"Gilbert Simondon offers a definition of information in opposition to the quantification of signa... more "Gilbert Simondon offers a definition of information in opposition to the quantification of signal and noise introduced by Claude Shannon and information theory. For Simondon, information is “the tension between two disparate realities.” In this way, information precedes individuation, which results in resolutions, however partial, of such tension. If information precedes individuation, it is through processes of transduction that individuation occurs. Corresponding to relations of the disparate realities that require information and individuation, transduction can be traced through the structures and patterns that emerge from resolving a given set of relations, specifically patterns and structures that were not present before transduction.
In this paper, I implement Simondon’s conceptualization of information and transduction as theoretical touchstones in relation to several recent works of art involving living entities, including a work in progress of my own. These artworks combine organic and inorganic materials and processes, bringing together “disparate realities” through nonhuman assemblages, and in ways that productively challenge the application of information theory to life in general. Thus, the emergent relations and resolutions brought forth through praxis and in the experience of these artworks offer useful points of exploration of Simondon’s ideas. Simondon's work offers rich conceptual tools with which to trace how the informational demands and processes of transduction shift through the separate events of making and experiencing art."
In Cary Wolfe's "What is Posthumanism?" embodiment is central to the posthuman shift away from an... more In Cary Wolfe's "What is Posthumanism?" embodiment is central to the posthuman shift away from anthropocentric understandings of the world. For Wolfe, embodiment is a way of recognizing the radical difference between different animal bodies (human and non-human) that leads to a heterogeneity of being-in-the-world, inextricably linked to the specificity of particular bodily forms and capacities. This culminates in a new conception of posthuman bioethics, grounded in embodiment. In this paper, I expand upon Wolfe's theories through a consideration of the embodied hybridity expressed in human-bacteria symbiosis.
A brief review of human-bacteria relationships begins to weaken conceptions of human embodiment as distinctly whole: there are 10 times the number of bacteria cells as human cells on the body, bacteria of the gut extend the human body's ability to breakdown and digest food, bacteria affect mood, immunity, and other physiological processes and development. Bacteria also use complex forms of inter- and intraspecies communication. In short, the bacteria within play central roles in human existence and experience and align with other posthuman articulations of cyborgs, cybernetics, and network societies where dynamic relationships between systems and environments trump essentialist categorization.
As many have argued, posthumanism dismantles conceptions of human centrality and superiority. Relational conceptions of embodiment found in human-bacteria symbiosis reveals a permeable connection to the world allowing for a shift away from human centrality, through a prosthetic extension of bodily capacity.
The discursive and material practices of science and art offer particular ways of understanding b... more The discursive and material practices of science and art offer particular ways of understanding brought about through specific configurations of forces, to paraphrase Bruno Latour. These disciplines are often seen as dichotomous practices of representation that shape our understanding and experience of the world. However, maintaining ghettoized distinctions between science and art only continues a reifying process that limits potential connections. It maintains the status quo of configurations, disrupting the immanent connections of dynamic assemblages. Synthetic biology, in its current nascent form, offers an opportunity to explore the becomings of such an assemblage. The DIYers, biohackers, scientists and artists who practice within this realm form permeable configurations of ad hoc institutions unburdened by the limitations of a distinct set of disciplinary categorizations.
This paper will investigate the material practices of these ad hoc configurations, looking for the new modes of production and meaning-making that they bring forth. Posthuman ethics, theories and aesthetics will guide a survey of four different projects, including a work-in-progress by the author, exploring biological considerations of material posthumanism.
This workshop will introduce participants to bioluminescent dinoflagellates—marine dwelling, sing... more This workshop will introduce participants to bioluminescent dinoflagellates—marine dwelling, single-celled algae that emit light upon physical agitation. Using Arduino and simple physical computing arrangements, we will explore various ways to connect the inorganic with the organic, in our case using digital micro-controllers, motors, and bioluminescent algae. Additionally, participants will learn about bioluminescent dinoflagellates in nature, how to grow them at home, and will be offered their own packet of bioluminescent algae to take home. This workshop will be informal and casual, focusing on creativity and exploration rather than on developing engineering know-how.
"Gilbert Simondon offers a definition of information in opposition to the quantification of signa... more "Gilbert Simondon offers a definition of information in opposition to the quantification of signal and noise introduced by Claude Shannon and information theory. For Simondon, information is “the tension between two disparate realities.” In this way, information precedes individuation, which results in resolutions, however partial, of such tension. If information precedes individuation, it is through processes of transduction that individuation occurs. Corresponding to relations of the disparate realities that require information and individuation, transduction can be traced through the structures and patterns that emerge from resolving a given set of relations, specifically patterns and structures that were not present before transduction.
In this paper, I implement Simondon’s conceptualization of information and transduction as theoretical touchstones in relation to several recent works of art involving living entities, including a work in progress of my own. These artworks combine organic and inorganic materials and processes, bringing together “disparate realities” through nonhuman assemblages, and in ways that productively challenge the application of information theory to life in general. Thus, the emergent relations and resolutions brought forth through praxis and in the experience of these artworks offer useful points of exploration of Simondon’s ideas. Simondon's work offers rich conceptual tools with which to trace how the informational demands and processes of transduction shift through the separate events of making and experiencing art."
In Cary Wolfe's "What is Posthumanism?" embodiment is central to the posthuman shift away from an... more In Cary Wolfe's "What is Posthumanism?" embodiment is central to the posthuman shift away from anthropocentric understandings of the world. For Wolfe, embodiment is a way of recognizing the radical difference between different animal bodies (human and non-human) that leads to a heterogeneity of being-in-the-world, inextricably linked to the specificity of particular bodily forms and capacities. This culminates in a new conception of posthuman bioethics, grounded in embodiment. In this paper, I expand upon Wolfe's theories through a consideration of the embodied hybridity expressed in human-bacteria symbiosis.
A brief review of human-bacteria relationships begins to weaken conceptions of human embodiment as distinctly whole: there are 10 times the number of bacteria cells as human cells on the body, bacteria of the gut extend the human body's ability to breakdown and digest food, bacteria affect mood, immunity, and other physiological processes and development. Bacteria also use complex forms of inter- and intraspecies communication. In short, the bacteria within play central roles in human existence and experience and align with other posthuman articulations of cyborgs, cybernetics, and network societies where dynamic relationships between systems and environments trump essentialist categorization.
As many have argued, posthumanism dismantles conceptions of human centrality and superiority. Relational conceptions of embodiment found in human-bacteria symbiosis reveals a permeable connection to the world allowing for a shift away from human centrality, through a prosthetic extension of bodily capacity.
The discursive and material practices of science and art offer particular ways of understanding b... more The discursive and material practices of science and art offer particular ways of understanding brought about through specific configurations of forces, to paraphrase Bruno Latour. These disciplines are often seen as dichotomous practices of representation that shape our understanding and experience of the world. However, maintaining ghettoized distinctions between science and art only continues a reifying process that limits potential connections. It maintains the status quo of configurations, disrupting the immanent connections of dynamic assemblages. Synthetic biology, in its current nascent form, offers an opportunity to explore the becomings of such an assemblage. The DIYers, biohackers, scientists and artists who practice within this realm form permeable configurations of ad hoc institutions unburdened by the limitations of a distinct set of disciplinary categorizations.
This paper will investigate the material practices of these ad hoc configurations, looking for the new modes of production and meaning-making that they bring forth. Posthuman ethics, theories and aesthetics will guide a survey of four different projects, including a work-in-progress by the author, exploring biological considerations of material posthumanism.
This workshop will introduce participants to bioluminescent dinoflagellates—marine dwelling, sing... more This workshop will introduce participants to bioluminescent dinoflagellates—marine dwelling, single-celled algae that emit light upon physical agitation. Using Arduino and simple physical computing arrangements, we will explore various ways to connect the inorganic with the organic, in our case using digital micro-controllers, motors, and bioluminescent algae. Additionally, participants will learn about bioluminescent dinoflagellates in nature, how to grow them at home, and will be offered their own packet of bioluminescent algae to take home. This workshop will be informal and casual, focusing on creativity and exploration rather than on developing engineering know-how.
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In this paper, I implement Simondon’s conceptualization of information and transduction as theoretical touchstones in relation to several recent works of art involving living entities, including a work in progress of my own. These artworks combine organic and inorganic materials and processes, bringing together “disparate realities” through nonhuman assemblages, and in ways that productively challenge the application of information theory to life in general. Thus, the emergent relations and resolutions brought forth through praxis and in the experience of these artworks offer useful points of exploration of Simondon’s ideas. Simondon's work offers rich conceptual tools with which to trace how the informational demands and processes of transduction shift through the separate events of making and experiencing art."
A brief review of human-bacteria relationships begins to weaken conceptions of human embodiment as distinctly whole: there are 10 times the number of bacteria cells as human cells on the body, bacteria of the gut extend the human body's ability to breakdown and digest food, bacteria affect mood, immunity, and other physiological processes and development. Bacteria also use complex forms of inter- and intraspecies communication. In short, the bacteria within play central roles in human existence and experience and align with other posthuman articulations of cyborgs, cybernetics, and network societies where dynamic relationships between systems and environments trump essentialist categorization.
As many have argued, posthumanism dismantles conceptions of human centrality and superiority. Relational conceptions of embodiment found in human-bacteria symbiosis reveals a permeable connection to the world allowing for a shift away from human centrality, through a prosthetic extension of bodily capacity.
This paper will investigate the material practices of these ad hoc configurations, looking for the new modes of production and meaning-making that they bring forth. Posthuman ethics, theories and aesthetics will guide a survey of four different projects, including a work-in-progress by the author, exploring biological considerations of material posthumanism.
In this paper, I implement Simondon’s conceptualization of information and transduction as theoretical touchstones in relation to several recent works of art involving living entities, including a work in progress of my own. These artworks combine organic and inorganic materials and processes, bringing together “disparate realities” through nonhuman assemblages, and in ways that productively challenge the application of information theory to life in general. Thus, the emergent relations and resolutions brought forth through praxis and in the experience of these artworks offer useful points of exploration of Simondon’s ideas. Simondon's work offers rich conceptual tools with which to trace how the informational demands and processes of transduction shift through the separate events of making and experiencing art."
A brief review of human-bacteria relationships begins to weaken conceptions of human embodiment as distinctly whole: there are 10 times the number of bacteria cells as human cells on the body, bacteria of the gut extend the human body's ability to breakdown and digest food, bacteria affect mood, immunity, and other physiological processes and development. Bacteria also use complex forms of inter- and intraspecies communication. In short, the bacteria within play central roles in human existence and experience and align with other posthuman articulations of cyborgs, cybernetics, and network societies where dynamic relationships between systems and environments trump essentialist categorization.
As many have argued, posthumanism dismantles conceptions of human centrality and superiority. Relational conceptions of embodiment found in human-bacteria symbiosis reveals a permeable connection to the world allowing for a shift away from human centrality, through a prosthetic extension of bodily capacity.
This paper will investigate the material practices of these ad hoc configurations, looking for the new modes of production and meaning-making that they bring forth. Posthuman ethics, theories and aesthetics will guide a survey of four different projects, including a work-in-progress by the author, exploring biological considerations of material posthumanism.