Cybernetics, or Ghosts?
| Format | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Cybernetics, or Ghosts? | £25.00 |
Description
Cybernetics, or Ghosts?
Cybernetics, or Ghosts? is presented as a literary anthology and music compilation.
Edited by writer and artist Michael Salu, fifteen of today’s most daring writers from across the globe read and respond to Italo Calvino’s seminal essay ‘Cybernetics and Ghosts’ with rich and expansive works of fiction.
In Calvino’s essay, first delivered as a lecture in 1967, he provocatively suggested that writing could one day become a computationally reducible process, speculating that machines might eventually become sophisticated enough to reimagine the singular author’s human’ parameters’ and write literature with the same dexterity as us. What, then, will become of the human author? With the digital age now spanning decades and computation determining almost every aspect of our lives, do we think clearly and imaginatively enough about our relationship with machines?
As a human echo to the datasets driving artificial intelligence, Calvino’s prescient ruminations catalyse the ideas in this anthology, creating a networked artwork reminiscent of the experimental literary group Oulipo. Contemplating the many ways myth and technology shape the human condition and reflecting on the power and importance of stories, Cybernetics, or Ghosts? offers a rich, intricate web of collective storytelling full of humanity, ingenuity and critical ideas.
Contributors:
∀ i, Iphgenia Baal, Steve Barbaro, Blake Butler, Lisa Hsiao Chen, Tice Cin, Innocent Chizaram Ilo, Shingai Kagunda, Kelly Krumrie, Andrea Mason, Kuzhali Manickavel, Geoffrey Morrison, Rion Amilcar Scott, Simon Okotie, Mandy-Suzanne Wong.
Introduced by Michael Salu.
The companion music compilation was assembled by Subtext’s James Ginzburg in response to the anthology's stories with contributions from the labels current and forthcoming artists, as well as from artists that were instrumental in the beginnings of the label, such as Roly Porter who, as one-half of early industrial dubstep project Vex’d — producers of the first two singles on Subtext — left an indelible mark on electronic music of the 21st century so far. These first two releases in 2004 and 2005 would be followed by six years of dormancy as Subtext founders James Ginzburg and Robert Ellis (aka Pinch) focused on other labels, while they waited to find equally singular music to follow up the initial Subtext releases with.
In 2011 Roly Porter played James the demos to his debut solo album “Aftertime” and agreed to allow Subtext to release it on the condition that emptyset, also compilation contributors, released their LP Demiurge on the label first. The label has remained active since, curated by James.
Other compilation contributions come from KMRU and Aho Ssan, Vietnamese collective Rắn Cạp Đuôi, Cairo born / Berlin based producer ZULI, Turkish composer and artist Başak Günak aka Ah! Kosmos, Ziúr, PYUR, xin, Holly Childs & Gediminas Zygus, Goncalo Penas, MIRA新伝統, Amina Hocine, Eric Holm and Bridget Ferrill.
The artists, coming from equally diasporic backgrounds as the writers, were all asked to respond musically to the anthology, drawing inspiration from its texts and structure — and reflecting on how developments and evolution of technology used to generate text are mirrored in recent developments in the rise of generative AI for music.
Edited by writer and artist Michael Salu, fifteen of today’s most daring writers from across the globe read and respond to Italo Calvino’s seminal essay ‘Cybernetics and Ghosts’ with rich and expansive works of fiction.
In Calvino’s essay, first delivered as a lecture in 1967, he provocatively suggested that writing could one day become a computationally reducible process, speculating that machines might eventually become sophisticated enough to reimagine the singular author’s human’ parameters’ and write literature with the same dexterity as us. What, then, will become of the human author? With the digital age now spanning decades and computation determining almost every aspect of our lives, do we think clearly and imaginatively enough about our relationship with machines?
As a human echo to the datasets driving artificial intelligence, Calvino’s prescient ruminations catalyse the ideas in this anthology, creating a networked artwork reminiscent of the experimental literary group Oulipo. Contemplating the many ways myth and technology shape the human condition and reflecting on the power and importance of stories, Cybernetics, or Ghosts? offers a rich, intricate web of collective storytelling full of humanity, ingenuity and critical ideas.
Contributors:
∀ i, Iphgenia Baal, Steve Barbaro, Blake Butler, Lisa Hsiao Chen, Tice Cin, Innocent Chizaram Ilo, Shingai Kagunda, Kelly Krumrie, Andrea Mason, Kuzhali Manickavel, Geoffrey Morrison, Rion Amilcar Scott, Simon Okotie, Mandy-Suzanne Wong.
Introduced by Michael Salu.
The companion music compilation was assembled by Subtext’s James Ginzburg in response to the anthology's stories with contributions from the labels current and forthcoming artists, as well as from artists that were instrumental in the beginnings of the label, such as Roly Porter who, as one-half of early industrial dubstep project Vex’d — producers of the first two singles on Subtext — left an indelible mark on electronic music of the 21st century so far. These first two releases in 2004 and 2005 would be followed by six years of dormancy as Subtext founders James Ginzburg and Robert Ellis (aka Pinch) focused on other labels, while they waited to find equally singular music to follow up the initial Subtext releases with.
In 2011 Roly Porter played James the demos to his debut solo album “Aftertime” and agreed to allow Subtext to release it on the condition that emptyset, also compilation contributors, released their LP Demiurge on the label first. The label has remained active since, curated by James.
Other compilation contributions come from KMRU and Aho Ssan, Vietnamese collective Rắn Cạp Đuôi, Cairo born / Berlin based producer ZULI, Turkish composer and artist Başak Günak aka Ah! Kosmos, Ziúr, PYUR, xin, Holly Childs & Gediminas Zygus, Goncalo Penas, MIRA新伝統, Amina Hocine, Eric Holm and Bridget Ferrill.
The artists, coming from equally diasporic backgrounds as the writers, were all asked to respond musically to the anthology, drawing inspiration from its texts and structure — and reflecting on how developments and evolution of technology used to generate text are mirrored in recent developments in the rise of generative AI for music.