Keynote by Matthew Fuller: Knotty Problems in the Fables of Computing

in/compatible aesthetics

Keynote by Matthew Fuller (us)
Moderated by Rosa Menkman (nl)

Computer Science has a number of classic problems, such as the Travelling Salesman's Problem and the Dining Philosophers Problem that have been developed over time as abstract versions of real engineering conditions in which resource allocation, of memory, of bandwidth, and so on, must be made. Such knotty problems are part of the iteration of one of the central problems in computing, that of speed and intractability as it unfolds in relation to computing applications. In themselves these problems are profound and fascinating micro-worlds that work in the “timeless” worlds of fables, but they also have significant conceptual and practical spill-over involving spatial, social and aesthetic dimensions. This talk will attempt to draw out some of their implications for politics and art.

(Image: Flickr Anne Helmond flickr.com/photos/silvertje)