The study circle/symposium series Cybioses – life in the future imperfect, organized as part of the Nordic Summer University (NSU),
We organize symposia twice per year, for which we invite scholars, artists, students, technologists, and other professionals working or writing on future technologies to take part. We are a migratory non-hierarchical group of international researchers, which in the context of the NSU has existed for over 70 years. Since its inception, the primary aim of NSU has been to provide a forum for experimentation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, welcoming members both from within and outside of universities and other institutions.
Cybioses – the future imperfect (what is it?)
The study circle has existed for seven years and its name ‘Cybiosis’ (pl. cybioses), is a neologism, based on ‘cybernetic’, ‘symbiosis’, and ‘bio’. It embodies the new technological modes of living that we aim to investigate. Cybioses is meant, from the start, as a speculative metaphor. The term is intended to support an imagination of the ambivalent relation between:
(cybernetic) systems of symbioses and inclusion, and the relentless drive to commodify life forms and extend the networks of technological control.
The commodification and control points to a future that will be imperfect. Also, this type of ‘ambivalence’ is central to our shared investigation of the status of the “future” in today’s technological world.
Lastly, this community page exist as part of our efforts to combine our meetings with a "peer review" session. The idea is to allow paper discussions that can potentially become a paper, either as a conference paper or currated into regular edited volumes.