------ Forwarded Message Thundergulch, the new media initiative of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in association with: Vera List Center for Art and Politics World Policy Institute Computer Instruction Center at The New School Presents The Future of War: Aesthetics, Politics, Technologies May 2-3, 2003 The New School Swayduck Auditorium 65 Fifth Avenue, Ground Floor (at 13th Street) What do the Department of Defense and the computer gaming industry have in common? What kinds of strategic alliances is the Pentagon making with Hollywood? How is the American Institute of Architects connecting with the military's designs for a "new security environment?" Are artists collaborating with, exposing, or resisting the military by deploying technologies of simulation, data surveillance, tracking, and computer vision in their work? A group of internationally renowned panelists explore these and other questions in The Future of War: Aesthetics, Politics, Technologies, a two-day conference that examines the increasingly complex exchanges between the military, the entertainment industry, the computer industry, the media and artists. What impact do these exchanges have on war, technology and related visual cultures in the American public sphere? The conference looks at war not simply as a utilitarian means to an end but as a cultural process involving particular ways of seeing, narrating, and imagining. The conference will focus on the architectural spaces of war, the cinematic language of Hollywood combat films, online gaming and military simulations, and the computer and installation work of artists. Conference Schedule Friday May 2, 2003 2:30-9:30 pm Presentation of New Media Works 2:30-5:30 pm Reception 5:30-7:00 pm The Aesthetics and Politics of Technologized Warfare 7:00-9:30 pm Saturday May 3, 2003 10:00 am-7:00 pm Architecture, Violence, and Social (In)security 10:00 am-12:00 pm War and the Cinematic Imaginary 1:00-3:00 pm The Virtual Battlefield: Computer Gaming, Modeling, Simulations 3:30-5:30 pm Roundtable Discussion 6:00-7:00 pm Schedule of Events Friday May 2, 2003 2:30-5:30 pm Presentation of New Media Works Audience members join conference participants and local artists for a preview of works with informal discussion. Participants include: Matt Adams, artist Alex Galloway, artist/scholar Joy Garnett, artist/curator Natalie Jeremijenko, techno artist/engineer John Klima, artist Carl Skelton, digital artist/teacher Eddo Stern, artist/game developer Lebbeus Woods, architect 7:00-9:30 pm The Aesthetics and Politics of Technologized Warfare Radar, 3-D computer graphics, tracking devices, covert data-gathering, robots, and computer vision have become ubiquitous technologies of warfare and play an integral role in maintaining "homeland security." These technologies have long been a rich source of interest to artists engaged in the subjects of surveillance, control, and military imaging. Curators, artists, and human rights activists examine ways in which art exposes the depersonalization of violence, and resists the erosion of privacy and civil rights. Panelists: Joy Garnett, artist/curator; Natalie Jeremijenko, techno artist/engineer, Yale University and New York University; Tom Keenan, director, Human Rights Project, Bard College; Thomas Y. Levin, curator/media theorist, Princeton University. Moderator: Helen Nissenbaum, professor, Department of Culture and Communication, New York University Saturday May 3, 2003 10:00 am-12:00 pm Architecture, Violence, and Social (In)security New media artists and architects discuss the impact of violence, political terrorism and social (in)security on architecture and public space. Reflecting on physical and virtual spaces of war, panelists question assumptions about architecture's physical and psychological permanence. They will consider ways in which digital technologies limit and enable public perception of the built environment and spatial innovation. Panelists: Benjamin Bratton, cultural theorist/media architect, Southern California Institute of Architecture; Keller Easterling, associate professor, Yale School of Architecture; and Eyal Weizman, architect, Rafi Segal/Eyal Weizman Architects, Tel-Aviv, Israel. Moderator: Kadambari Baxi, architect/media designer, Martin/ Baxi Architects 1:00-3:00 pm War and the Cinematic Imaginary Collaborations between Hollywood, network televsion and the Pentagon have become commonplace. The shaping of popular culture through film and television intertwines with political strategies for legitimizing new modes of surveillance and criminalization. Panelists examine the causal relationships between the business of war and show biz. Panelists: Matt Adams, artist, Blast Theory performance collective, Great Britain; Allen Feldman, recurring visiting professor, Anthropology of Everyday Life Program, Center for Humanities Studies, Ljubljana; Michael Shapiro, political scientist, University of Hawaii. Moderator: McKenzie Wark, author/media theorist 3:30-5:30 pm The Virtual Battlefield: Computer Gaming, Modeling, Simulations What role does the military-industrial complex play in the increased virtualization and digitalization of war and weaponry? Does this new emphasis on the virtual nature of war decrease its connection to reality, territory and the body? An interdisciplinary panel explores the new technologies of imitation and simulation, and the coordinated efforts of computer programmers, artists, and the gaming industry to advance the state of immersive military training and online recruitment. Panelists: James Der Derian, professor, International Relations, Watson Institute; Peter J. Dombrowski, associate professor, Strategic Department of the U.S. Naval War College; and Eddo Stern, artist/game developer, University of Southern California Graduate School of Cinema and Television. Moderator: J.C. Herz, principal, Joystick Nation 6:00-7:00 pm Roundtable Discussion Join conference participants in an informal discussion about the questions, issues, and themes raised during panel sessions. Moderator: Allen Feldman, recurring visiting professor, Anthropology of Everyday Life Program, Center for Humanities Studies, Ljubljana *Conference participants are subject to change* Subway Directions F to 14th Street & 6th Avenue 1/2/3/9 to 14th Street & 7th Avenue 4/5/6/L/N/Q/R/W to 14th Street-Union Square A/C/E to 14th Street & 8th Avenue Journal Square and Hoboken PATH trains to 14th Street & 6th Avenue Admission is free. Registration is encouraged. Seating is first come, first served. Register online at www.lmcc.net/futureofwar/main.html. For more information or to register by phone call 212-219-9401 x400. Conference Advisory Committee: Wayne Ashley, curator, Thundergulch, the new media initiative of LMCC James Der Derian, Watson Institute research professor of international relations and professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst Sondra Farganis, director, Vera List Center for Art and Politics, The New School Allen Feldman, recurring visiting professor, Anthropology of Everyday Life Program, Center for Humanities Studies, Ljubljana Joy Garnett, artist/curator Moukhtar Kocache, director, Visual and Media Arts, LMCC Thomas Y. Levin, culture and media theorist, professor at Princeton University Michael Randazzo, director, Computer Instruction Center, The New School Stephen Schlesinger, director, World Policy Institute, The New School Funders This conference is made possible with funding from American Express Company, May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, and in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. ------ End of Forwarded Message