[NetBehaviour] Dutch Electronic Art Festival Biennale (22-24 May) Programme

[marc garrett]

THEME THE PROGRESS TRAP
Main Location: Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam

The DEAF2014 biennale theme is The Progress Trap. Progress has become a 
means to an end in itself and has been decoupled from the cultural, 
ecological and social advances that it was supposed to help achieve. 
However seductive quick gains from technological solutions are, their 
temporary victories in the short term may cause much worse and bigger 
problems in the long run, luring us into The Progress Trap.

PROGRAMME
For this 10th edition DEAF2014 has an exciting programme lined up that 
addresses the notion of The Progress Trap in many different ways. 
Exhibitions, keynotes, seminars, working sessions, evenings of …, films, 
performances and a satellite programme invite you to come and explore 
the theme The Progress Trap.

MAIN EXHIBITION
DEAF2014s thematic exhibition in Het Nieuwe Instituut addresses the 
unsustainable character of our current notion of progress by contrasting 
the lure of technology with artistic responses to our techno-centric 
notion of progress and attempts to escape the trap it results in. Dark 
Matter by Julie Mecoli for instance reminds us of the impermanence of 
all human endeavors and Lucas Foglia photographed people living off the 
grid for his Natural Order series, have they found a way out?

MORE PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

KEYNOTE RONALD WRIGHT - 22 May 17:00 - 18:00
Drawing on his bestselling book and Massey Lectures A Short History of 
Progress, in which he coined the term progress trap, Ronald Wright will 
discuss how our modern social and environmental crises stem from 
patterns of progress and disaster that are old as civilization itself.

KEYNOTE ALEXA CLAY - 24 May 17:00 - 18:00
In her talk, economic historian Alexa Clay brings attention to misfits 
in the black market, underground and fringe economies that actively pose 
threats to some of our ideas of progress.
Built on research from her forthcoming book, The Misfit Economy, Alexa 
will bring attention to some of the strategies and philosophies 
operating on the fringe and ask what we can learn from these outliers to 
challenge our current system and thinking.

THE EVENING OF FULLER / MCLUHAN, 23 May 20:00 - 22:00
The ideas of Buckminster Fuller and Marshall McLuhan have had an 
enormous influence on how we think about the future and our place in a 
technological world. Through a theatrical reproduction of historical 
lectures some of their key concepts are projected in the now.

DEAF2014 & DE BRAKKE GROND PRESENT THE EVENING OF ANGELO VERMEULEN, 24 
May 20:00 - 22:00
What would it take to build, operate and live for decades on a starship, 
sailing past plantes near and far? DEAF and De Brakke Grond present The 
Evening of Angelo Vermeulen. During this evening Vermeulen and his 
special guests will examine this ambitious dream from the perspective of 
participatory systems, biological factors, design and engineering.

Check out the entire programme and timetable with more workshops, 
seminars and performances at deaf.nl.

Emma O'Hare
Researcher / Editor
DEAF | Dutch Electronic Art Festival

T +31 (0)6 - 50513457 I Office: +31 (0)10 206 7272
Eendrachtsstraat 10
3012 XL Rotterdam
www.deaf.nl
@DEAFdotNL
www.facebook.com/DutchElectronicArtFestival