from lost to the river ≠ de perdidos al río

Friday, 28 June 2024, 13:00-17:00

Online workshop organised with maiz.

Session in English, informal translations facilitated.
The event is free of charge. Please register by e-mail: kontakt @ maiz.at

How are digital technologies changing our collective lives? What techno-politics do we practice, and which dependencies can we afford?

In this first episode*, we will look into machine translation tools and how they keep transforming everyday language. Together we will pay attention to the vast systems of capture and extraction that are involved in "saying" things across languages, online.

"From lost to the river" is the machinic translation into English of the Spanish expression "de perdidos al río", which refers to an attitude of not giving up trying, as there's nothing left to lose. We could also think of this expression as a call for finding the courage to imagine other types of digital tools, tools that contribute to social and environmental justice instead of the opposite.

Translation tools, automatic transcription, captioning and algorithmic speech-to-text set up relations full of losses and dependencies but at the same time they open up possibillities for bordercrossings and trans-local organising. How to practice linguistic complexity in daily digital landscapes?

This online workshop is for everyone who aims to crack open the box of digital languaging. We will exchange practices of translation on-line, and study some of the technologies involved. We will also experiment with machinic transcriptions, closed captions and automated translations. Special guest: digital artist Aggeliki Diakrousi.

In collaboration with:

Supported by:

*from lost to the river ≠ de perdidos al río is a pilot for a series-in-the-making developed by maiz and The Institute for Technology in the Public Interest. Working towards anti-colonial and anti-fascist technologies, the sessions are an occasion to discuss, study and reimagine digital infrastructures across many interests and forms of knowledge. Graphic design: Emma Geslot