Art + Tech Seminar
Abstract: The longstanding divide between technological work and social critique is collapsing, brought about by new forms of access to the technical and increasing recognition of the critical impacts of emerging technological systems on social life. What then are our responsibilities as engineers, as artists, as social scientists, as citizens? Since 2007 Matt Ratto has been using the term critical making to describe a research program aimed at exploring these questions. In this talk he will outline some of the methods and commitments that have shaped this research, highlighting some of events and objects that have resulted, and explicitly describing what remains to be done.
Speaker Bio: Matt is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and director of the Semaphore Research Cluster on Mobile and Pervasive Computing, an interdisciplinary research group exploring, critiquing, and building capacity around new developments in tangible interfaces, smart objects and digital infrastructures. His main focus is on bridging the divide between critical, humanistic perspectives and technical work. He coined the term 'critical making' in 2007 to describe this ongoing research project.
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This series is made possible through the support of the James Michelin Distinguished Visitors program established in 1992 to bring to Caltech "notable, innovative thinkers who will be able to spark the imagination of faculty and students alike and stimulate thought and discussion on a wide range issues," with special emphasis on the "creative interaction between science and the arts."