Hackers & Designers Prep Talks

Hackers & Designers Prep Talks
Name	Hackers & Designers Prep Talks
Location	Mediamatic
Date	2017/08/11
Time	18:30
PeopleOrganisations	MAGGIC, The Center for Genomic Gastronomy, The Things Network
Type	[[]]
Web	No
Print	No

Researching, breaking apart, and exploring urgent contemporary issues is at the core of the work of Hackers & Designers. For the 2017 exhibition and public lecture night (H&D Prep Talks) the focus and thematic thread will be about processes of going ‘off-the grid’,—a crucial societal topic and ongoing discussion at stake in both design/art and developer practices. In a world that is becoming increasingly digital, we believe that designers and artists should be empowered with the tools of the digital realm, including coding and hardware usage and construction. Conversely technologists should be more comfortable and effective in engaging in creative processes through familiarity with the vocabulary of designers and artists. For us, the idea of ‘getting prepped’ is not about the utilitarian concept of hoarding materials and goods for a pending apocalypse, but rather about the importance of not being completely reliant on systems that are outside of our control and that we cannot gain access into.

With the exhibition and Prep Talks, H&D invites the public to reflect and question our dependence and obedience on closed systems and proprietary technologies in our daily work and living environments. How can we, as creative nomadic workers who often do not differentiate between work and private life, look critically at infrastructure, networks and systems we rely on? Are we, as steadily connected networkers, capable of disconnecting from existing grids and systems? Can we rethink and build self-sustaining environments that shape our future practices in unexpected ways?

More detailed schedule follows soon!