How can we rethink the futures of technology beyond the narrow visions shaped by Big Tech? Join us in exploring imaginative, creative, and situated technological practices that challenge the dominant narratives around emerging technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Powerful tech actors continuously present their visions for the future of technology, framing them as inevitable while obfuscating how they are aligned with their own economic and political agendas. These visions influence infrastructure, regulation, and societal norms while excluding the diverse perspectives and needs of communities. But technology is not a neutral or autonomous force—it is shaped by human decisions, and alternative imaginaries are possible.
This session will spotlight artistic and creative approaches to emerging technologies, posing questions such as: What could artificial intelligence become if it was framed through values like justice or fabulation rather than efficiency or logic? Or, how can blockchain systems be reimagined to serve community needs? Featuring contributions from artists and researchers, this session invites you to explore creative interventions and bottom-up approaches that redefine the boundaries of technology. Together, we will ask how alternative imaginaries can foster more inclusive, value-driven techno-futures.
Speakers:
Sonia de Jager is a researcher working on the philosophy of artificial intelligence and a member of the Noise Research Union.
Penny Rafferty is a writer, critic, and visual theorist. She co-edited Radical Friends: Decentralised Autonomous Organisations and the Arts (2022).
Evelyn Wan is an artists, scholar, and dramaturg who works on digital culture and AI imaginaries.
Martin Zeilinger is a researcher and curator focusing on artistic and activist experiments with emerging technologies.
Host:
Inte Gloerich is a researcher and cultural organiser working on the politics of tech imaginaries.
Please register here.
Entry to the event is free and afterwards, we invite everyone to continue the conversation at the Institute of Cultural Inquiry’s New Year’s toast.
Partners:
- Institute for Cultural Inquiry, Utrecht University
- Faculty Digital Media & Creative Industries, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
- Institute of Network Cultures
This event will also be the first public presentation of Artists, Activists, and Worldbuilders on Decentralised Autonomous Organisations: Conversations about Funding, Self-Organisation, and Reclaiming the Future. Free copies will be available!