Cyborg Futures

No fees

We are all already cyborgs, according to cultural anthropologist, Amber Case.[1] Forget the romanticized notion of the cyborg—half human, half robot—that we find in the movies. A cyborg is simply a creature that depends upon some technological device. And since we all own cellphones, tablets and laptops—on which we depend increasingly—we are by definition “cyborgs.”

In fact, according to the philosopher, Andy Clark, as human beings we are ourselves “natural born cyborgs.”[2] It is precisely our capacity to adapt to new tools so that they become prostheses to our human imagination that allows us to become so cyborg-like. And this is itself due to the “plasticity” of the human brain that has such an extraordinary capacity to adapt to new technologies so that they become absorbed within our body schemas as part of our extended selves. Of course, even a relatively primitive tool, such as a walking stick, is a prosthesis, but it has been the incessant production of increasingly sophisticated digital tools and prostheses—from robotic fabrication to Artificial Intelligence—that is making us ever more cyborg-like.

Cyborg Futures is the theme of this year’s DigitalFUTURES workshops at the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai, that is ranked 18th in the world for Architecture in the 2018 QS Top Universities rankings. It builds upon an 8 year tradition of experimental digital workshops that have made the annual DigitalFUTURES summer workshops at Tongji among the most popular and progressive in the world. In addition to robotic fabrication and futuristic workshops such as the use of drones to monitor environmental pollution, this year’s workshops break new ground by incorporating two workshops on Artificial Intelligence. The workshops are all taught by leading experts from some of the most distinguished institutions in the world including the Architectural Association, Bartlett, ICD Stuttgart, University of Michigan, MIT Media Lab, Princeton University, USC and, of course, Tongji, together with cutting edge practices, such as Zaha Hadid Architects and XKool. In addition, for the first time students on the new DigitalFUTURES International PhD Program will also take part in the workshops.

Workshops

Parametric Structures, Patrik Schumacher, Shajay Bhooshan (Zaha Hadid Architects)
Pneumatic Wearables, Behnaz Farahi (USC), Jifei Ou (MIT Media Lab)
AR and Real Time Robotic Fabrication, Matias del Campo, Sandra Manninger (UMichigan)
AI Urban Design, Wanyu He (XKool), Leong Shong Yong (Future Architecture Lab)
Drones and Environmental Sensing, Biayna Bogosian (USC), Maider Llaguno-Munitxa (Princeton), Wei Zang (Tongji)
Shape Changing 3D Printed Hybrid Systems, Achim Menges, Dylan Wood, Tiffany Cheng (ICD Stuttgart)
Robotic Timber Installation, Gilles Retsin (UCL)
Code: Decode: Innovate (AI), Kostas Terzidis, Hyejin Lee (Tongji)
Minimal Surface Tension Structure, Jiong Xu (Nanjing University of the Arts)
Acoustic Visualization, Fangshuo Mo, Philip Yuan (Tongji)
Robotic Carpentry, Philip Yuan (Tongji)
Robotic Metal Printing, Philip Yuan (Tongji)

The Cyborg Futures workshops culminate in an exhibition opening on July 7, 2018, and are followed by the one day Cyborg Futures conference also taking place in Tongji University on July 8, 2018.

There are no fees for the Cyborg Futures workshops, although students are responsible for all other costs, such as flights and accommodation. The DigitalFUTURES workshops always attract several hundred applications and places will be awarded strictly on a merit basis. To apply, please send a copy of your CV, portfolio and a list of your three preferred workshops to digitalfuture_sh [​at​] 163.com by May 14, 2018. Successful applicants will be notified by May 21, 2018. For enquiries contact Neil Leach: leachneil [​at​] gmail.com

[1] Amber Case, “We Are All Cyborgs Now,” Ted Talk. 2010. 
[2] Andy Clark, Natural Born Cyborgs: Minds, Technology and the Future of Human Intelligence, Oxford: OUP, 2004.