Useful Fictions • 3: Symbiose(s) Paris | 26.06-2.07.2023
In an era of climate change and systemic dysfunction, the event explores the potential of symbiotic imaginaries, by designing technological and biological variations on the theme of the common, in order to understand what is at stake in the interstices and the transformative power of collective intelligence. Can we conceive of new cooperations with living things, learning machines and connected objects? Transform them into symbiotic allies in the face of environmental and social challenges? Draw inspiration from physical models to sketch out new narratives?
A week of meetings and practices to question our connections to our living and technological environments and to develop a sensitive dialogue at the intersection of art and science: installations, robotics, fiction, performances, etc.
30 participants
15 supervisors
6 interdisciplinary labs and 1 research-creation workshop
1 week of collaborative work (June 26-30, 2023, IP Paris Campus, Palaiseau) & 1 public presentation weekend (July 1 & 2, 2023, Théâtre de la Ville, Espace Pierre Cardin)
How can we rethink our alliances with living things and matter, with learning machines and connected objects? Drawing inspiration from physical models to sketch new narratives?
Lab 1 | “Symbiosis of the Ephemeral” École Polytechnique / UQAM (Jean-Marc Chomaz & Nicolas Reeves)
Lab 2 | “Zoimorphism, the Demiurge and Artifice in the Wilds”
École Polytechnique / EnsAD (Giancarlo Rizza & Antoine Desjardins)
Lab 3 | “Behavioral Objects, Curious Objects” EnsadLab (Corentin Loubet & Filipe Pais) in conjunction with the Hexagram network’s “Machine Learning” workshop
Lab 4 | “Phytomorphism – Getting Wrong with the Japanese Aralia” SIANA (Karine Bonneval & Guillaume Hutzler, PhD, Université d’Evry – IBISC Laboratory)
Lab 5 | “The Studio, Creating a Symbiotic Space”
SPIRAL / Telecom Paris (Vera Dickman, Marcus Neustetter, Marije Nie)
Lab 6 | “Symbiosis of Struggles”
SPIRAL Humanities and Social Sciences Department / Telecom Paris – École Polytechnique (Olivier Fournout & Raphaël Granier de Cassagnac)
The biennial Useful Fictions summer school is organized by the Arts & Sciences Chair of the École Polytechnique, the École des Arts Décoratifs, and the Carasso Foundation, in partnership with:
– the Sustainable Development Chair of the École Polytechnique
– the SPIRAL Interdisciplinary Center of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris)
– Hexagram, a research-creation network in arts, cultures, and technologies (Montreal)
– SIANA, Towards New Imaginaries
– Télécom Paris
– the Théâtre de la Ville
– UQAM – School of Design (Montreal)