2RE Factory is an incubator for projects that I launch. Each project is given a 2RE number so that the attachment is to the idea and not the name. I got this idea from Flagship Pioneering which uses this concept to create biotech companies. For example, Moderna was called LS18 when it was a Flagship proto-company.
I use a top-level number for the kind of project (example 2RE02 for my postmodern art), and sub-numbers (example 2RE02.06 for my 1998 work Photographic reproduction of a Cotton Swab). This idea comes from software development version numbers.
2RE
The name 2RE is pronounced “Torrey,” like my name (Torrey Nommesen). In the 80s, coin-operated video games often only allowed 3 letters for the high score, so I would enter 2RE whenever I got a high score on the leaderboard. Since then, I have used 2RE as an online persona, especially when it is a project I am proud of.
Factory
The idea of the Factory was inspired by The Factory and Factory Records, two inventive creative centers located in New York and Manchester, respectively.
The Factory was Andy Warhol’s studio from the 60s to the 80s which was famous for producing a large volume of art, throwing great parties, and being a cool place to hang out. Though a lot of the projects at 2RE Factory are solo efforts, I aspire for more collaboration and to create a hub of creativity much like I did with project Floorspace (retroactively designated 2RE03) in San Francisco.
Factory Records was a record label and art collective from the late 70s to the early 90s that was famous for launching the career of Joy Division which later became New Order. It attached Factory numbers FAC 1 to FAC 511 to its projects. Most of them were albums and music videos, but they also included things like a cat, events, and a piece of software. Some of them were unrealized projects. I found out about Factory Records after I launched 2RE Factory, but it is very close to my vision of what I want for 2RE Factory.
About Me
You can find more about me on my personal site 2re.me and find out what I’m up to now at 2re.me/now.