Arse Elektronika
Encyclopedia
Arse Elektronika is an annual conference organized by the Austrian arts/philosophy collective monochrom
, focused on sex and technology. Speakers at past conferences have included Mark Dery
, Violet Blue
, Annalee Newitz
, Rudy Rucker
, Carol Queen
, and Richard Kadrey
with demonstrations by Kyle Machulis of Slashdong
, Heather Kelley
, Allen Stein of Thrillhammer and other engineers of Fucking Machines
.
The 2008 conference, subtitled "Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep: Critical Perspectives on Sex and Science Fiction," focused on sex and technology as seen through the futurist lens of science fiction, as well as depictions of science fiction in pornography.
The 2009 conference, "Of Intercourse and Intracourse" dealt with bodies and the modification thereof, including wetware
, gene therapy
, biotechnology
, and body modification
. Talks also speculated on the social impacts of these technologies particularly the implications on heteronormativity
if biological sex becomes easily changeable.
The 2010 conference, "Space Racy," dealt with issues of space
, both in an architectural and aeronautical sense. Topics included the possibility of sex in outer space, the gendered and/or sexualized nature nature of built spaces, interspecies romance in video games, and an interactive installation in which participants could have sex while buried in a surveillant coffin.
The 2011 conference, "Screw the System," dealt with sex, technology, class politics, and culture.
. It was curated by Johannes Grenzfurthner
and Isaac Leung.
In 2007 the organizers presented and demoed Fuckzilla (a fucking machine
).
In 2010 monochrom
created the "Six Feet Under Club". Couples could volunteer to be buried together in a casket beneath the ground. In a press release they explained that the space they occupy is "extremely private and intimate". The coffin "is a reminder of the social norm of exclusive pair bonding 'till death do us part'." However, this intimate scene was corrupted by the presence of a night vision webcam which projects the scene on to an outside wall. The scenario kept the intimacy of a sexual moment intact while moving the private act into public space. monochrom
's performance can be seen as an absurd parody of pornographic cinema or an examination of the high value placed on sexual privacy.
Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep? Critical Perspectives on Sexuality and Pornography in Science and Social Fiction (Arse Elektronika Anthology #2)
Of Intercourse and Intracourse – Sexuality, Biomodification and the Techno-Social Sphere (Arse Elektronika Anthology #3)
Monochrom
monochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
, focused on sex and technology. Speakers at past conferences have included Mark Dery
Mark Dery
Mark Dery is an American author, lecturer and cultural critic. He writes about "media, the visual landscape, fringe trends, and unpopular culture" From 2001 to 2009, he taught media criticism and literary journalism in the Department of Journalism at New York University...
, Violet Blue
Violet Blue (author)
Violet Blue is an American writer and sex educator.Blue wrote a weekly sex column for the San Francisco Chronicle. In her podcast, Open Source Sex, she reads erotica and discusses topics such as fetishes and oral sex. She also has a video blog. Blue wrote a feature about porn for women which was...
, Annalee Newitz
Annalee Newitz
Annalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. She received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 she was a policy analyst...
, Rudy Rucker
Rudy Rucker
Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of...
, Carol Queen
Carol Queen
Carol Queen is an American author, editor, sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality in books such as Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture...
, and Richard Kadrey
Richard Kadrey
Richard Kadrey is a novelist, freelance writer, and photographer based in San Francisco.Kadrey's novels are Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha From Hell, Metrophage, Kamikaze L'Amour, and Butcher Bird: A Novel Of The Dominion...
with demonstrations by Kyle Machulis of Slashdong
Slashdong
Slashdong is a blog about teledildonics and similar use of technology for erotic purposes. It is run by engineer Kyle Machulis, under the pen name qDot. It promotes DIY sex toy designs and open source software to drive them, including an Xbox modification to power a software-controlled dildo, and...
, Heather Kelley
Heather Kelley
Heather Kelley is a media artist and video game designer. She is co-founder of the Kokoromi experimental game collective, with whom she produces and curates the annual Gamma game event promoting experimental games as creative expression in a social context...
, Allen Stein of Thrillhammer and other engineers of Fucking Machines
Fucking Machines
Fucking Machines is a pornographic website that features video and photographs of women engaged in autoerotic sexual stimulation with a large variety of penetrative fucking machines and other sex toys. The site is based in San Francisco and is part of the network of pornographic websites operated...
.
Past Conferences
The first Arse Elekronika Conference was held in 2007 to answer questions about the impact of sex on technological innovation and adoption. New technologies are quick to appeal to pornography consumers, and thus these customers represent a profitable market segment for the suppliers of new products and services.The 2008 conference, subtitled "Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep: Critical Perspectives on Sex and Science Fiction," focused on sex and technology as seen through the futurist lens of science fiction, as well as depictions of science fiction in pornography.
The 2009 conference, "Of Intercourse and Intracourse" dealt with bodies and the modification thereof, including wetware
Wetware
Wetware may refer to:* Wetware , brain* Wetware , biological tools and parts* Wetware , a 1988 Rudy Rucker biopunk novel* Wetware , a 2000 album by The Cassandra Complex...
, gene therapy
Gene therapy
Gene therapy is the insertion, alteration, or removal of genes within an individual's cells and biological tissues to treat disease. It is a technique for correcting defective genes that are responsible for disease development...
, biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
, and body modification
Body modification
Body modification is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression...
. Talks also speculated on the social impacts of these technologies particularly the implications on heteronormativity
Heteronormativity
Heteronormativity is a term invented in 1991 to describe any of a set of lifestyle norms that hold that people fall into distinct and complementary genders with natural roles in life. It also holds that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation, and states that sexual and marital relations...
if biological sex becomes easily changeable.
The 2010 conference, "Space Racy," dealt with issues of space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
, both in an architectural and aeronautical sense. Topics included the possibility of sex in outer space, the gendered and/or sexualized nature nature of built spaces, interspecies romance in video games, and an interactive installation in which participants could have sex while buried in a surveillant coffin.
The 2011 conference, "Screw the System," dealt with sex, technology, class politics, and culture.
Past Exhibitions
In April 2010 the first Arse Elektronika exhibition 'Techno(sexual) Bodies' was presented at Videotage in the city of Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It was curated by Johannes Grenzfurthner
Johannes Grenzfurthner
Johannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
and Isaac Leung.
Performances
An important part of Arse Elektronika is presenting sex tech related art performances.In 2007 the organizers presented and demoed Fuckzilla (a fucking machine
Fucking machine
A sex machine, also known as a fucking machine, is a mechanical device used to simulate human sexual intercourse. It is a more sophisticated version of the vibrator. These devices may be associated with, but are not limited to, BDSM play....
).
In 2010 monochrom
Monochrom
monochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
created the "Six Feet Under Club". Couples could volunteer to be buried together in a casket beneath the ground. In a press release they explained that the space they occupy is "extremely private and intimate". The coffin "is a reminder of the social norm of exclusive pair bonding 'till death do us part'." However, this intimate scene was corrupted by the presence of a night vision webcam which projects the scene on to an outside wall. The scenario kept the intimacy of a sexual moment intact while moving the private act into public space. monochrom
Monochrom
monochrom is an international art-technology-philosophy group, founded in 1993. Its offices are located at Museumsquartier/Vienna ....
's performance can be seen as an absurd parody of pornographic cinema or an examination of the high value placed on sexual privacy.
Publications
pr0nnovation? Pornography and Technological Innovation (Arse Elektronika Anthology #1)- Edited by Johannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
, Günther Friesinger, Daniel Fabry. Published by RE/SearchRE/SearchRE/Search Publications is an American magazine and book publisher, based in San Francisco, founded and edited by Andrea Juno and V. Vale in 1980. It was the successor to Vale's earlier punk rock fanzine Search & Destroy , and was started with $100 from Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
Publications (San Francisco) in cooperation with monochrom. - Features essays by Michael Achenbach, Timothy Archibald, Peter Asaro, Thomas Ballhausen, Binx, Violet BlueViolet Blue (author)Violet Blue is an American writer and sex educator.Blue wrote a weekly sex column for the San Francisco Chronicle. In her podcast, Open Source Sex, she reads erotica and discusses topics such as fetishes and oral sex. She also has a video blog. Blue wrote a feature about porn for women which was...
, Jonathan Coopersmith, Mark DeryMark DeryMark Dery is an American author, lecturer and cultural critic. He writes about "media, the visual landscape, fringe trends, and unpopular culture" From 2001 to 2009, he taught media criticism and literary journalism in the Department of Journalism at New York University...
, Thomas Edlinger, Johannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
, Ema Konstantinova, Tina Lorenz, Stefan Lutschinger, Kyle Machulis (SlashdongSlashdongSlashdong is a blog about teledildonics and similar use of technology for erotic purposes. It is run by engineer Kyle Machulis, under the pen name qDot. It promotes DIY sex toy designs and open source software to drive them, including an Xbox modification to power a software-controlled dildo, and...
), Aaron Muszalski, Annalee NewitzAnnalee NewitzAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. She received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 she was a policy analyst...
, Carol QueenCarol QueenCarol Queen is an American author, editor, sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality in books such as Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture...
, Thomas Roche, Autumn Tyr-Salvia, Frank Apunkt Schneider, Katie Vann, Rose White, Amanda Williams, Katherina Zakravsky.
Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep? Critical Perspectives on Sexuality and Pornography in Science and Social Fiction (Arse Elektronika Anthology #2)
- Edited by Johannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
, Günther Friesinger, Daniel Fabry, Thomas Ballhausen. Published by RE/SearchRE/SearchRE/Search Publications is an American magazine and book publisher, based in San Francisco, founded and edited by Andrea Juno and V. Vale in 1980. It was the successor to Vale's earlier punk rock fanzine Search & Destroy , and was started with $100 from Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
Publications (San Francisco) in cooperation with monochrom. - Featuring essays and short-stories by Rudy RuckerRudy RuckerRudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of...
, Richard KadreyRichard KadreyRichard Kadrey is a novelist, freelance writer, and photographer based in San Francisco.Kadrey's novels are Sandman Slim, Kill the Dead, Aloha From Hell, Metrophage, Kamikaze L'Amour, and Butcher Bird: A Novel Of The Dominion...
, James Tiptree, Jr., Allen Stein, Sharing is Sexy, Jason Brown, Cory DoctorowCory DoctorowCory Efram Doctorow is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licences for his books...
, Annalee NewitzAnnalee NewitzAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. She received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 she was a policy analyst...
, Tina Lorenz, Reesa Brown, Karin Harrasser, Isaac Leung, Rose White, Mela Mikes, Viviane, Susan Mernit, Chris Noessel, Kit O'Connell, Jens Ohlig, Bonni Rambatan, Thomas Roche, Bonnie Ruberg, Mae Saslaw, Violet BlueViolet Blue (author)Violet Blue is an American writer and sex educator.Blue wrote a weekly sex column for the San Francisco Chronicle. In her podcast, Open Source Sex, she reads erotica and discusses topics such as fetishes and oral sex. She also has a video blog. Blue wrote a feature about porn for women which was...
, Nathan Shedroff, 23N!, Benjamin Cowden, Johannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
, Daniel Fabry.
Of Intercourse and Intracourse – Sexuality, Biomodification and the Techno-Social Sphere (Arse Elektronika Anthology #3)
- Edited by Johannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
, Günther Friesinger, Daniel Fabry. Published by RE/SearchRE/SearchRE/Search Publications is an American magazine and book publisher, based in San Francisco, founded and edited by Andrea Juno and V. Vale in 1980. It was the successor to Vale's earlier punk rock fanzine Search & Destroy , and was started with $100 from Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti...
Publications (San Francisco) in cooperation with monochrom. - Featuring essays and short-stories by Eleanor Saitta, R.U. Sirius, Jack SargeantJack SargeantJack Sargeant is a writer specialising in cult film, underground film, and independent film, as well as subcultures, true crime, and other aspects of the unusual. In addition he is a film programmer and an academic...
, Annalee NewitzAnnalee NewitzAnnalee Newitz is an American journalist who covers the cultural impact of science and technology. She received a PhD in English and American Studies from UC Berkeley, and in 1997 published the widely cited book, White Trash: Race and Class in America. From 2004–2005 she was a policy analyst...
, Katrien Jacobs, Christian Heller, Bonni Rambatan, Kyle Machulis, Saul Albert, Tatiana Bazzichelli, Johannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes GrenzfurthnerJohannes Grenzfurthner is an Austrian artist, writer, curator, director.He has published numerous books, essays and articles on contemporary art, science and philosophy....
, Violet BlueViolet BlueViolet Blue may refer to:* Violet Blue , author and sex educator* Noname Jane, pornographic actress known in the majority of her movies as Violet Blue*Violet Blue , a 1993 album by Chara* A song from Jill Jones' self-titled first album...
, Carol QueenCarol QueenCarol Queen is an American author, editor, sociologist and sexologist active in the sex-positive feminism movement. Queen has written on human sexuality in books such as Real Live Nude Girl: Chronicles of Sex-Positive Culture...
, Douglas Spink, Rose White, Rainer Prohaska, Thomas Ballhausen, Uncle Abdul, Elle Mehrmand (Echolalia Azalee), Micha Cárdenas (Azdel Slade), Ani Niow, Monika Kribusz, Noah Weinstein, Randy Sarafan, Allen Stein, Kim De Vries, Pepper Mint, Robert Glashuettner, Jonathon Keats.