Permacomputing
Permacomputing lecture series: instrument vs instrumentalisation
This is a collaboration of Interaction Station with Living Station.
By Aymeric Mansoux
Description
In the coming months the Interaction Station will be the host for several lectures, seminars and workshops on the topic of permacomputing. Inspired by permaculture, permacomputing is a nascent idea and community of practice interested in developing more sustainable approaches to computer/net technology, maximizing hardware lifespans, minimizing energy use and focussing on the use of already available computational resources.
Each lecture will be given twice to provide more options to attend. A work-in-progress overview of the program can be found at https://permacomputing.net/permacomputing_in_the_arts/
The first session will discuss computer and network technology and its problematisation. While computer and network technologies have an important place in art and design academies, there is an increasing tension between the potential of novel computer and network technologies as powerful creative instruments and media, versus the increasing instrumentalisation of the field of art and culture production by the computer industry. In this lecture, we will contrast this situation with permacomputing, a nascent concept and community of practice, that invites hackers, artists and designers to be more mindful of these new computational wonders, by radically rethinking their relationship and usage of extractive and unsustainable computers and network technology.
