Book launch: Automated LandscapesBook launch: Automated Landscapes

The editorial team in full will engage in a conversation on the socio-ecological, political, and spatial consequences of automation, focusing on a series of work environments at the forefront of automation – from dairy farms and greenhouses to factories and data centres in the Netherlands and China’s Greater Bay Area. The discussion will be joined by Negar Sanaan Bensi (coeditor of Datapolis) and will be moderated by Nikos Katsikis (TU Delft).

This event takes place at TU Delft and is free to attend. No registration is required.

The possibility of automating human labour has captured society’s imagination for centuries, yet its full-scale implementation became a reality in early 21st century. Automated Landscapes illustrates the evolution of arguments from spatial perspective explored throughout 5 years of research in the Netherlands and China, and combines original material, including the documentation of nine sites, along-side published articles, events, site visits and exhibitions. Furthering contemporary debate, the book debunks the myth that automation replaces people with machines, revealing that human bodies remain present in assembly and supply lines, albeit performing different tasks and governed by the rhythms of automation.

The publication presents the results of the Nieuwe Instituut’s research project 'Automated Landscapes', developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of TU Delft, Aformal Academy, and the Royal College of Art London.

Automated Landscapes was made possible by the generous support of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Design Trust Hong Kong (an initiative of the non-profit organization Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design); the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

Read more about the publication here.

Editors:

• Merve Bedir, Critical Media Lab Basel
• Ludo Groen, ETH Zürich
• Marten Kuijpers, Nieuwe Instituut
• Víctor Muñoz Sanz, TU Delft
• Marina Otero Verzier, Design Academy Eindhoven

Joined by:

• Negar Sanaan Bensi, coeditor of Datapolis

The event is moderated by Nikos Katsikis (TU Delft).

The event takes place at Berlagezaal 1 at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Julianalaan 134, Delft. Entrance is free, no registration is required.

The book Automated Landscapes is available at Waltman's Bouwshop at TU Delft, at NAi Booksellers in the Nieuwe Instituut, and at Idea Books.