DEAF Biennale 2014DEAF Biennale 2014

Some argue that innovation always goes hand in hand with cycles of destruction. Others believe that the economy should make more space for concepts from organic ecology and circular economy. But how would such an economy really work? What kind of stability could it achieve? One of the key success factors could be cross-sectoral collaboration. It is argued that it would not only benefit all parties involved in the process but also increase the ecological and social benefits. During this working session, Floris Schiferli (Superuse Studios) and Benjamin Gaulon (artist and researcher, Recyclism) and other guests took a critical look at this approach by working together in search of concepts and mechanisms that would facilitate a circular economy.

Experts from various fields are predicting the future and our 'progress' within it. How can we develop more inclusive, experiential scenarios with more quality, and more interdisciplinary sensibility? With the help of futurology tools, world building techniques and narrative techniques, this seminar will examine different methods for the creative development of future scenarios. The speakers include Anab Jain (designer, Superflux), James Auger (designer, Goldsmith College) and Stephan Duquesnoy (Stroke Studios).

As drones proliferate, how will this affect the concept of public space? Het Nieuwe Instituut invited call artists, designers and practitioners working in the field of drones and spatial issues, to present and demonstrate their work at DEAF 2014. This series of presentations and demonstrations, including a 'make your own drone' workshop, is a continuation of the seminar Drones & Honeycombs.

Machines are capable of understanding humans better and better, and are learning how to programme people. It appears that human behaviour can be increasingly predicted through for instance profiling, marketing formulas and interactive choice architecture. Machines nudge citizens to make the 'right' decision. Do big data applications make human behaviour more or less transparent? How is unpredictability related to the age-old notion of freedom? Can human behaviour be programmed? This working session combined the insights of designer and researcher Simone Niquille with insights in to the world of nudging.

There is an increasing realisation that current learning methods may not be suited to today's world. In the context of 'progress', however, there are different views on the best way to solve this problem. Whether it's 21st-century skills or metaskills, embodied learning or STEAM education, maker culture or learning to code, children and adults are faced with a myriad of possibilities. This working session, organised in collaboration with Cinekid, addressed these issues in an international context. With Chris Cerrito (Exploratorium San Francisco), Jos Auzende (Gaite Lyrique, Paris) and Emer Beamer (social designer and educator).