical infrastructure for 21st Century creativity to flourish in art and technology and to develop a deep interdisciplinary practice through cultural production that touches on technological, scientific, social, cultural and economic innovation. We are interested in creating a more just, equitable and beautiful world.
This requires us to build new technology platforms for learning and to collaborate with innovators from other disciplines and sectors and to train the next generation (and the current one) in enabling technologies that can lead them into a sustainable future. We do this in part by creating new large-scale works in the context of a broad interdisciplinary community of collaborators.
3LD is short for 3-Legged Dog
The name was inspired by a pit bull, Sid, who would perch on a loading dock outside the first of many industrial spaces Cunningham turned into an artspace in Houston. Sid would sit on the loading dock and jump down to chase passing cars. The dog was not only undaunted when he lost a front leg playing this dangerous game; he actually got better at it.
“The fourth leg wasn’t in the way, so he actually could occasionally get a chomp on the sidewall,” Mr. Cunningham said. “He became a symbol of for the requirements of artistic life in the U.S. : persistence of vision in the face of adversity.”
Our awards
