UN_CTRL – Festival for Convivial Technologies and Arts

What technologies do we need – and how do we use them?

Every single day, we use technologies that have a huge influence on our lives. However, these technologies are often not created with the goal of serving societal interests or with ecological implications in mind. Instead, their development is often driven by the interests of a few corporations. As users, we accept their terms of service, generate data, and train systems – without any actual participation in decision-making. But these exact technologies shape our perception of time and structure our work, our everyday lives, and our being-in-the-world. With the UN_CTRL Festival at ZKM | Karlsruhe, we want to explore how these technologies shape societies and how they can benefit them in the interest of solidary coexistence. The festival focuses on an open and participatory program with workshops, impulse talks, round-table discussions and performances geared towards exploring and experimenting together. 

What defines technology?

Technologies exist within a societal cosmos. Their utility depends on our understanding of community, progress, and knowledge – and even the concept of technology itself is situated and contextual. We want to achieve a broader understanding of technology that is not limited to the digital sphere in order to expand our toolset. There is not just one technological solution for global problems; what we need is a diversity and plurality of technologies and tools that serve the interests of specific communities and research fields. This requires a perspective that goes beyond humans: What would technologies look like that are created not just with humans, but also other life forms in mind, such as forests, rivers, mycelial networks, or animals? We ask what systems of knowledge – including collective, local, indigenous ones – are rendered invisible by dominant technology platforms and how art and science can make them visible once more.

Technologies for common interests? 

Artists, scientists, and community organizations around the world are developing models that enable transparency, accountability, and equitable access to technological tools. Together with them, we investigate the communal and creative utilization and repurposing of technologies and resources. How can economy, production, and cultural practices surrounding technologies be set up to be open-source, sovereign, and accessible – outside of capitalist structures and pressures of productivity? We will present concrete projects exploring solidary economies, sensory autonomy, and post-extractivist land use.