Two-Day Tech Mining Workshop Special w. Benjamin Gaulon

Join us for an inspiring two-day workshop led by Benjamin Gaulon, a Parisian artist, researcher, educator, and cultural producer. Gaulon's research delves into the limitations and failures of information and communication technologies, exploring planned obsolescence, consumerism, and the disposable society through the lens of detournement, hacking, and recycling.

This workshop, culminating from two decades of exploring electronic waste as an artistic medium, takes place on May 17 and 18. Here, you'll delve into the world of "zombies"—electronic waste brought back to life through hardware hacking or circuit bending, repurposed into something entirely new.

📍CCU Studio, Vlampijpstraat 84, Utrecht
📅 17+18 May , 10:00 - 17:00
🎫 Regular €150 / Student €75 / Solidarity ticket available upon request
ℹ️ Price includes lunch and access to the artist talk on 16 May

The format will blend theory & practice, with presentations and talks followed by collaborative group work. Participants will have the freedom to experiment and create sculptures using a "Critical Maker" approach, reimagining and speculating on new tools and services from obsolete media and hardware. To kick off, we'll embark on a field trip to a local upcycling store, seeking inspiration and sourcing materials for your projects. The workshop concludes with presentations showcasing all the newly created works.

The workshop delves into speculative design genres like Cyberpunk and Solarpunk, exploring how plant and animal life might adapt in a post-capitalist world, emerging from the ashes of the Anthropocene's e-waste. We'll also engage with themes of Care, Repair, and Maintenance, drawing on concepts like the Negative Commons (as explored by Alexandre Monnin) and Pharmakon (introduced by Bernard Stiegler).

This workshop programme is funded by Het Nieuwe Instituut and Creatieve Industries Fund NL.