Dear Yasminers,
Our apologies - the Yasmin site was down for a few days - but now
it is up again and we would like to re-invite you to the discussion on
transformative and critical making.
To post please send your text contribution (no images) to:
Yasmin discussions yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr.
You can port without subscription, however if you wish to
subscribe: http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Repeating our earlier invitation in case you did not receive it:
«Critical making » coined by Matt Ratto of the University of Toronto
links conceptual investigation and creative physical making.
Prof. Ratto agreed to introduce his concept of critical making
for this discussion. The House of Natural Fiber (HONF) organized
the Transformaking 2015 Summit (www.transformaking.org) in
September 2015 in Yogjakarta, Indonesia. The Summit including
thematically linked events brought together makers, scientists, hackers,
DIYers, researchers, artists, critics, designers and interdisciplinary
practitioners from various regions of the world. The constructive
discourse at the Transformaking2015 symposia prompted Colette Tron and
Nina Czegledy to propose this discussion on critical making, The exploration
of this concept and activities could be helping us to criticize the way we
make things, and what we make together.
We are eager to receive your comments and contributions to the discussion.
Happy New Year!
Nina Czegledy and Colette Tron, moderators
Respondents: Venzha Christ and Sharath Chandra
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Friday, December 25, 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
[Yasmin_discussions] axiality
And speaking of axiality, would it be too much to wonder if
the feat of having a 150 ft-long booster traveling some 60
miles above the earth at some 10,000 miles per hour (don't
quote me on the figures) -- would it be too much to wonder
if the feat of having that booster reverse direction, return to
the vicinity of its launch pad, and land gently on its own
vertical axis might not represent an ideal emblem for a new
axial age? (And I will resist the temptation to mention that
this has occurred at a time of the time of the year when we
are most aware of the axis upon which our own planet
rotates!)
Regards,
G. W. (Glenn) Smith
www.space-machines.com
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the feat of having a 150 ft-long booster traveling some 60
miles above the earth at some 10,000 miles per hour (don't
quote me on the figures) -- would it be too much to wonder
if the feat of having that booster reverse direction, return to
the vicinity of its launch pad, and land gently on its own
vertical axis might not represent an ideal emblem for a new
axial age? (And I will resist the temptation to mention that
this has occurred at a time of the time of the year when we
are most aware of the axis upon which our own planet
rotates!)
Regards,
G. W. (Glenn) Smith
www.space-machines.com
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
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[Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
Subject: Transformative and Critical Making
Matt, and colleagues
Matt, and colleagues
Just to add some personal anecdotes re critical making
a) I was lucky to be in a secondary school that had a woodshop,machine shop,
electronics shop ( yeah this was 1964) and all the students took 'shop' - the
experience led not only to making great presents for my parents but we founded
the 'rocsoc' or rocketry club and we made small rocket parts and launched the
rocket from the school football field in keeping with the critical
making argument
this clearly 'empowered' me and let me to become an astronomical
instrument maker-
ironically the 'shop' classes were a residue from england's industrial
revolution
which let to development of apprentice programs in school contexts - i even got
to write computer programs on IBM puncards in 1967
it also was the case that my father had a worshop with machine tools at home
so i really grew up in a making culture ( i remember building wind
mills with my father
so whats new as emphasised by matt in his essay
<https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674>https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674
is the transformation due to open source open access and a whole
ecology of access outside
of formal instutions- and the whole range of new production tools from
3d p;rinting to digital media-
and the enabling of making collaborations in a variety of ways
matt argues :
Working against the instrumental or exhibitory impulse has meant that
these engagements have been purposefully liminal, frangible events
focused on process rather than product and with the main value accrued
by participants rather than observers.
I continue to believe in the value of a certain distance from the
dominant forms of science and art and the critical and creative
insights that can be generated by maintaining a kind of epistemic
freedom from the commitments described above.
in the whole art-science-technology discussion as i have pointed out
the force of the art/science/creativity/innovation/entrepreneurs/
jobs/employment discourse
at the Dec 2 meeting at the US national academy of science
http://malina.diatrope.com/2015/11/26/grand-challenge-for-science-and-engineering-self-knowledge-an-open-call-to-humanists/
tom rudin pointed out:
"In a critical reflection on world history, the German philosopher
Karl Jaspers observed how in the first millennium BCE, human cultures
in Asia and Europe independently underwent a profound transformation
that he named the Axial Age. Thinkers as diverse as Confucius, Laozi,
Buddha, Socrates, and the Hebrew prophets began to ask what it means
to be human. Humans no longer simply accepted whatever ways of life
they were born into; they began to subject their cultures to critical
assessment. Today we are entering a new Axial Age, one in which we no
longer simply accept the physical world into which we are born. But
engineering makes almost no effort to give engineers—or any of the
rest of us—the tools to reflect on themselves and their
world-transforming enterprise."
would it be too much to suggest that the 'critical making' movement is
part of the new Axial age
roger malina
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Monday, December 14, 2015
Re: [Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
Hello all,
About « critical making » into production processes and technological development, I think it can be considered as an ethical concept.
What are we making (together) ? is a question I would like to explore by many ways and fields : research, technology, ecomonmy, culture, environment, etc…
Critical making means that we have to make choices and take decisions making things and objects. We have to use our reason in front of physical and organical
materials. This is the link between concrete and abstract or conceptual R&D.
We have to think our practices.
And it means that we have to think our gestures, into the environment in which they happen and they place themselves, in term of time and space, their relation
with others, and their impact and consequence. This at a local and global levels. « Act in your place, think with the world » wrote the poet Edouard Glissant.
It is necessary to think an ecology of gestures. And an economy.
We also have to think gesture as vital experience for human kind, and as a part of its development and evolution, at individual and transindividual scale, at
historical and geological ones too (what is a gesture into the anthropocène ?). Experience of the existence, a so simple and so complex thing. Sensitive and
intelligible experience, as its perception and understanding.
Technology, in an anthropological point of view, are the « extensions of man », as said by Marshall McLuhan, the canadian media theorist.
It's necessary to understand and to design the technologies as extensions of human capacities, for making life livable on the planet, instead of amputation of
these ones.
It arises the question of who, and for doing what, in which way, invent and design the technologies. For which kind and forms of life ?
This is a question of culture, or civilization.
The considération of gesture, here, is proposed as the human intervention and action, into the production process. That means a recapacitation and the
desautomation. The gesture is the condition of capacity to judge and to decide, through its own knoledge and faculties, at the contrary of the loss of knowledge
described by the french philosopher Bernard Stiegler (The automatic society, 2015).
So into the free culture and maker movement, with free and open software and hardware, 3D printing and all the machines we can get easily, the reasons to
make and the ways to share should be submitted to critical making.
Or, as the example from Matt Ratto, what are the reasons to make a gun ?
And as said McLuhan, some tools are made without the possibilty to choose for good and bad use : a gun is made to kill.
Please, don't shoot the pianist ( from the title of a well known french film).
Colette Tron
About « critical making » into production processes and technological development, I think it can be considered as an ethical concept.
What are we making (together) ? is a question I would like to explore by many ways and fields : research, technology, ecomonmy, culture, environment, etc…
Critical making means that we have to make choices and take decisions making things and objects. We have to use our reason in front of physical and organical
materials. This is the link between concrete and abstract or conceptual R&D.
We have to think our practices.
And it means that we have to think our gestures, into the environment in which they happen and they place themselves, in term of time and space, their relation
with others, and their impact and consequence. This at a local and global levels. « Act in your place, think with the world » wrote the poet Edouard Glissant.
It is necessary to think an ecology of gestures. And an economy.
We also have to think gesture as vital experience for human kind, and as a part of its development and evolution, at individual and transindividual scale, at
historical and geological ones too (what is a gesture into the anthropocène ?). Experience of the existence, a so simple and so complex thing. Sensitive and
intelligible experience, as its perception and understanding.
Technology, in an anthropological point of view, are the « extensions of man », as said by Marshall McLuhan, the canadian media theorist.
It's necessary to understand and to design the technologies as extensions of human capacities, for making life livable on the planet, instead of amputation of
these ones.
It arises the question of who, and for doing what, in which way, invent and design the technologies. For which kind and forms of life ?
This is a question of culture, or civilization.
The considération of gesture, here, is proposed as the human intervention and action, into the production process. That means a recapacitation and the
desautomation. The gesture is the condition of capacity to judge and to decide, through its own knoledge and faculties, at the contrary of the loss of knowledge
described by the french philosopher Bernard Stiegler (The automatic society, 2015).
So into the free culture and maker movement, with free and open software and hardware, 3D printing and all the machines we can get easily, the reasons to
make and the ways to share should be submitted to critical making.
Or, as the example from Matt Ratto, what are the reasons to make a gun ?
And as said McLuhan, some tools are made without the possibilty to choose for good and bad use : a gun is made to kill.
Please, don't shoot the pianist ( from the title of a well known french film).
Colette Tron
> Message du 09/12/15 à 17h20
> De : czegledy@interlog.com
> A : "YASMIN DISCUSSIONS"
> Copie à : "Matt Ratto"
> Objet : [Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
>
> From Matt Ratto on critical thinking and physical making:
>
> Over the last few years, the long-standing 'firewall' between critical thinking
> and physical making has been toppling, in no small part due to scholars '
> and practitioners in design, the digital humanities, artistic
> practice, engineering,
> and other areas who have developed specific modes of material/conceptual
> engagement. While most critical work often remains focused on linguistic
> processes and outputs, "critical making" (broadly construed) is more and
> more finding a place within pedagogical and research-oriented contexts.
> Obviously, this work ties into and participates to greater or lesser degrees
> with the practices of enthusiast 'maker' communities, professional design
> contexts, new forms of value-focused engineering pedagogies, and artistic
> practice.
>
> What connects the diversity of the communities involved and the values
> espoused, is some interest in the 'critical', whether that means
> interventionist
> in the old liberatory and Marxist Frankfurt School sense, reflective regarding
> the environmental and social outcomes of modern industrial production, or
> insight-generating related to other tropes and forms of material engagements.
> My own particular interest has been methodological, working out to what
> degree material engagements give us new modes for exploring the
> entanglements of the material and the semiotic and the way power in society
> relates to the specific forms these entanglements take. But I very much think
> that the time is ripe for a more general conversation to be had regarding the
> ways in which critical forms of making fit and do not fit into
> standard institutional
> and disciplinary contexts, whether those of engineering, art, design, or other
> fields. In particular, it seems important to call attention to
> contradictory value
> assumptions associated with these contexts, including differing concepts of
> instrumental logic, novelty, aesthetic sophistication, and the like.
>
> Working in more substantive interdisciplinary ways requires closer attention
> to the often naturalized ways in which we establish what counts as 'critical'.
> My hope is that the Yasmin conversation can start such a conversation. As
> a small contribution to this, here is a link to a short piece I
> published on Medium:
>
> https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-
knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674
>
>
>
>
>
> Matt Ratto is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the
> University of Toronto and directs the Semaphore Research cluster on
> Inclusive Design, Mobile and Pervasive Computing and, as part of Semaphore,
> the Critical Making lab. His work explores the intersections between digital
> technologies and the human life world, with a particular focus on new
> developments that trouble the divide between online and offline modes of
> production. His research also addresses pervasive and ubiquitous technologies
> including wearable computing and the Internet of Things. He coined the term
> 'critical making" in 2007 to describe work that combines humanities insights
> and engineering practices, and has published extensively on this concept.
> _______________________________________________
> Yasmin_discussions mailing list
> Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
> http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
>
> Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
>
> SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the
fields found further down the page.
> HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the
unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
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> If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
>
___________________________________________________________
Mode, hifi, maison,… J'achète malin. Je compare les prix avec Voila.fr http://shopping.voila.fr/
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If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Re: [Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
Dear all,
Considering the current transformations due the digital and its developments, and with the alternatives generated by open source devices and open and shared
culture and knowledge, my position as a critic (into the field of arts) is in the idea to observe the making and to understand and to modelize new models of
production, into local as well as global scale.
It could be possible to lean on some concrete examples in artistic, cultural and social experiences, and also on theories that interpret making into a set
constituent of an epochal production. And thus « to claim some modes to fit out », up to a sentence by the french philosopher Bernard Stiegler (in « About
symbolic poverty II, Galilée Publisher, 2005).
Considering the current transformations due the digital and its developments, and with the alternatives generated by open source devices and open and shared
culture and knowledge, my position as a critic (into the field of arts) is in the idea to observe the making and to understand and to modelize new models of
production, into local as well as global scale.
It could be possible to lean on some concrete examples in artistic, cultural and social experiences, and also on theories that interpret making into a set
constituent of an epochal production. And thus « to claim some modes to fit out », up to a sentence by the french philosopher Bernard Stiegler (in « About
symbolic poverty II, Galilée Publisher, 2005).
The critical making summit Transformaking has been a place for experimentation, observation, propositions, and maybe prototype (and later to modelize) some
ways to figure poetics and politics of arts of making and arts of living into the digital environment. That means for new ways of life.
So we should use « critical making » as a form of critic, linking practices and thought, and establishing the neccessity to debate, test, rethink, models and
proptotypes, but also as a politic, in the way it also means : important and vital décisions for production process.
I have written a report on the summit in Jogjakarta into the Makery review, called For a great transformation, related to the book of Karl Polany:
http://www.makery.info/2015/09/29/pour-une-grande-transformation-par-colette-tron/?lang=en
Colette Tron
> Message du 07/12/15 à 17h09
> De : czegledy@interlog.com
> A : "YASMIN DISCUSSIONS"
> Copie à : "Sharath chandra" , "venzha christ"
> Objet : [Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
>
> Dear Yasminers,
>
> We would like to start a discussion on Transformative and
> Critical Making
>
> «Critical making» -a term coined by Matt Ratto of the University
> of Toronto- links conceptual investigation and creative physical making.
> Critical Making is based on the potential applications of open source
> software and hardware as well as the investigation and use of new
> technologies. Prof. Ratto agreed to introduce his concept of critical
> making for this discussion.
>
> The House of Natural Fiber (HONF) concentrates on principles of
> critique and innovation towards the development of art, science, and
> technology for society since 1999. After « Prototype 2014 », HONF
> and partners organized the Transformaking 2015 Summit
> (www.transformaking.org) in September in Yogjakarta, Indonesia.
> The Summit including thematically linked events brought together
> makers, scientists, hackers, DIYers, researchers, artists, critics,
> designers and interdisciplinary practitioners from various regions of
> the world.The initial objectives centered on the development and future
> of maker culture: "The maker movement, as well as the culture associated
> with it, offers alternative solutions, in a practical way and with citizen
> involvement, where sociopolitical institutions fail. But confronted with
> an industrial scale in the current economic system, the risk of
> commercialization remains. A critical attitude is essential to investigate
> a true transformation of production: Transformaking." The constructive
> discourse at the Transformaking2015 symposia prompted us to propose
> this discussion on various aspects of critical making, The exploration
> of this concept and activities could be helping us to criticize the way
> we make things, and what we make together. All the participants of
> Transformaking2015 are invited as well as Yasminers on this list
> to contribute to the discussion.
>
> Collette Tron and Nina Czegledy
>
>
> The moderators:
> Collette Tron and Nina Czegledy
>
> colette tron is a french art critic and art director based in marseille.
> directing the organization Alphabetville (www.alphabetville.org),
> she is trying to articulate new art practices, particularly in the digital,
> with conceptual and theoretical perspectives. feeling close to
> "critical making" approach, colette tron is involved with honf in
> Transformaking.
>
> Nina Czegledy artist, curator, educator collaborates internationally
> on art& science& technology projects. She has exhibited and
> published widely won awards for her artwork and has initiated, lead
> and participated in forums and festivals worldwide. Nina is a Research
> Fellow at the Semaphore Research cluster the Critical Making lab,
> University of Toronto.
>
>
> The respondents:
> Venzha Christ (HONF and Sharath Chandra Ram
>
> Venzha Christ prolific artist, initiator, and leader in media and
> art and science research founded the House of Natural Fiber,
> (HONF) a new media art laboratory' www.natural-fiber.com in
> 1999 with the aim to combine education, art and technology with
> local communities. HONF produced several special projects in
> media art, including public art installations, technology research,
> education, mediart art festivals at home and internationally in
> addition to the annual Cellsbutton series of festivals.
>
> Sharath Chandra Ram, a graduate of University of Edinburgh
> specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Virtual
> Environments. His research interests lie in the intersection of law,
> technology and society with a focus on Open Education (Open
> Science and Open Hardware), Open Spectrum, Citizen Science,
> ICT4D and Intellectual Property. A licensed amateur radio broadcaster
> he is actively interested in communication policy research, radio
> astronomy as a transmission artist. He installed his work in several
> national & international avenues. An international partner and
> co-organizer of the International Summit on Critical and Transformative
> Making he actively works with local open source and research
> community at the Centre for Internet and Society and organizes the
> annual NASA International Open Data Challenge. At Srishti Sharath
> he teaches a variety of programs..
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Yasmin_discussions mailing list
> Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
> http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
>
> Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
>
> SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the
fields found further down the page.
> HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the
unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
> TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
> If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
>
___________________________________________________________
Mode, hifi, maison,… J'achète malin. Je compare les prix avec Voila.fr http://shopping.voila.fr/
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 7, 2015
[Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
From Matt Ratto on critical thinking and physical making:
Over the last few years, the long-standing 'firewall' between critical thinking
and physical making has been toppling, in no small part due to scholars '
and practitioners in design, the digital humanities, artistic
practice, engineering,
and other areas who have developed specific modes of material/conceptual
engagement. While most critical work often remains focused on linguistic
processes and outputs, "critical making" (broadly construed) is more and
more finding a place within pedagogical and research-oriented contexts.
Obviously, this work ties into and participates to greater or lesser degrees
with the practices of enthusiast 'maker' communities, professional design
contexts, new forms of value-focused engineering pedagogies, and artistic
practice.
What connects the diversity of the communities involved and the values
espoused, is some interest in the 'critical', whether that means
interventionist
in the old liberatory and Marxist Frankfurt School sense, reflective regarding
the environmental and social outcomes of modern industrial production, or
insight-generating related to other tropes and forms of material engagements.
My own particular interest has been methodological, working out to what
degree material engagements give us new modes for exploring the
entanglements of the material and the semiotic and the way power in society
relates to the specific forms these entanglements take. But I very much think
that the time is ripe for a more general conversation to be had regarding the
ways in which critical forms of making fit and do not fit into
standard institutional
and disciplinary contexts, whether those of engineering, art, design, or other
fields. In particular, it seems important to call attention to
contradictory value
assumptions associated with these contexts, including differing concepts of
instrumental logic, novelty, aesthetic sophistication, and the like.
Working in more substantive interdisciplinary ways requires closer attention
to the often naturalized ways in which we establish what counts as 'critical'.
My hope is that the Yasmin conversation can start such a conversation. As
a small contribution to this, here is a link to a short piece I
published on Medium:
<https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674>https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674
Matt Ratto is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the
University of Toronto and directs the Semaphore Research cluster on
Inclusive Design, Mobile and Pervasive Computing and, as part of Semaphore,
the Critical Making lab. His work explores the intersections between digital
technologies and the human life world, with a particular focus on new
developments that trouble the divide between online and offline modes of
production. His research also addresses pervasive and ubiquitous technologies
including wearable computing and the Internet of Things. He coined the term
'critical making" in 2007 to describe work that combines humanities insights
and engineering practices, and has published extensively on this concept.
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Over the last few years, the long-standing 'firewall' between critical thinking
and physical making has been toppling, in no small part due to scholars '
and practitioners in design, the digital humanities, artistic
practice, engineering,
and other areas who have developed specific modes of material/conceptual
engagement. While most critical work often remains focused on linguistic
processes and outputs, "critical making" (broadly construed) is more and
more finding a place within pedagogical and research-oriented contexts.
Obviously, this work ties into and participates to greater or lesser degrees
with the practices of enthusiast 'maker' communities, professional design
contexts, new forms of value-focused engineering pedagogies, and artistic
practice.
What connects the diversity of the communities involved and the values
espoused, is some interest in the 'critical', whether that means
interventionist
in the old liberatory and Marxist Frankfurt School sense, reflective regarding
the environmental and social outcomes of modern industrial production, or
insight-generating related to other tropes and forms of material engagements.
My own particular interest has been methodological, working out to what
degree material engagements give us new modes for exploring the
entanglements of the material and the semiotic and the way power in society
relates to the specific forms these entanglements take. But I very much think
that the time is ripe for a more general conversation to be had regarding the
ways in which critical forms of making fit and do not fit into
standard institutional
and disciplinary contexts, whether those of engineering, art, design, or other
fields. In particular, it seems important to call attention to
contradictory value
assumptions associated with these contexts, including differing concepts of
instrumental logic, novelty, aesthetic sophistication, and the like.
Working in more substantive interdisciplinary ways requires closer attention
to the often naturalized ways in which we establish what counts as 'critical'.
My hope is that the Yasmin conversation can start such a conversation. As
a small contribution to this, here is a link to a short piece I
published on Medium:
<https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674>https://medium.com/genres-of-scholarly-knowledge-production/the-pathology-of-platforms-1dbd7e777674
Matt Ratto is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Information at the
University of Toronto and directs the Semaphore Research cluster on
Inclusive Design, Mobile and Pervasive Computing and, as part of Semaphore,
the Critical Making lab. His work explores the intersections between digital
technologies and the human life world, with a particular focus on new
developments that trouble the divide between online and offline modes of
production. His research also addresses pervasive and ubiquitous technologies
including wearable computing and the Internet of Things. He coined the term
'critical making" in 2007 to describe work that combines humanities insights
and engineering practices, and has published extensively on this concept.
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
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[Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
Dear Yasminers:
Introductory statement from
Sharath Chandra Ram respondent to the Transformative and Critical Making.
Today's share-alike network culture has blurred the lines of
intellectual property and authorship, and has become the site of
symbiotic and parasitic practices of re-appropriation that include
online as well as offline interventions such as crowd-sourced making
and hacking. An important goal of 'transformative making' in my view,
is to see if and how an inclusive and trans-disciplinary model of
networked making at the grassroots - a confluence of
citizens,tinkerers and hackers, artists , designers and researchers
can work in tandem with legal scholars and policy makers to develop
and publish solutions that may actually see the light of the day by
bridging the gap between policy recommendation and implementation.
nc.
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Introductory statement from
Sharath Chandra Ram respondent to the Transformative and Critical Making.
Today's share-alike network culture has blurred the lines of
intellectual property and authorship, and has become the site of
symbiotic and parasitic practices of re-appropriation that include
online as well as offline interventions such as crowd-sourced making
and hacking. An important goal of 'transformative making' in my view,
is to see if and how an inclusive and trans-disciplinary model of
networked making at the grassroots - a confluence of
citizens,tinkerers and hackers, artists , designers and researchers
can work in tandem with legal scholars and policy makers to develop
and publish solutions that may actually see the light of the day by
bridging the gap between policy recommendation and implementation.
nc.
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
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[Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
Dear Yasminers:
Introduction statement and information on Venzha's and HONF activities from
Venzha Christ respondent to the Transformative and Critical Making.
"Of late there is been a lot of academic research going on to study the nature,
intent and multiple values represented in the global 'maker culture'. To me
the most interesting instances are hyperlocal activities of making that address
the need of it's immediate community. How can such examples and mechanisms
be collated, understood and re-applied to address newer contexts and global
grass root issues, with a view of transforming the future here and now- this is
one of the main objectives of Transformaking"
- Venzha
Venzha Christ / Director of HONF Foundation - Activities:
Focused on new media art since 1999, Venzha founded HONF', Yogyakarta
new media art laboratory' (since 2011 HONF Foundation) a space to
share and grow ideas in the field of media art and wider society,
including artists, creative practitioners, scientist, hackers,
activist, and the public in an exploratory and responsive dialogue to
fuse of education, art and technology with local communities without
cultural limitation. Venzha is a producer and organizer of many
projects such as public art installation, media performance, media
art festival, technology research, videowork festival, workshops and
discussions on media + science + technology, DIY gathering,
electronic and media culture movement, etc. Founder of the v.u.f.o.c
an extraterrestrial study center, EFP platform,
Micronation/Macronation project, and Electrocore sound + research
project, HONFablab, Transformaking, etc. HONF with the community
presented media art projects in many places locally and
internationally.The goal of the Education Focus Program (EFP) is to
build connections and interactions between local/creative communities
and make a connection between universities/laboratories. Venzha on
behalf of HONF tries to focus interest and analysis of
interdisciplinary production and theory, in Indonesia Venzha is also
an initiator and artistic director also CELLSBUTTON (Yogyakarta
International Media Art Festival) since 2007, and a new platform for
OPEN CULTURE and CRITICAL MAKING (2014), and TRANSFORMAKING (2015) -
both produced and organized by HONF Foundation every year
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
Introduction statement and information on Venzha's and HONF activities from
Venzha Christ respondent to the Transformative and Critical Making.
"Of late there is been a lot of academic research going on to study the nature,
intent and multiple values represented in the global 'maker culture'. To me
the most interesting instances are hyperlocal activities of making that address
the need of it's immediate community. How can such examples and mechanisms
be collated, understood and re-applied to address newer contexts and global
grass root issues, with a view of transforming the future here and now- this is
one of the main objectives of Transformaking"
- Venzha
Venzha Christ / Director of HONF Foundation - Activities:
Focused on new media art since 1999, Venzha founded HONF', Yogyakarta
new media art laboratory' (since 2011 HONF Foundation) a space to
share and grow ideas in the field of media art and wider society,
including artists, creative practitioners, scientist, hackers,
activist, and the public in an exploratory and responsive dialogue to
fuse of education, art and technology with local communities without
cultural limitation. Venzha is a producer and organizer of many
projects such as public art installation, media performance, media
art festival, technology research, videowork festival, workshops and
discussions on media + science + technology, DIY gathering,
electronic and media culture movement, etc. Founder of the v.u.f.o.c
an extraterrestrial study center, EFP platform,
Micronation/Macronation project, and Electrocore sound + research
project, HONFablab, Transformaking, etc. HONF with the community
presented media art projects in many places locally and
internationally.The goal of the Education Focus Program (EFP) is to
build connections and interactions between local/creative communities
and make a connection between universities/laboratories. Venzha on
behalf of HONF tries to focus interest and analysis of
interdisciplinary production and theory, in Indonesia Venzha is also
an initiator and artistic director also CELLSBUTTON (Yogyakarta
International Media Art Festival) since 2007, and a new platform for
OPEN CULTURE and CRITICAL MAKING (2014), and TRANSFORMAKING (2015) -
both produced and organized by HONF Foundation every year
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
[Yasmin_discussions] Transformative and Critical Making
Dear Yasminers,
We would like to start a discussion on Transformative and
Critical Making
«Critical making» -a term coined by Matt Ratto of the University
of Toronto- links conceptual investigation and creative physical making.
Critical Making is based on the potential applications of open source
software and hardware as well as the investigation and use of new
technologies. Prof. Ratto agreed to introduce his concept of critical
making for this discussion.
The House of Natural Fiber (HONF) concentrates on principles of
critique and innovation towards the development of art, science, and
technology for society since 1999. After « Prototype 2014 », HONF
and partners organized the Transformaking 2015 Summit
(www.transformaking.org) in September in Yogjakarta, Indonesia.
The Summit including thematically linked events brought together
makers, scientists, hackers, DIYers, researchers, artists, critics,
designers and interdisciplinary practitioners from various regions of
the world.The initial objectives centered on the development and future
of maker culture: "The maker movement, as well as the culture associated
with it, offers alternative solutions, in a practical way and with citizen
involvement, where sociopolitical institutions fail. But confronted with
an industrial scale in the current economic system, the risk of
commercialization remains. A critical attitude is essential to investigate
a true transformation of production: Transformaking." The constructive
discourse at the Transformaking2015 symposia prompted us to propose
this discussion on various aspects of critical making, The exploration
of this concept and activities could be helping us to criticize the way
we make things, and what we make together. All the participants of
Transformaking2015 are invited as well as Yasminers on this list
to contribute to the discussion.
Collette Tron and Nina Czegledy
The moderators:
Collette Tron and Nina Czegledy
colette tron is a french art critic and art director based in marseille.
directing the organization Alphabetville (www.alphabetville.org),
she is trying to articulate new art practices, particularly in the digital,
with conceptual and theoretical perspectives. feeling close to
"critical making" approach, colette tron is involved with honf in
Transformaking.
Nina Czegledy artist, curator, educator collaborates internationally
on art& science& technology projects. She has exhibited and
published widely won awards for her artwork and has initiated, lead
and participated in forums and festivals worldwide. Nina is a Research
Fellow at the Semaphore Research cluster the Critical Making lab,
University of Toronto.
The respondents:
Venzha Christ (HONF and Sharath Chandra Ram
Venzha Christ prolific artist, initiator, and leader in media and
art and science research founded the House of Natural Fiber,
(HONF) a new media art laboratory' www.natural-fiber.com in
1999 with the aim to combine education, art and technology with
local communities. HONF produced several special projects in
media art, including public art installations, technology research,
education, mediart art festivals at home and internationally in
addition to the annual Cellsbutton series of festivals.
Sharath Chandra Ram, a graduate of University of Edinburgh
specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Virtual
Environments. His research interests lie in the intersection of law,
technology and society with a focus on Open Education (Open
Science and Open Hardware), Open Spectrum, Citizen Science,
ICT4D and Intellectual Property. A licensed amateur radio broadcaster
he is actively interested in communication policy research, radio
astronomy as a transmission artist. He installed his work in several
national & international avenues. An international partner and
co-organizer of the International Summit on Critical and Transformative
Making he actively works with local open source and research
community at the Centre for Internet and Society and organizes the
annual NASA International Open Data Challenge. At Srishti Sharath
he teaches a variety of programs..
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
We would like to start a discussion on Transformative and
Critical Making
«Critical making» -a term coined by Matt Ratto of the University
of Toronto- links conceptual investigation and creative physical making.
Critical Making is based on the potential applications of open source
software and hardware as well as the investigation and use of new
technologies. Prof. Ratto agreed to introduce his concept of critical
making for this discussion.
The House of Natural Fiber (HONF) concentrates on principles of
critique and innovation towards the development of art, science, and
technology for society since 1999. After « Prototype 2014 », HONF
and partners organized the Transformaking 2015 Summit
(www.transformaking.org) in September in Yogjakarta, Indonesia.
The Summit including thematically linked events brought together
makers, scientists, hackers, DIYers, researchers, artists, critics,
designers and interdisciplinary practitioners from various regions of
the world.The initial objectives centered on the development and future
of maker culture: "The maker movement, as well as the culture associated
with it, offers alternative solutions, in a practical way and with citizen
involvement, where sociopolitical institutions fail. But confronted with
an industrial scale in the current economic system, the risk of
commercialization remains. A critical attitude is essential to investigate
a true transformation of production: Transformaking." The constructive
discourse at the Transformaking2015 symposia prompted us to propose
this discussion on various aspects of critical making, The exploration
of this concept and activities could be helping us to criticize the way
we make things, and what we make together. All the participants of
Transformaking2015 are invited as well as Yasminers on this list
to contribute to the discussion.
Collette Tron and Nina Czegledy
The moderators:
Collette Tron and Nina Czegledy
colette tron is a french art critic and art director based in marseille.
directing the organization Alphabetville (www.alphabetville.org),
she is trying to articulate new art practices, particularly in the digital,
with conceptual and theoretical perspectives. feeling close to
"critical making" approach, colette tron is involved with honf in
Transformaking.
Nina Czegledy artist, curator, educator collaborates internationally
on art& science& technology projects. She has exhibited and
published widely won awards for her artwork and has initiated, lead
and participated in forums and festivals worldwide. Nina is a Research
Fellow at the Semaphore Research cluster the Critical Making lab,
University of Toronto.
The respondents:
Venzha Christ (HONF and Sharath Chandra Ram
Venzha Christ prolific artist, initiator, and leader in media and
art and science research founded the House of Natural Fiber,
(HONF) a new media art laboratory' www.natural-fiber.com in
1999 with the aim to combine education, art and technology with
local communities. HONF produced several special projects in
media art, including public art installations, technology research,
education, mediart art festivals at home and internationally in
addition to the annual Cellsbutton series of festivals.
Sharath Chandra Ram, a graduate of University of Edinburgh
specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Virtual
Environments. His research interests lie in the intersection of law,
technology and society with a focus on Open Education (Open
Science and Open Hardware), Open Spectrum, Citizen Science,
ICT4D and Intellectual Property. A licensed amateur radio broadcaster
he is actively interested in communication policy research, radio
astronomy as a transmission artist. He installed his work in several
national & international avenues. An international partner and
co-organizer of the International Summit on Critical and Transformative
Making he actively works with local open source and research
community at the Centre for Internet and Society and organizes the
annual NASA International Open Data Challenge. At Srishti Sharath
he teaches a variety of programs..
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
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Sunday, December 6, 2015
Re: [Yasmin_discussions] One-Sided STEAM Argument
John:
Some thoughts below...
Some thoughts below...
> On Dec 2, 2015, at 7:42 PM, John Hopkins <jhopkins@neoscenes.net> wrote:
>
> Hallo Paul -- some musings...
>
>> Since STEAM is on the table of discussion, this may be relevant - just posted it:
>>
>> http://creative-automata.com/2015/11/29/why-the-steam-argument-is-one-sided/
>
> I got to your presentation on "System modeling at the Art Museum" which I thought was an effective approach. (Wouldn't it be 'systems' though, plural?)
Yes.
>
> [a link to your presentation: http://tinyurl.com/qhugz7j]
>
> The list of questions about the Incan tunic appear to address the wider problem of ignorance surrounding the provenance of 'technological' artifacts. Winding back the artifact to its material genesis can be combined with an exploration into the conceptual genesis of its design, its purpose, the creative impulse that sparked it. There is still the difficulty of the segue to more esoteric/indeterminate questions, but I think the process has to start somewhere, and your list of questions seems to open such a discursive space.
>
> I have attempted such in my art/technology workshops (for engineering, art, and design students) -- not overtly invoking systems thinking, as that in itself is another challenging intellectual concept -- but, for example, simply connecting things in a framework of 'product' (specific material manifestation), 'process' (actions, flows embedded in a wider field), and 'praxis' (a/the holistic expression of lived presence).
>
> With my background in hard science, I do take every opportunity presented to engage non-science folks with scientific principles -- for example, when working with http://ecosa.org students, when delving into water catchment landscaping -- speaking about (and experimenting with) basic fluid dynamics. So few of my art students had any clue as to extremely basic physical laws coming from mechanical physics, or earth (geophysical) systems.
>
> The applied examination of praxis attempts to look at the embedded complexity of individual and collection human presence which often defies the all-too-often invoked references that tend to box us in here -- STEM, STEAM, etc, etc. Every individual, in deep relation to the social, has a multi-dimensional relationship with the world, often despite(!) their 'formal education'. By facilitating a discursive space where the fruits of this idiosyncratic experience can surface, the disciplinary boundaries may more easily be erased. (Although this outcome is generally *not* the goal of any STEM/STEAM programs, as erasure is still too much a challenge/risk to the existing inertia of social institutions.)
>
> As an alumni of Mitcham's school, graduating some decades back, the educational indoctrination into engineering generally proceeded as the solution to all the world's problems via highly-paid jobs upon graduation. (We were required only four one-semester humanities elective courses, as they were clearly extraneous to saving the world with technology!!). Of course no engineering education looks like that now, but myopic human hubris does maintain a steady and tenacious presence in most engineering (and design!) programs.
For engineering, it isn't clear where the changes can evolve — probably at the Federal level and down. Engineering
programs are notable for having few electives, but this may also be institution dependent. My undergrad was in mathematics,
and being within the liberal arts, that subject allowed me plenty of time to take art, philosophy, and art history classes.
-p
>
> From that rather extreme initial education, lacking any critical reflection, I have come to have a much broader perspective (thanks to the influence of many folks, living and dead, and transdisciplinary/transcultural life-experience). I no longer consider myself an engineer, nor scientist, though I maintain a somewhat bifurcated sense of interacting with the world (analytical versus intuitive perhaps?). I do recall an influential professor of mine, George Keller, a principle figure globally in electromagnetic geophysics, saying in the field one day "If you really want to know what is below the surface of the earth, you have to do this," as he squatted down and laid his palm on the ground...
>
> huh? where's the data? This expression completely perplexed me, though I was intrigued by his work in groundwater hydrology *and* dowsing...
>
> Ultimately, I look at technology (and humans) as being (merely!) another expression of life on the planet: where that Life alters the (energy) flows around it simply because of its presence. Of course there are questions that fall under concepts of altruism, intention, scale, and so on, but these all rest on the basic condition of Life altering the wider system around it. And, with humans, no reason for hubris, as we more often than not have *no* clue as to the gap between the material intentions of our engineering and the cumulative effects of those imposed changes to wider (Gaia) flows, anyway.
>
> Engineering, specifically, does raise the question of material scale -- how the particular form of Life, humans, have wrought their organism-specific alterations. Perhaps this is the source of that hubris -- (Donna Haraway touches on the hubris in her talk "Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene: Staying with the Trouble") -- the globe-girdling flux of human presence. However, in the larger picture, humans are a transitory upstart presence, and only one manifestation of life on the planet. As with others, we evolved, found energy, waxed in numbers, and, when the 'easy' energy sources are gone, will wane in numbers.
>
> Anyway, thanks for that posting...
>
> Cheers,
> JH
>
>
>
> --
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Dr. John Hopkins, BSc, MFA, PhD
> grounded on a granite batholith
> twitter: @neoscenes
> http://tech-no-mad.net/blog/
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> _______________________________________________
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>
> Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
>
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> If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Re: [Yasmin_discussions] One-Sided STEAM Argument
Hallo Paul -- some musings...
> Since STEAM is on the table of discussion, this may be relevant - just posted it:
>
> http://creative-automata.com/2015/11/29/why-the-steam-argument-is-one-sided/
I got to your presentation on "System modeling at the Art Museum" which I
thought was an effective approach. (Wouldn't it be 'systems' though, plural?)
[a link to your presentation: http://tinyurl.com/qhugz7j]
The list of questions about the Incan tunic appear to address the wider problem
of ignorance surrounding the provenance of 'technological' artifacts. Winding
back the artifact to its material genesis can be combined with an exploration
into the conceptual genesis of its design, its purpose, the creative impulse
that sparked it. There is still the difficulty of the segue to more
esoteric/indeterminate questions, but I think the process has to start
somewhere, and your list of questions seems to open such a discursive space.
I have attempted such in my art/technology workshops (for engineering, art, and
design students) -- not overtly invoking systems thinking, as that in itself is
another challenging intellectual concept -- but, for example, simply connecting
things in a framework of 'product' (specific material manifestation), 'process'
(actions, flows embedded in a wider field), and 'praxis' (a/the holistic
expression of lived presence).
With my background in hard science, I do take every opportunity presented to
engage non-science folks with scientific principles -- for example, when working
with http://ecosa.org students, when delving into water catchment landscaping --
speaking about (and experimenting with) basic fluid dynamics. So few of my art
students had any clue as to extremely basic physical laws coming from mechanical
physics, or earth (geophysical) systems.
The applied examination of praxis attempts to look at the embedded complexity of
individual and collection human presence which often defies the all-too-often
invoked references that tend to box us in here -- STEM, STEAM, etc, etc. Every
individual, in deep relation to the social, has a multi-dimensional relationship
with the world, often despite(!) their 'formal education'. By facilitating a
discursive space where the fruits of this idiosyncratic experience can surface,
the disciplinary boundaries may more easily be erased. (Although this outcome is
generally *not* the goal of any STEM/STEAM programs, as erasure is still too
much a challenge/risk to the existing inertia of social institutions.)
As an alumni of Mitcham's school, graduating some decades back, the educational
indoctrination into engineering generally proceeded as the solution to all the
world's problems via highly-paid jobs upon graduation. (We were required only
four one-semester humanities elective courses, as they were clearly extraneous
to saving the world with technology!!). Of course no engineering education looks
like that now, but myopic human hubris does maintain a steady and tenacious
presence in most engineering (and design!) programs.
From that rather extreme initial education, lacking any critical reflection, I
have come to have a much broader perspective (thanks to the influence of many
folks, living and dead, and transdisciplinary/transcultural life-experience). I
no longer consider myself an engineer, nor scientist, though I maintain a
somewhat bifurcated sense of interacting with the world (analytical versus
intuitive perhaps?). I do recall an influential professor of mine, George
Keller, a principle figure globally in electromagnetic geophysics, saying in the
field one day "If you really want to know what is below the surface of the
earth, you have to do this," as he squatted down and laid his palm on the ground...
huh? where's the data? This expression completely perplexed me, though I was
intrigued by his work in groundwater hydrology *and* dowsing...
Ultimately, I look at technology (and humans) as being (merely!) another
expression of life on the planet: where that Life alters the (energy) flows
around it simply because of its presence. Of course there are questions that
fall under concepts of altruism, intention, scale, and so on, but these all rest
on the basic condition of Life altering the wider system around it. And, with
humans, no reason for hubris, as we more often than not have *no* clue as to the
gap between the material intentions of our engineering and the cumulative
effects of those imposed changes to wider (Gaia) flows, anyway.
Engineering, specifically, does raise the question of material scale -- how the
particular form of Life, humans, have wrought their organism-specific
alterations. Perhaps this is the source of that hubris -- (Donna Haraway touches
on the hubris in her talk "Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene: Staying with
the Trouble") -- the globe-girdling flux of human presence. However, in the
larger picture, humans are a transitory upstart presence, and only one
manifestation of life on the planet. As with others, we evolved, found energy,
waxed in numbers, and, when the 'easy' energy sources are gone, will wane in
numbers.
Anyway, thanks for that posting...
Cheers,
JH
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. John Hopkins, BSc, MFA, PhD
grounded on a granite batholith
twitter: @neoscenes
http://tech-no-mad.net/blog/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
_______________________________________________
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http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
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TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
> Since STEAM is on the table of discussion, this may be relevant - just posted it:
>
> http://creative-automata.com/2015/11/29/why-the-steam-argument-is-one-sided/
I got to your presentation on "System modeling at the Art Museum" which I
thought was an effective approach. (Wouldn't it be 'systems' though, plural?)
[a link to your presentation: http://tinyurl.com/qhugz7j]
The list of questions about the Incan tunic appear to address the wider problem
of ignorance surrounding the provenance of 'technological' artifacts. Winding
back the artifact to its material genesis can be combined with an exploration
into the conceptual genesis of its design, its purpose, the creative impulse
that sparked it. There is still the difficulty of the segue to more
esoteric/indeterminate questions, but I think the process has to start
somewhere, and your list of questions seems to open such a discursive space.
I have attempted such in my art/technology workshops (for engineering, art, and
design students) -- not overtly invoking systems thinking, as that in itself is
another challenging intellectual concept -- but, for example, simply connecting
things in a framework of 'product' (specific material manifestation), 'process'
(actions, flows embedded in a wider field), and 'praxis' (a/the holistic
expression of lived presence).
With my background in hard science, I do take every opportunity presented to
engage non-science folks with scientific principles -- for example, when working
with http://ecosa.org students, when delving into water catchment landscaping --
speaking about (and experimenting with) basic fluid dynamics. So few of my art
students had any clue as to extremely basic physical laws coming from mechanical
physics, or earth (geophysical) systems.
The applied examination of praxis attempts to look at the embedded complexity of
individual and collection human presence which often defies the all-too-often
invoked references that tend to box us in here -- STEM, STEAM, etc, etc. Every
individual, in deep relation to the social, has a multi-dimensional relationship
with the world, often despite(!) their 'formal education'. By facilitating a
discursive space where the fruits of this idiosyncratic experience can surface,
the disciplinary boundaries may more easily be erased. (Although this outcome is
generally *not* the goal of any STEM/STEAM programs, as erasure is still too
much a challenge/risk to the existing inertia of social institutions.)
As an alumni of Mitcham's school, graduating some decades back, the educational
indoctrination into engineering generally proceeded as the solution to all the
world's problems via highly-paid jobs upon graduation. (We were required only
four one-semester humanities elective courses, as they were clearly extraneous
to saving the world with technology!!). Of course no engineering education looks
like that now, but myopic human hubris does maintain a steady and tenacious
presence in most engineering (and design!) programs.
From that rather extreme initial education, lacking any critical reflection, I
have come to have a much broader perspective (thanks to the influence of many
folks, living and dead, and transdisciplinary/transcultural life-experience). I
no longer consider myself an engineer, nor scientist, though I maintain a
somewhat bifurcated sense of interacting with the world (analytical versus
intuitive perhaps?). I do recall an influential professor of mine, George
Keller, a principle figure globally in electromagnetic geophysics, saying in the
field one day "If you really want to know what is below the surface of the
earth, you have to do this," as he squatted down and laid his palm on the ground...
huh? where's the data? This expression completely perplexed me, though I was
intrigued by his work in groundwater hydrology *and* dowsing...
Ultimately, I look at technology (and humans) as being (merely!) another
expression of life on the planet: where that Life alters the (energy) flows
around it simply because of its presence. Of course there are questions that
fall under concepts of altruism, intention, scale, and so on, but these all rest
on the basic condition of Life altering the wider system around it. And, with
humans, no reason for hubris, as we more often than not have *no* clue as to the
gap between the material intentions of our engineering and the cumulative
effects of those imposed changes to wider (Gaia) flows, anyway.
Engineering, specifically, does raise the question of material scale -- how the
particular form of Life, humans, have wrought their organism-specific
alterations. Perhaps this is the source of that hubris -- (Donna Haraway touches
on the hubris in her talk "Anthropocene, Capitalocene, Chthulucene: Staying with
the Trouble") -- the globe-girdling flux of human presence. However, in the
larger picture, humans are a transitory upstart presence, and only one
manifestation of life on the planet. As with others, we evolved, found energy,
waxed in numbers, and, when the 'easy' energy sources are gone, will wane in
numbers.
Anyway, thanks for that posting...
Cheers,
JH
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. John Hopkins, BSc, MFA, PhD
grounded on a granite batholith
twitter: @neoscenes
http://tech-no-mad.net/blog/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
_______________________________________________
Yasmin_discussions mailing list
Yasmin_discussions@estia.media.uoa.gr
http://estia.media.uoa.gr/mailman/listinfo/yasmin_discussions
Yasmin URL: http://www.media.uoa.gr/yasmin
SBSCRIBE: click on the link to the list you wish to subscribe to. In the page that will appear ("info page"), enter e-mail address, name, and password in the fields found further down the page.
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE: on the info page, scroll all the way down and enter your e-mail address in the last field. Enter password if asked. Click on the unsubscribe button on the page that will appear ("options page").
TO ENABLE / DISABLE DIGEST MODE: in the options page, find the "Set Digest Mode" option and set it to either on or off.
If you prefer to read the posts on a blog go to http://yasminlist.blogspot.com/
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