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Ethics, ecology, and the future: art and design face the anthropocene

Published:31 July 2015Publication History

ABSTRACT

Art and design have become platforms for discussing the long-term implications of technology and modernity, most recently in relation to ecological crisis and the Anthropocene. While artists, designers and curators seek to raise awareness of the Anthropocene, it is important to remain critical of the narratives these practitioners develop. This paper provides a brief critique of how these issues are being addressed in the cultural sphere, suggesting that works of critical, conceptual and speculative design may be best suited to addressing the Anthropocene as they foster critical thinking about how we relate to technology and science, how we organize ourselves politically and socially, and how we define ourselves in the broader ecological assemblage. Artists and designers discussed include Marina Zurkow, Una Chaudhuri, Oliver Kellhammer, Fritz Ertl and Sarah Rothberg; Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby; and Jae Rhim Lee.

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            cover image ACM Conferences
            SIGGRAPH '15: ACM SIGGRAPH Art Papers
            July 2015
            71 pages
            ISBN:9781450333238
            DOI:10.1145/2810177

            Copyright © 2015 Author

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            Association for Computing Machinery

            New York, NY, United States

            Publication History

            • Published: 31 July 2015

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