networks & lifeworlds: edges, relations, endings

Are the edges of today’s networks related to the end(s) of the contemporary world(s)? Do networks’ architectures influence and preempt the future of the planet? What do acts of repair mean in the period of climate crisis, and which technologies can be of help? The talk will use as its framework the current discourse on the problematics of datafying, managing and optimizing earth’s ecosystems. Referring to the promises of sensor networks, geongineering and environmental AI, it will discuss questions of scale, control and sovereignty over territories and lifeworlds. Taking as its starting point the writings of J. Gabrys, D. Haraway and D. Danowski & E. Viveiros de Castro, it will turn to examples from the field of art and specifically explore the potential of kin-making technologies in the era of climate crisis.