META.MORF 2012 –
A MATTER OF FEELING.
Conference Sep. 28 & 29 @ NOVA
Conference, Sep. 28 & 29, at NOVA.
The cosmos is composed of many different species of stardust and despite our advanced, secular knowledge we imagine these primordial substances give rise to a universe, fashioned in our own image. Meta.Morf 2012 is a reflection on a new kind image, which is evolving in a diverse set of arts practices at the start of the twenty-first century. Intriguingly, its portrait of our universe is far more autonomous and sensitive than the one that has historically relied on human reason for instruction. All matter squirms. This is the fundamental reality that underpins our cosmic fabric.
-Rachel Armstrong
(Armstrong’s introductory essay is printed here)
Life is impure, revealing itself as an open and complex system with porous boundaries, bringing forth an endless social and biological diversity. Every relational system operates on affect, or as we often call it, feelings. Human and nonhuman actions and interactions are expressions of these networked relations.
What constitutes the connective behaviour from which networks, and finally form emerge? Is it an empathy-based interaction, or in other words, a matter of feeling?
With these questions in mind, we invited Dr. Rachel Armstrong to co-curate the biennial theme conference, and happily enough for Meta.Morf she accepted the invitation!
Armstrong brings the biennale theme into context in a way that probably will force you to reflect on almost every aspect of what you considered to be established truths.
PROGRAM FRIDAY Sep. 28
Time | Theme | Name | |
09.30 | Registration & Coffe | ||
10.00 | Welcome / introduction | Espen Gangvik | About |
10.10 | Biennial theme introduction | Alex Adriaansens | About |
ENTANGLED BODIES Entangled Bodies challenges the idea of the human ego at the centre of life .. we are cooperating assemblages of bodies that forge relationships and have shared interests … how does this idea change the way we think of what it means to be a body … or to have a body … ?? |
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10.30 | Entangled Bodies (human/machine) | Stelarc | About |
11.00 | Entangled Bodies (machine/machine) | Takashi Ikegami | About |
11.30 | Entangled Bodies (augmented perception) | Neil Harbisson | About |
12.00 - 13.00 | Lunch | ||
INCONSTANT CONTEXT Inconstant Contexts – is all about an active environment, which shapes and orchestrates events that impact upon humanity. How does the idea of an active environment that is sensitive to our presence change the way that we think about and instrument the world? |
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13.00 | Inconstant Contexts (synthetic environments) | Philip Beesley | About |
13.30 | Inconstant Contexts (extended perception) | Klaus-Peter Zauner | About |
14.00 | Inconstant Contexts (lively materials) | Rachel Armstrong | About |
14.30 - 15.00 | Panel discussion. Moderated by Rachel Armstrong. |
PROGRAM SATURDAY Sep. 29
Time | Theme | Name | |
09.30 | Registration & Coffe | ||
10.00 | Living materials | Guto Nobrega | About |
10.30 | Living materials | Driessens & Verstappen | About |
11.00 | Living materials | Jessica de Boer | About |
11.30 | Living materials | Xandra van der Eijk | About |
12.00 - 13.00 | Lunch | ||
13.00 | (Morphological Computing) | Peter Flemming | About |
13.30 | (Morphological Computing) | Antony Hall | About |
14.00 | (Morphological Computing) | PROTEI | About |
14.30 - 15.00 | Panel discussion. Moderated by Rachel Armstrong. |