monochrom presents a talk about Arse Elektronika at 2600’s “The Next HOPE” Conference (July 16-18, 2010) in New York City. Check it out!
Arse Elektronika: Sex, Tech, and the Future of
Screw-It-YourselfWe may not forget that mankind is a sexual and tool-using species.
From the depiction of a vulva in a cave painting to the newest
Internet porno, technology and sexuality have always been closely
linked. New technologies are quick to appeal to pornography consumers,
and thus these customers represent a profitable market segment for the
suppliers of new products and services.Currently, all factors show that high-tech developments owe a great
deal of their success to the need for further sexual stimulation. One
could cite the example provided by the science fiction concept of a
full-body interface designed to produce sexual stimulation. But it isn’t
science fiction anymore. It’s DIY.As bio-hacking, sexually enhanced bodies, genetic utopias, and
plethora of gender have long been the focus of literature, science
fiction and, increasingly, pornography, this year will see us explore
the possibilities that fictional and authentic bodies have to offer. Our
world is already way more bizarre than our ancestors could have ever
imagined. But it may not be bizarre enough. “Bizarre enough for what?”
you might ask. Bizarre enough to subvert the heterosexist matrix that is
underlying our world and that we should hack and overcome for some
quite pressing reasons within the next century.Don’t you think, replicants?
The complete schedule of “The Next HOPE” can be found here.