[Nettime-nl] Digital play, politics and epistemology -The Citizen scientist on the move

[Menno Grootveld <rabotnik@xs4all.nl>]

Digital play, politics and epistemology -The Citizen scientist on the move

**
*What*: Academic conference (Utrecht) and workshops (Amsterdam).
*When*: Monday 25 June (Utrecht), Tuesday 26 June (Utrecht) and 
Wednesday 27 June (Amsterdam).
*Where*: Utrecht (Drift 21, Sweelinckzaal) and Amsterdam (De Waag, 
Nieuwmarkt).

Our media landscape has changed drastically and needs to be redefined. 
Location-aware HD video cameras have become nearly ubiquitous, networked 
computers have dramatically increased the distribution of information, 
games are increasingly used for serious, even scientific purposes, 
digital mobile devices equipped with sensors are used for monitoring 
environments and gathering data, and new mobile communication 
technologies have changed the modes and dimensional levels of 
participation and activism.

Media makers, social activists and scientists have been quick to respond 
to these changes. To name a few examples, play mechanics are used to 
engage citizens in co-creating their own environment (urban planning 
games); users of smart-phones and networked devices are able to track, 
study and report on environments (citizen science projects); science 
games claim to lead to a better understanding of science as practiced in 
the ´real world´ (environmental games); ´hactivist´ artists aim at 
disturbing the system through the use of digital media (urban play 
practices); a socially created documentary like /18 Days in Egypt 
/played an important role in Egypt's ongoing revolution; ludic 
interfaces are used as political digital platforms (the protest app 
Sukey) that allow for new forms of bottom-up participatory politics 
(Occupy movement); and political games for change encourage reflection 
on what is going on in the world and stimulate players to undertake 
action (PING-Poverty is not a game).

The conference will not only explore the new social, political and 
scientific affordances of these playful media forms, but will also 
critically revisit the claims, hopes and dreams that these media entail 
about levelling the treshhold for common citizens to actively 
participate in media production and knowledge creation.

*More information*: Conference website www.citizenscience.nl 
<http://www.citizenscience.nl>.

*Interested in joining us*: please let us know by sending an email to 
citizenscienceconference@gmail.com 
<mailto:citizenscienceconference@gmail.com>. For the workshop sessions 
in Amsterdam on Wednesday, you can register by filling in the 
registration form on the Conference website.

Kind regards,

On behalf of the organizers of the conference (7scenes, Waag Society 
Amsterdam, Utrecht University)

Joost Raessens

*Prof. dr. Joost Raessens *|**Professor of Media Theory |Head of School 
of Media and Culture Studies |Faculty of Humanities | Utrecht University 
|Muntstraat 2A |Room 2.09 |NL-3512 EV Utrecht |T +31 30 253 6270 / +31 
611 340 241 |F +31 30 253 6167 |www.raessens.nl 
<http://www.raessens.nl>| www.gamesandplay.nl 
<http://www.gamesandplay.nl>| J.Raessens@uu.nl 
<mailto:J.Raessens@uu.nl>| OnderwijsdirecteurMCW.gw@uu.nl 
<mailto:OnderwijsdirecteurMCW.gw@uu.nl>




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* Contact: Menno Grootveld (rabotnik@xs4all.nl).