Thu 15th June 2017 // 2 – 6.30pm
FREE
[Outside] Ian Gulland Lecture Theatre
Whitehead Building
Goldsmiths, University of London
with Samantha Penn and Joe Downing
Compiler is excited to invite you to the Washing Machine Challenge Workshop as part of the Against the Slow Cancellation of the Future// Conference organised by the MA students of the Centre for Cultural Studies (CCS).
In this drop-in workshop, Arduino-controlled LEDs will be used to spark conversation about the algorithmic qualities of the washing machine. The washing machine cycle is a programme executed using electronics and mechanics. Participants are invited to handle the components of the washing machine and build LED sequences incorporating their own historical and geographical understanding of this household appliance.
During the workshop circuits, flow diagrams and water systems will be explored. The event is an opportunity to get to know your household appliance more intimately. It provides a practical example of the individuation of a technical object in action and a chance to have a critical discussion about technical objects, their histories, ethics and their cultural significance now and in the future. By bringing together physical machine parts, representations of logics, collected research around the washing machine and group discussion, the workshop hopes to capture something of the complicated politics surrounding household appliances.
The outcomes of this workshop will be presented at Futurity Now – Digital Show & Tell // 4 – 6pm.
