Violence & Visibility in Computational Regimes
24- 25 March 2023, John Cabot University, Via della Lungara 233, Rome
Organized by the Department of Communications and Media Studies, John Cabot University (coordinated by Donatella Della Ratta), in collaboration with Duke University and The Institute of Network Cultures
What does it mean to study the interplay between violence and visibility in computational
regimes? How does that dynamic change, both in war-torn contexts and within the silent
confines of our digital devices, as data capitalism extracts value from everything and
everyone at the infrastructural level of metadata? How can we conceptualize these
emerging and well-camouflaged forms of infrastructural violence?
Attendance is free of charge. Students, scholars in their early career, artists, activists, etc.,
are all welcome. For more info, RSVP pls contact lucia.conte22@johncabot.edu.
Live streaming (March 24 only) https://youtube.com/live/ffBL68a2e9E?feature=share
March 24, 2023
9-9.15 Welcome & intro – Donatella Della Ratta, Department of Communications and
Media Studies, John Cabot University Rome
9.15-10.45 Violence, Terror: ‘I’m going to kill a terrorist, mum: The intimacies, intensities, and invitations of networked violence’ Jonathan Luke Austin (University of Copenhagen)
“Israeli colonial dreams in the age of AI” Rebecca L. Stein (Duke University)
“Spectres of the Image: From Disinformation to Terror” Svitlana Matviyenko (Simon Fraser
University)
10.45-11.15 coffee break
11.15-11.45 Interlude I: ‘Operations other than war’ – Jussi Parikka (Aarhus University)
11.45-13.15 Opacity, Silence: ‘Witnessing and Curation in Times of Networked Violence’ Daniela Agostinho (Aarhus University)
‘“Still living/living stills”: datasets as topographies of silence in machine learning systems’ Nanna Bonde Thylstrup (Copenhagen Business School)
‘Vulgar Vibes: The Private, Prude and Prophetic Violence of Commercial Content Moderation in Brazil and Beyond’ Anna Leander (Geneva Graduate Institute)
13.15-14.45 lunch break
14.45-15.15 Interlude II: ‘An atmospheric belt of turbulent shadows’ Abelardo Gil-Fournier (artist and researcher)
15.15-17.15 Machine Vision: “Epistemic Violence: Algorithmic Apparatuses & Neocolonial Visions” Anthony Downey (Birmingham City University)
‘Recognizing algorithmic violence’ Gabriel Pereira (London School of Economics)
‘Viewing with Care: Digital Afterlives of Extremist Violence’ Kevin B Lee (Università della
Svizzera Italiana)
‘Screenshot on the boundary’ Dunja Nesovic (Institute of Network Cultures, HvA)
17.15-17.30 coffee break
17.30-18 Interlude III: ‘Cute Violence: The Kawayoku Inception’ Noura Tafeche (visual artist and independent scholar)
18-19 Weapons, Injections: ‘Shot Theory’ Donatella Della Ratta (John Cabot University)
‘Only I Get to Hurt Me or Contemplations on Pain in the Age of the White Holy Wars’
Dahlia Damoiselle (trans-femme poetesse and educatrix)
19.15-19-45 Epilogue:
‘Internet Extinction’ Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures)
live sound Peter Sarram (John Cabot University)
25 March, 2023
10.45-12.45 Discussion focusing on issues emerged the previous day, moderated by
Donatella Della Ratta & Geert Lovink
13-15 Lunch
15 A conversation with filmmaker Helin Celik: ‘Filming invisible violence’
16 Screening of Mapping Lessons (2020) followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Philip Rizk