17 November 2008
Formatting Utopia
Workshop and symposium
Everything in the universe, and everything of man, would be registered at a distance as it was produced. In this way a moving image of the world will be established, a true mirror of his memory. From a distance, everyone will be able to read text, enlarged and limited to the desired subject, projected on an individual screen. In this way, everyone from his armchair will be able to contemplate creation, as a whole or in certain of its parts. - Paul Otlet (published in "Monde" 1934)
Location: Mundaneum, 76 rue de Nimy, Mons, BE
Date: 17 November 2008, timing 13.00 - 20.00h.
Speakers: Stephanie Manfroid (BE), De Geuzen (BE), Metahaven (NL), Sabine Niederer(NL), Joachim Schmid (DE)
Organisation: Annette Schemmel (DE) and Marjolijn Dijkman (NL) in collaboration with FRAC NPDC and the Mundaneum
Made possible by: the Conseil Régional Nord-Pas de Calais, the Ifa and the Mondriaan Foundation.
Visiting the archives of the Mundaneum, Mons, BE
Formatting Utopia will explore the potentials and pitfalls of the internet and it's formats for knowledge organisation at the Mundaneum. The way information is organised and presented is influential for the way we perceive and understand the world.
The Mundaneum is the result of the utopian project by Paul Otlet (1868-1944) to foster universal knowledge distribution and pacifism. - Our workshops will deal with the following questions: How is the internet influenced by different ideologies, censorship etc.? What will happen with all the online image and data archival systems in a few years? To what extent is the 'world wide' internet realising past dreams of Paul Otlet? Which are current projects from the arts and design to realise the utopian potentials of the internet?
