Full company site located at:
GRNDLAB.COM
A Brief Overview:
Justin Downs was born and raised in the city of Detroit Mich and has lived in New York since 1997. He graduated The School of Visual Arts in 2002 with a BFA, attended classes at CUNY City Tech and received his Masters degree from the ITP program at NYU (2008). He is a builder/fabricator of ideas and objects and has worked in a variety of fields from prototype fabrication, conservation technologies, machining, electronics, art/interactive design to the mechanizing of bicycles and construction. The latest large scale projects he has built are:Playing the Building for David Byrne (summer 2009,2008) , A solar powered tree house in Kenya for the living with lions Project, The Arc Lamp for the Attracted to Light show (fall 2008) for the Starn Twins, exhibition design/fabrication for Untetherd at Eyebeam fall (2008) and building a solar powered tree house in Kenya for the Living with Lions project (2009). He has also recently completed a solar powered speaker system at the Habbana outpost (summer 2008) in Brooklyn and is working with the lion guardians in Kenya to develop a solar powered GPS system along with other sustainable networks and devices.
His personal work centers around vision tracking systems, Mesh networks, solar and self powered systems and strategies to empower the individual over coordinated groups, Festivals and art include: Dia Beacon, Interactivos, Eyebeam, Dumbo arts festival.
Third party Verification (Education)+ Skill Set:
Degree's held:
I.T.P NYU Masters Program, New York, New York (2006-2008)
Classes: Every bit you make (network security), Computational cameras(vision tracking),Networked objects, Computers for the rest of you, Computational form(open GL),Collaborative mesh networking(xbee).
Modern Welding School, Schenectady, New York (2006)
New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn, New York (2005)
BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, (1998-2002)
Certifications:
Welding:
D.O.T.(department of transportation New York):
Certified SMAW (shielded metal arc weld)vertical position 1/8th unlimited.
AWS (American welding society) Certifications:
GTAW (gas tungsten arc weld) vertical position.
SMAW (Shielded metal arc weld) vertical and overhead positions, 1/8th to unlimited
FCAW (flux core arc weld) vertical and overhead positions, 1/8thto unlimited
ASME (American society of mechanical engineers) Certification:
6G Schedule 40 pipe with E6010 root, E7018 cover pass
Skill Set
Fabrication:
Wood working: (table saw, planer, drill press, router ect.).
Welding: (TIG, MIG, STICK, BRAZING) metals: aluminum, steel (stainless, mild).
Fabrication: (drill press, acetylene torch, grinder, ect.).
Machining: Lathe, Millwork.
Programming: Java and Javascript, embedded C and C++, PHP/msql and max MSP/jitter.
Electronics: Microcontrollers (Atmel, bx-24, arduino,teleo, pic)
Wireless mesh networks (xbee, bluetooth, xport).
Computer Vision Tracking.
Electrical: Household and high voltage.
Solar Panel installation/Services.
Motors: AC, DC, Gearhead, Drivetrians ect.
His story of Money Work:
For up to date list see linked CV
Construction, general contractor, electrical, welding ect. (1998-20?)
Living With Lions (2008-): solar powered tree house and tracking collars
Transformasium (2007-2008): Design consultant/back end web programming
Starn Twins (2008): arc lamp (Pittsburgh)
David Byrne (2008)(2009): Playing the Building (Engineering systems
design/Fabrication)
Plum Design group (2007): consultation
Big Ripple Multimedia (2007): systems design/engineering and hardware
development
Amorphic Robot Works (2007): A tree for anable basin (Engineering
design/Fabrication/aluminum welding)
Amorphic Robot Works (2007): Design/Engineering consultant (inflatables)
David Byrne (2005): Playing the Building (Engineering systems
design/Fabrication)
Recycle a Bicycle (Brooklyn) (2002-2005): volunteer bicycle mechanic
Spokes and strings (NYC Bikes) (2004): General repair/ bicycle mechanic
Starn Twins (2002-2005): Design/Fabrication and Production Management for
the projects: Attracted To Light: CRT sphere, The Carbon arc lamp. Wall mounts
for the Umbraterre series. Maintenance/repair/redesign for: Gravity of Light:
Gravity of light and the illuminated manuscript. Engineering consultation and
fabrication for prototype cover of the Monacelli Press book.
Luca Bovoli (2001,2003-2004): technical consultation/fabrication: Flying:
Practical Training for Beginners, Various works
Jeane Silverthorne (2004): Fabrication: New Work 2004
Rene Pierre Allain (2001-2002) Welding studio: Fabrication for the Darger
exhibition at the New York folk museum.
School of visual arts (2000-2002) head of the foundation shop technician/safety