On the 6th of June a seminar is taking place on the topic of Databases and Artificial Intelligences: a scholarly and artistic perspective (10 AM - 5 PM). This seminar forms part of the DATAUNION Seminar Series of the DATAUNION project under PI Prof. Rocco Bellanova. It is co-organised by Privacy Salon, our postdoctoral researcher Gianmarco Gori on behalf of the COHUBICOL project, and the event will be hosted by FARI Institute - AI for the common good at BeCentral in Brussels. Please register in advance by sending an email to DataUnion_ERC@vub.be.

Seminar introduction and objective

We live in a world characterized by the multiplication of databases. The ambition to collect digital data, to make information systems interoperable and to deploy artificial intelligence seems everywhere. How can we – researchers, artists or professionals - make sense of these dynamics, and better understand how they affect our own practices, and the power relations we inhabit? This seminar aims to explore concepts and methods of research and visualization from academic and artistic perspectives. To foster the conversation, we invited Francis Hunger – an artist and researcher whose practice combines artistic research and media theory throughout his research into histories of technology as expressions of power constellations. Alongside the invited speaker, this seminar brings together artists and scholars from different backgrounds – Critical Security Studies, Media, Art, Photography, Architecture, Data Studies and Software Design.

In the spirit of the DATAUNION reading group and seminar series, attendants in this event are invited to actively participate in the exchanges. Time is foreseen in each session to facilitate the conversation beyond those presenting and discussing.

COHUBICOL postdoctoral researcher Dr. Gori will also contribute to the seminar in the role of replier and discussant to the presentation of Francis Hunger.

Find more information about the event, speakers and the organisers, as well as the full program here.