Dear Rohrpost list(ers), Welcome to the first session of the Humboldt University Medienwissenschaft summer semesters colloquium next Wednesday 27th of April at 6 pm (at Medientheater [EG, links] at Sophienstraße 22a, Berlin).
The Italian theorist Matteo Pasquinelli will be giving a talk on the topic of "Four regimes of entropy: for a biomorphic media theory" The talk will be chaired by Jussi Parikka, with Paul Feigelfeld opening and introducing the colloquium schedule. The talk will be in English. ________________________________________ Matteo Pasquinelli "Four regimes of entropy: for a biomorphic media theory" Abstract: This seminar conversation approaches the definition of media ecology from two opposite perspectives. On one hand, it tests the homogeneity of the 'biomimetic continuum', which supposes the mediascape as an extension of the biological realm. On the other, it sounds the 'biodigital continuum', which takes the digital code as a universal grammar for the genetic code. To what extent can biological models be employed to describe the mediascape as a new sort of ecosystem? This question has relevance for political debate too, as biomimetic figures inspired by digital networks begin to be applied to new political concepts: see, for instance, the figure of the swarm applied to the postmodern notion of the multitude (Hardt and Negri, 2004, and also Parikka, 2008; Thacker, 2004). Conversely, a second question addresses the biological from the point of view of the digital. If code is the universal semiotic form that is common to human language, computers and DNA, to what extent can cybernetic and digital models be applied to the biological? The history of bioinformatics started shortly after the discovery of DNA in the 1950s, accommodating quite a strict reductionism between digital code and genetic code. What are the consequences of a computer-based understanding of cellular reproduction for the sphere of ecology and biodiversity? Schematically, the question is how to apply the forms of the bios to the techne? And conversely, how to apply the forms of the techne to the bios? More on the theme in the just published media ecology-special issue of Fibreculture journal: http://seventeen.fibreculturejournal.org/ Bio Matteo Pasquinelli (PhD, Queen Mary University of London) is a writer, curator and academic researcher. He wrote the book Animal Spirits: A Bestiary of the Commons (2008), co-edited CLick Me: A Netporn Studies Reader (2007) and edited Media Activism (2002). He writes frequently on French philosophy, Italian operaismo and media culture. Website: http://matteopasquinelli.com/ Jussi Parikka is a media theorist working at the Humboldt University Media Studies as a Humboldt Stiftung visiting Scholar. He is the author of Digital Contagions (2007), Insect Media (2010) and co-editor of The Spam Book (2009) and Media Archaeology (2011). Http://jussiparikka.net ______________________________________________________ Dr Jussi Parikka Director of CoDE: The Cultures of the Digital Economy-institute Reader in Media Theory & History Co-Director of Anglia Research Centre in Digital Culture (ArcDigital) Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge (UK) T: 0845 196 2851 (direct in UK) F: +44 (0)1223 417707 http://jussiparikka.net http://www.anglia.ac.uk/code http://www.anglia.ac.uk/arcdigital *Book news*: Insect Media: An Archaeology of Animals and Technology is published by University of Minnesota Press: http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/P/parikka_insect.html -- EMERGING EXCELLENCE: In the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008, more than 30% of our submissions were rated as 'Internationally Excellent' or 'World-leading'. Among the academic disciplines now rated 'World-leading' are Allied Health Professions & Studies; Art & Design; English Language & Literature; Geography & Environmental Studies; History; Music; Psychology; and Social Work & Social Policy & Administration. Visit www.anglia.ac.uk/rae for more information. This e-mail and any attachments are intended for the above named recipient(s)only and may be privileged. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone please reply to this e-mail to highlight the error and then immediately delete the e-mail from your system. Any opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Anglia Ruskin University. Although measures have been taken to ensure that this e-mail and attachments are free from any virus we advise that, in keeping with good computing practice, the recipient should ensure they are actually virus free. Please note that this message has been sent over public networks which may not be a 100% secure communications Email has been scanned for viruses by Altman Technologies' email management service - www.altmanco.uk/emailsystems -- rohrpost - deutschsprachige Liste zur Kultur digitaler Medien und Netze Archiv: http://www.nettime.org/rohrpost http://post.in-mind.de/pipermail/rohrpost/ Ent/Subskribieren: http://post.in-mind.de/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/rohrpost/
