Ubiquitous Infoscapes

Data and information are everywhere.
In our times, we constantly and ubiquitously generate data and information. The masses of data and information generated by others (people, objects, organizations and algorithms) radically transform our daily lives, the ways in which we work, relate to each other, express emotions, experience places and spaces, consume, do things together.
Seamlessly augmented with information, the physical landscape becomes infoscape (a landscape of information).

The module Ubiquitous Infoscapes combines experiential, theoretical, practice and performance based phases, each continuously flowing into the other.
The experiential sessions, aimed at expanding knowledge and imaginaries, will develop around case studies to unveil the many facets of the Ubiquitous Infoscape, how it radically transforms both our lives and our perception of the world, affecting public, private and intimate spaces, our rights, and our approach to knowledge-sharing, learning, expression and communication. Examples will be drawn from a wide spectrum of international practitioners, including artists, designers, hackers, architects and researchers, with a more in-depth focus on AOS and Human Ecosystems.

The theoretical sessions aim at broadening the understanding of the subject through discussing those issues (social, political, aesthetic, psychological, cognitive, anthropological) highlighted within the experiential sessions. We will explore the production of a number of theoreticians, researchers, writers and other influential figures, trying to discern the narrative(s) of the mutation of human beings in the age of ubiquitous information.

The practice and performance sessions aim at constructing a small – yet meaningful - artistic and creative production inspired by those instances discussed within the previous phases and highlighting one or more elements of the human mutation brought by the continuous emergence of Ubiquitous Infoscapes. In this phase we will create, and express ourselves, through texts, images, software, installation, movement, gestures and curious rituals.
Previous technical knowledge is not required. The artists will provide extensive support (even for writing small pieces of software) across all activities, ensuring active participation of all throughout all sessions. At the end of each day, an “ubiquitous ritual” will allow all participants to express themselves in meaningful ways.

SCHEDULE

May 4th
morning
Guided tour to Cittadellarte, including the Pistoletto, Arte Povera collections and temporary exhibitions (curated by Luca Furlan)
Group presentations
Methodologies and technical set-up
afternoon
The artists present themselves and their philosophy
Experience Session I (examples and interactive experiences, discussion)
Ubiquitous Ritual I

May 5th
morning
Experience Session II (examples and interactive experiences, discussion)
Theoretical Session I (short readings, screenings and discussing theoretical approaches)
afternoon
Theoretical Session II (short readings, screenings and discussing theoretical approaches)
Practice & Performance Phase I (brainstorming to define the concept of the production, and its iterative redefinition)
Ubiquitous Ritual II

May 6th
morning
Theoretical Session III (short readings, screenings and discussing theoretical approaches)
Practice & Performance Session II (introduction to the tools we will use for the creation of the artistic production, and set-up of the projects) afternoon
Practice & Performance Session III (project development and collaboration)
Ubiquitous Ritual III

May 7th
morning
Documentation (all participants work on assembling the documentation so far)
Practice & Performance Session IV (project development and collaboration)
afternoon
Practice & Performance Session V (project development and collaboration)
Ubiquitous Ritual IV

May 8th
morning
Documentation (gathering of all the materials generated in the last P&P sessions for inclusion in the documentation, including video, software, images, concepts etc.)
Presentation
afternoon
Performance Ubiquitous Ritual with all the guests coming to the presentation

REFERENCES
The mentor will prepare a reader for participants with key texts, some of which will be discussed during the week.

Web Articles:

The Third Infoscape: http://www.artisopensource.net/network/artisopensource/2013/11/20/third-infoscape-de-certeau-clement-casagrande-smart-cities/

P2P Ethnography: http://www.artisopensource.net/network/artisopensource/2014/07/30/communication-knowledge-and-information-in-the-human-ecosystem-p2p-ethnography/

Cultures, communities, roles and emergence: http://human-ecosystems.com/home/relations-in-the-human-ecosystems-cultures-communities-roles-and-emergence/

Transmedia Design: http://www.artisopensource.net/network/artisopensource/2014/04/30/transmedia-design/

Anthropological Innovation: http://www.artisopensource.net/network/artisopensource/2013/07/28/anthropological-innovation-observing-and-understanding-the-mutation-of-human-life/

BIOGRAPHY AND STATEMENT

Created by Salvatore Iaconesi and Oriana Persico, AOS - Art is Open Source is an international informal network exploring the mutation of human beings and their society with the wide and ubiquitous accessibility of digital technologies and networks.
“We move across arts and sciences, using technology, communication, performance, art and design, to instantiate emotional actions and processes able to expose the dynamics of our contemporary world. We are interested in cities (and in how they have become infrastructures for ubiquitous flows of data, information, knowledge), bodies (and the ways in which they are being extended with technologies and network connectivity), economies and education (and the ways in which they are being redefned through peer-to-peer models and ubiquitous practices of many different kinds). We turn these observations into designs, artworks, scientifc research and innovative business models.”

Salvatore is Designer, Artist, Robotic Engineer and Philosopher, TED Fellow 2012, Eisenhower Fellow 2013 and Yale World Fellow 2014; Oriana is Communication Scientist, Artist, Writer and Cyber-Ecologist.

download the full documentation about the module and the mentor in PDF format