[spectre] Fwd: Quaero Forum - politics of the search engine,
29-30 Sept 2007
Andreas Broeckmann
ab at tesla-berlin.de
Sat Sep 15 11:52:06 CEST 2007
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2007 23:32:08 +0200
From: "Tsila Hassine" <tsila.hassine at gmail.com>
To: ab at tesla-berlin.de
Subject: Quaero Forum announcement
Forum on Quaero
A public think tank on the politics of the search engine
Saturday 29 - Sunday 30 September 2007
Book tickets now anne.vangronsveld at janvaneyck.nl
Florian Cramer, Jodi Dean, Frédéric Martel,
Ingmar Weber, Isabelle Stengers, Bureau d'Études,
Metahaven, Tsila Hassine, Open Search, Michael
Zimmer, Richard Rogers, Florian Schneider,
Maurits de Bruijn, Sabine Niederer, André
Nusselder
Quaero: isn't that the search engine that former
French president Jacques Chirac declared to be
the European challenge to Google? A public
alternative to Silicon Valley-born commercial
search engines, funded by the French state, in
service of the public good, in the true tradition
of the grand projet? An information machine
capable of reclaiming European language and
intellectual heritage in the age of globalization?
No. Quaero is the name of a consortium of
technology firms and research labs working
together on multimedia and web search projects.
It is a state-sponsored effort to stimulate
private French technological competitiveness.
But still, the issues that the idea of Quaero has
raised - since its public launch by the former
French president - constitute a formidable
challenge. Internet search engines are political
projects proper if only because they give and
take power; they represent science, technology,
(trans)national politics, private enterprise,
culture, territoriality and language in ever
different combinations.
On 29 and 30 September 2007, the Jan van Eyck
Academie, in collaboration with the Maison
Descartes, Institut Français des Pays-Bas,
organizes the Forum on Quaero, taking the concept
of the search engine as a pubic project as a
starting point.
Search engines' indexation methods inevitably
lead to moments of inclusion and exclusion
(sometimes by hands-on censorship). Search
engines closely monitor their users' behaviour
and offer additional services, retrieving and
storing increasing amounts of private information
from them. The majority of web search is carried
out through only a few, very large corporate
search engines which communicate ideas about
their role in the world via their brand
identities. These may lead to distorted
impressions of what the commercial search engine
as a institution really entails. This conference
aims to bridge the gap between politics, policies
and practices in the field of web search. Some
questions:
* What are the politics of the structure and
image of search engines and their technologies?
* To what extent have search engines like Google,
which started from the ideal of access to
information, become the modus operandi of
political bias? Can we envisage scenarios for the
search engine as a public domain institution?
* What kind of hierarchy (if any) should be
implemented when deciding what should go into a
search engine's database, and what is left out?
* Can contemporary web practices tackle the
conventional static models used to archive and
present (institutional) concepts of cultural
heritage and democracy?
* Collaborative and participatory methods are
increasingly placing the Demos as the force that
structures information. Can we work towards a
'politics of code & categorization' that allows
plural interpretations of data to coexist and
enrich each other?
* How can concepts of digital and networked
European cultural heritage reflect the political
and social issues related to Europe's changing
borders?
The Forum encourages and facilitates audience
participation; it is meant as a public think
tank, a live sketchbook around new questions for
the search engine.
Programme
Saturday 29 September
Moderator: Florian Cramer
11:00 > 11:10 Welcome by Florian Cramer
11:10 > 11:15 Intro
11:15 > 11:45 Michael Zimmer
12:15 > 12:45 Florian Schneider
12:50 > 13:50 Lunch
13:50 > 14:35 Metahaven
14:40 > 15:00 Tsila Hassine
15:05 > 15:35 Ingmar Weber
15:35 > 16:00 Break
16:30 > 17:10 Respondents: Isabelle Stengers,
Maurits de Bruijn, Sabine Niederer, André
Nusselder
17:10 > 18:30 Forum Part One
Round Table with all speakers, respondents and
audience, moderated by Florian Cramer
18.30 > Drinks and dinner
Sunday 30 September
Moderator: Florian Schneider
10:00 > 10:10 Welcome by Florian Schneider
10:10 > 10:15 Intro
10:15 > 10:45 Bureau d'Études
10:50 > 11:20 Frédéric Martel
11:25 > 11:55 Richard Rogers
12:00 > 13:00 Lunch
13:00 > 13:30 Florian Cramer
13:35 > 14:05 Open Search
14:10 > 14:40 Jodi Dean
14:45 > 15:15 Break
15:15 > 15:55 Respondents: Isabelle Stengers,
Maurits de Bruijn, Sabine Niederer, André
Nusselder
15:55 > 17:30 Forum Part Two
Round Table with all speakers, respondents and
audience, moderated by Florian Schneider
17:30 Drinks - End
Admission
EUR 25 for 2 days, including lunch, dinner, drinks and publication.
Registration
By e-mail to Anne Vangronsveld: anne.vangronsveld at janvaneyck.nl
Payments
SNS Bank, account no.: 858 2324 05
Stichting Jan van Eyck Academie, Maastricht
IBAN: NL64 SNSB 0858 2324 05
BIC: SNSB NL 2A
Please put FORUMONQUAERO on your payment.
To be sure of a seat, we kindly ask you to submit
your payment before 27 September 2007.
Additional programme information, press information
e-mail Metahaven Design Research: office at metahaven.net
phone: +31 (0)6 24276797 / +31 (0)6 48316543
Speakers' biographies in alphabetical order
M a u r i t s d e B r u i j n ( r e s p o
n d e n t ) i s a g r a p h i c d e s i g
n e r w o r k i n g o n a v a r i e t y
o f w e b c o n c e p t s , w h i c h c o
m b i n e d i s t i n c t v i s u a l i d e
n t i t i e s w i t h a n e x p e r i m e n
t a l s c r i p t i n g a n d e n g i n e e
r i n g a r c h i t e c t u r e . D e B r u
i j n c r i t i c i z e s t h e c o n s e q
u e n c e s t h a t m a j o r s e a r c h
e n g i n e s a n d t h e i r i n d e x i n
g m e c h a n i s m s f o r c e o n t h e
s c r i p t i n g a r c h i t e c t u r e o f
w e b s i t e s . D e B r u i j n t e a c
h e s i n f o r m a t i o n d e s i g n a n
d i n t e r f a c e d e s i g n a t A r t
E Z I n s t i t u t e o f t h e A r t s
i n A r n h e m .
B u r e a u d'Ét u d e s ( s p e a k e r )
i s a P a r i s - b a s e d m e d i a c o
l l e c t i v e f o u n d e d i n 1 9 9 8 ,
c o m p r i s i n g t h e a r t i s t d u o
L é o n o r e B o n a c c i n i a n d X a v
i e r F o u r t . U s i n g c o m p l e x
g r a p h i c t a b l e s c o n c e i v e d
f o r t h e i n t e r n e t , t h e y m a
p v a r i o u s h i d d e n g l o b a l s
t r u c t u r e s o f f i n a n c e a n d
w o r l d g o v e r n a n c e , f o r m a l i
s i n g p a t t e r n s a n d c o n n e c t
i o n s t h r o u g h s c i e n t i f i c a
n d i n f o r m a t i o n a l e x a c t i t u
d e .
F l o r i a n C r a m e r ( s p e a k e r ,
m o d e r a t o r ) i s M e d i a D e s i g
n c o u r s e d i r e c t o r o f t h e
P i e t Z w a r t I n s t i t u t e . H e
w a s j u n i o r l e c t u r e r i n C o
m p a r a t i v e L i t e r a t u r e a t F
r e i e U n i v e r s i t ” t B e r l i n .
C r a m e r h a s p u b l i s h e d p a p e
r s i n t h e f i e l d s o f c o d e
p o e t r y , c o m p a r a t i v e s t u d i
e s i n t h e l i t e r a t u r e a n d
t h e a r t s , m o d e r n i s m , t e x t
t h e o r y , l i t e r a t u r e a n d c o
m p u t i n g ; h e c o l l a b o r a t e d
o n t h e w w w . r u n m e . o r g S o f
t w a r e A r t r e p o s i t o r y a n d
e d i t e d t h e U n s t a b l e D i g e s
t o f c o d e p o e t r y . H i s G e r
m a n P h D t h e s i s i s c a l l e d
E x e . c u t [ u p ] a b l e S t a t e m e n t
s .
J o d i D e a n ( s p e a k e r ) i s P
r o f e s s o r o f P o l i t i c a l S c i
e n c e a t H o b a r t a n d W i l l i a
m S m i t h C o l l e g e s i n G e n e v
a , N e w Y o r k . S h e h a s a u t h
o r e d o r e d i t e d 8 b o o k s , i
n c l u d i n g P u b l i c i t y's S e c r e
t : H o w t e c h n o c u l t u r e c a p i
t a l i z e s o n d e m o c r a c y ( 2 0 0
2 ) a n d Z i z e k' s P o l i t i c s (
2 0 0 6 ) .
T s i l a H a s s i n e ( s p e a k e r )
i s a m e d i a a r t i s t a n d w e b
p r o g r a m m e r . S h e c o m p l e t e d
B S c s i n M a t h e m a t i c s a n d C
o m p u t e r S c i e n c e a n d s p e n t
2 0 0 3 a t t h e N e w M e d i a d e p
a r t m e n t o f t h e H G K Z ü r i c h
. I n 2 0 0 4 s h e j o i n e d t h e
P i e t Z w a r t I n s t i t u t e i n R
o t t e r d a m , w h e r e s h e p u r s u
e d a n M A i n M e d i a D e s i g n ,
u n t i l g r a d u a t i n g i n J u n e
2 0 0 6 w i t h G o o g l e r a n d o m i z
e r S m o o g l e . H a s s i n e i s a
r e s e a r c h e r a t t h e J a n V a n
E y c k A c a d e m i e .
F r é d ér i c M a r t e l ( s p e a k e r )
i s a w r i t e r , j o u r n a l i s t a
n d a r e s e a r c h e r / p r o f e s s o r
a t S c i e n c e s P o - P a r i s . H e
i s a u t h o r o f 5 b o o k s , i n c
l u d i n g T h e P i n k a n d t h e B
l a c k , H o m o s e x u a l s i n F r a n
c e s i n c e 1 9 6 8 a n d D e l a c
u l t u r e e n A mé r i q u e ( a n o v
e r v i e w o n t h e A m e r i c a n c u
l t u r e a n d a r t p o l i c y s y s t
e m i n t h e U . S . ) . F r o m 2 0 0
1 t o 2 0 0 5 , h e w a s t h e h e a
d o f t h e F r e n c h c u l t u r a l
a n d a c a d e m i c s e r v i c e s i n
t h e F r e n c h E m b a s s y i n t h e
U . S . H e i s n o w t h e e d i t o r
o f n o n f i c t i o n . f r , a n e w w
e b s i t e d e d i c a t e d t o b o o k s
a n d i d e a s .
M e t a h a v e n ( s p e a k e r ) i s a
d e s i g n r e s e a r c h c o l l e c t i v
e b a s e d i n A m s t e r d a m a n d
B r u s s e l s . I t c o n s i s t s o f
D a n i e l v a n d e r V e l d e n , V i
n c a K r u k a n d G o n Z i f r o n i .
T h e i r w o r k f o c u s e s o n v i s
u a l i d e n t i t y a n d t h e p o l i
t i c a l , a s s i g n i n g k e y i m p o
r t a n c e t o t h e r o l e o f c o n
f l i c t i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e
d e s i g n o f i n s t i t u t i o n s i n
t h e e r a o f g l o b a l i z a t i o n .
S a b i n e N i e d e r e r ( r e s p o n d
e n t ) i s m a n a g i n g d i r e c t o r
o f t h e I n s t i t u t e o f N e t w o
r k C u l t u r e s i n A m s t e r d a m .
S h e r e c e n t l y c o - f o u n d e d t
h e D i g i t a l M e t h o d s I n i t i a
t i v e , a g r o u p o f r e s e a r c h
e r s , p r o g r a m m e r s a n d d e s i
g n e r s d e d i c a t e d t o r e s e a r
c h i n g a n d v i s u a l i z i n g 'n a
t i v e l y d i g i t a l' o b j e c t s o
f s t u d y , s u c h a s t h e t a g ,
t h e t h r e a d a n d t h e l i n k .
A n d ré N u s s e l d e r ( r e s p o n d e
n t ) i s a p h i l o s o p h e r . L a s
t y e a r h e f i n i s h e d h i s P h
D t h e s i s a t t h e E r a s m u s U
n i v e r s i t y R o t t e r d a m , i n w
h i c h h e i n v e s t i g a t e d t h e
r o l e o f f a n t a s y i n t h e v i
r t u a l w o r l d s c r e a t e d b y n
e w m e d i a t e c h n o l o g i e s : I n
t e r f a c e - F a n t a s y . W e a r y o f
a c a d e m i c c o m m e n t a r y a n d c
o n f o r m i s m , h e i s n o w t r y i
n g t o d e v e l o p d i f f e r e n t w
a y s t o w r i t e o n p h i l o s o p h
i c a l i s s u e s .
O p e n S e a r c h ( s p e a k e r ) , b
y E r i k B o r r a a n d K o e n M a r
t e n s , i s a p e e r - t o - p e e r p
r o j e c t w h e r e b y p e o p l e m u t
u a l l y f o r m a s e a r c h e n g i n
e w i t h o u t t h e i n t e r v e n t i o
n o f c e n t r a l s e r v e r s o r a
c e n t r a l a c t o r . T h e m o t i v a
t i o n f o r t h i s p r o j e c t i s
t h e c e n s o r s h i p a n d m a n i p u
l a t i o n b y m a j o r m u l t i n a t i
o n a l c o r p o r a t i o n s ( G o o g l e
, Y a h o o , M i c r o s o f t ) . K o e n
M a r t e n s i s a p r o g r a m m e r ,
h a c k e r , o r g a n i s e r , a n d t h
e t r e a s u r e r o f G r o e n L i n k s
T h e H a g u e s e c t i o n . E r i k B
o r r a g r a d u a t e d i n a r t i f i c
i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e a n d i s n
o w i n v o l v e d i n t h e D i g i t a
l M e t h o d s I n i t i a t i v e . T h e
O p e n S e a r c h p r o j e c t i s s c
h e d u l e d t o b e l a u n c h e d i n
2 0 0 8 .
R i c h a r d R o g e r s ( s p e a k e r )
i s H e a d o f N e w M e d i a a t t
h e U n i v e r s i t y o f A m s t e r d a
m , a n d d i r e c t o r o f t h e G o
v c o m . o r g F o u n d a t i o n , a g r
o u p t h a t d e v e l o p s i n f o - p o
l i t i c a l d e v i c e s f o r t h e w
e b . P r e v i o u s l y , R o g e r s w o
r k e d a s S e n i o r A d v i s o r t o
I n f o d r o m e , t h e D u t c h G o v e
r n m e n t a l I n f o r m a t i o n S o c i
e t y i n i t i a t i v e . H e h a s a l
s o w o r k e d a s R e s e a r c h F e l
l o w i n D e s i g n a n d M e d i a a
t t h e J a n v a n E y c k A c a d e m
i e , a n d a s a R e s e a r c h e r i
n T e c h n o l o g y A s s e s s m e n t a
t t h e S c i e n c e C e n t e r B e r l
i n ( W Z B ) a n d i n S t r a t e g i c
C o m p u t i n g i n t h e P u b l i c S
e c t o r a t H a r v a r d U n i v e r s i
t y ( J F K S c h o o l ) .
F l o r i a n S c h n e i d e r ( s p e a k
e r , m o d e r a t o r ) i s a f i l m m
a k e r b a s e d i n M u n i c h . H e
h a s b e e n i n v o l v e d i n a w i
d e r a n g e o f p r o j e c t s d e a l
i n g w i t h t h e i m p l i c a t i o n s
o f p o s t - m o d e r n b o r d e r r e g
i m e s o n a t h e o r e t i c a l a s
w e l l a s a p r a c t i c a l l e v e l
. H e i s o n e o f t h e i n i t i a
t o r s o f t h e c a m p a i g n k e i n
m e n s c h i s t i l l e g a l a t D o c
u m e n t a X i n 1 9 9 7 a n d s u b s
e q u e n t p r o j e c t s s u c h a s t
h e ' n o b o r d e r n e t w o r k' a n d
t h e o n l i n e - p l a t f o r m k e i n .
o r g . H e i s a m e m b e r o f t h
e P h D p r o g r a m m e i n r e s e a r
c h a r c h i t e c t u r e a t G o l d s m
i t h s C o l l e g e , L o n d o n , a n d
t e a c h e s t h e o r y a t t h e a r t
a c a d e m y i n T r o n d h e i m .
I s a b e l l e S t e n g e r s ( r e s p o
n d e n t ) t e a c h e s p h i l o s o p h y
a t t h e U n i v e r s i t é L i b r e d
e B r u x e l l e s . H e r i n t e r e s t
s c e n t r e a r o u n d t h e c o n s t
r u c t i v e a d v e n t u r e o f m o d e
r n s c i e n c e s a n d t h e c r u c i
a l c h a l l e n g e o f w h a t s h e
c a l l s a n ' e c o l o g y o f p r a c
t i c e s' , a s a c o n d i t i o n f o
r e m b e d d i n g o u r m a n y d i v e
r g i n g s c i e n t i f i c p r a c t i c e
s i n a d e m o c r a t i c a n d d e m
a n d i n g e n v i r o n m e n t . S h e h
a s w r i t t e n n u m e r o u s b o o k s
, a m o n g w h i c h , t r a n s l a t e d
i n E n g l i s h , O r d e r o u t o f
C h a o s , w i t h I l y a P r i g o g i n
e a n d P o w e r a n d I n v e n t i o n
. S i t u a t i n g S c i e n c e , a n d
T h e I n v e n t i o n o f M o d e r n S
c i e n c e .
I n g m a r Weber ( s p e a k e r ) i s a
p o s t d o c i n i n f o r m a t i o n r e
t r i e v a l a t t h e E c o l e P o l y
t e c h n i q u e Fé d é r a l e d e L a u
s a n n e i n S w i t z e r l a n d . H i s
P h D t h e s i s a t t h e M a x - P l a
n c k I n s t i t u t e f o r C o m p u t e
r S c i e n c e i n G e r m a n y d e a l
s w i t h e f f i c i e n t d a t a s t r
u c t u r e s f o r a n d a p p l i c a t i
o n s o f a m o r e i n t e r a c t i v e
s e a r c h e n g i n e c a l l e d C o m p
l e t e S e a r c h . I n g m a r i s g e n
e r a l l y i n t e r e s t e d i n a l t e
r n a t i v e s e a r c h e n g i n e s a n
d r u n s a n i n f o r m a l s e m i n a
r o n ' C o o l s t u f f o n t h e w
e b'.
M i c h a e l Z i m m e r ( s p e a k e r )
i s t h e M i c r o s o f t F e l l o w a
t t h e I n f o r m a t i o n S o c i e t y
P r o j e c t a t Y a l e L a w S c h o o
l f o r 2 0 0 7 - 2 0 0 8 . H i s P h D
T h e Q u e s t f o r t h e P e r f e c t
S e a r c h E n g i n e : V a l u e s , T e
c h n i c a l D e s i g n , a n d t h e F
l o w o f P e r s o n a l I n f o r m a t i
o n i n S p h e r e s o f M o b i l i t y
, i n v e s t i g a t e s h o w t h e q u
e s t f o r t h e ' p e r f e c t s e a r
c h e n g i n e' e m p o w e r s t h e w i
d e s p r e a d c a p t u r e o f p e r s o
n a l i n f o r m a t i o n f l o w s a c r
o s s t h e I n t e r n e t , t h r e a t e
n i n g t h e a b i l i t y t o e n g a g
e i n o n l i n e s o c i a l , c u l t u
r a l a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l a c t i
v i t i e s f r e e f r o m o v e r s i g h
t , t h e r e b y b e a r i n g o n t h e
v a l u e s o f p r i v a c y , a u t o n o
m y , a n d l i b e r t y .
Forum on Quaero initiated by Metahaven Design Research
Curated by Tsila Hassine, Vinca Kruk, Daniel van der Velden and Gon Zifroni
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