Slow Technology Thursday 13 November 2008, Scotland

[markuspetz]

UPCOMING EVENT

Thursday 13 November 2008
Distance Lab Open Studio 004
Slow Technology
Forres, Scotland / 12 noon - 5 pm

http://www.distance lab.org/events/ openstudio004/

Interested in what's going on at Distance Lab? At our "Open Studio" events
we show you how we're pushing the limits of technology and design to
overcome the disadvantages of distance. We also expose you to some of the
most innovative research ideas and personalities from other parts of the
world.

The theme of this event is Slow Technology, an extension of notions from
the "slow food" movement into the design of new technologies. Instead of
speed and efficiency, slow technology emphasises the quality, locality,
and humanity of the total experience.

Distance Lab researchers Costas Bissas and Tomoko Hayashi will describe
our ongoing endeavors in the realm of "slow technology", including
"Neuromantic" , a project that aims to encourage rural modern life through
the use of new technologies without altering the authenticity of the
environment, local uniqueness and resources.

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Special guest speaker:

Glorianna Davenport
MIT Media Laboratory
Slow Stories

Glorianna Davenport is head of the Media Fabrics (formerly Interactive
Cinema) group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media
Lab. Trained as a documentary filmmaker, Glorianna has achieved
international recognition for her work in new media forms. Her research
explores fundamental issues related to the collaborative co-construction
of digital media experiences, where the task of narration is split among
authors, consumers, and computer mediators.

In her talk, Glorianna will frame her work within the "slow" theme. Time
is central to our experience of life and to the concept of story; time is
required to experience ones own story, to author story, and to experience
the stories of others. Today the agility of computer networks and their
associated technologies allow a new class of story: slow stories. For
instance, a story of a character - be it a glacier, a day in the life of a
salt marsh, or a human being maturing through a complex web of
circumstance - can be developed for slow release, in a time coordinated
with story development.

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A light lunch and presentations will be followed by open studio time
during which you can visit our lab space, check out our equipment, talk to
our researchers, and see our latest project demonstrations.

Outline agenda:

12:00 - Registration opens and light lunch available
13:00 - Presentations begin promptly
15:00 - Research demonstrations and discussion in our studio space
17:00 - End

This event will be taking place at Horizon Scotland in Forres, Scotland,
IV36 2AB. Inverness airport is only 20 miles away, and Aberdeen airport is
about 70 miles away. A variety of budget airlines and car hire companies
serve these airports. Frequent train and bus service is available to
Forres and other nearby towns. Plenty of inexpensive accommodation is
available at hotels and B&Bs in Forres and Findhorn (on the beautiful
Moray coast).

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Franz Nahrada
list maintainer