About Non-machines: Playground of perspectives

Artistic methods for exploring the relationships between machines and "non-machines"

The conference/exhibition "Non-Machines: Playground of Perspectives" took place on 21–22 July 2023 in the Bauhaus University (Weimar DE) and in the context of the COST Action CA21102 'Toolkit of Care'. "Non-Machines: Playground of Perspectives" aims to prompt a change of perspectives and to re-explore the relationships between machines and non-machines. The topics addressed in the talks and workshops ranged from the do-it-yourself (DIY) and do-it-with-others (DIWO) aesthetics to big data in art and new ideas for multi-species connections. At the same time, the artworks on display in the exhibition reflected to the topics covered from an aesthetic point of view. By "non-machines" we mean human and more-than-human actors or tools that are not yet integrated into a machine network, such as a creature evolving freely in nature, or a human not connected to digital networks. The concept of "non-machines" challenges traditional distinctions between humans and other-than-humans, paving the way for the creation of a new form of solidarity between living beings and technologies that embraces life-affirming practices.

This Collection comprises the proceedings of the conference and offers a rich collection of the academic and artistic contributions and further discusses the relationship of machines and non-machines in times of planetary crisis.

Table of Contents (content still in development):

Part 1. The unpredictable in creative practices

Part 2. Co-Creations: navigating the other

Part 3. Negotiating machines and non-machines