Media-archeological art. A re-politicization of art

Abstract

The following text originates from a conference held at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, as part of a colloquium entitled “Organogenèse. Pour un nouveau paradigme de recherche en art et en design”*. The argumentation of the colloquium, strongly inspired by Bernard Stiegler’s aesthetic thinking, included the following statement: “If today we have to think of a new political idea of art and design as an alternative to the control and exploitation of affects by a now cultural capitalism, general organology, defined as a science of instruments, places the issue of technique at the heart of research in art and design.” Throughout the conference, images depicting the effects of the digital industries on humans were screened, along with the “answers” brought by media-archeological art.** Since these images constitute the very material from which this text derives, it seemed to me that commenting them was irrelevant.*International colloquium, 15 and 16 October 2015, held by Igor Galligo (EnsadLab/Iri–Centre Pompidou), Samuel Bianchini (EnsadLab), Everardo Reyes Garcia (Labsic, Université Paris 13), Bernard Stiegler (Iri–Centre Pompidou), with the support of Labex ICCA (Industries Culturelles et Création artistique).**In order of appearance: Gold Revolution (Quentin Destieu, collectif Dardex), ADM (AntiDataMining) VIII (RYBN), Windows93 (Sys 42–Jankenpopp & Zombectro), ReFunct Media (Benjamin Gaulon & al.), Sprint#1 (Scrumology Prod), LogForData K7 (Projet Singe), The Pirate Cinema (Nicolas Maigret)... With the exception of Nicolas Maigret, these artists gathered from 11 to 18 December 2016, at the occasion of the exhibition “Frankenstein Media” at the Médiathèque Ceccano in Avignon—where Athanasius Kircher, an inexhaustible source for media-archeologists from all over the world, lived and worked (1602-1680).