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Playlist "SIGINT09"

The Aesthetics of our Artificial Habitat

Oona Leganovic

Form does not simply follow function. Form is a function of any artifact, because most of us might be cyborgs, yet we are still living, breathing, sensing beings. If our notion of functionality comprises human pleasure in addition to any specific tasks, a lot of today's technology, from housing and transport to industry and the latest gadgets seems quite dysfunctional. This talk will look at the causes of the obvious ugliness of a lot of current technology, as well as explain why it is far from necessary, and attempt to show some ways how technology could help to optimize this world (and be optimized itself) for human pleasure beyond most people's imagination.