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Larissa Harris of MIT's Center for Advanced Visual Studies asked that I
bring the<br>
following event to your attention. The specific details concerning
the order of the<br>
speakers will be available in a few days. If you have any questions
about this event,<br>
please contact Larissa directly (617-452-2484;
lrharris@mit.edu)<br><br>
A press release describing the CAVS event is attached. <br><br>
The list of speakers follows below.<br>
Please note that Charlie Weiner (Professor Emeritus, STS) will be one of
the speakers.<br><br>
<br>
<font size=4 color="#FF0000"><b>Starter Culture: Building a Critical
Public for the Biotech Century <br><br>
Eight short talks on bio-art, biotech, and bio-politics <br><br>
</font> <br>
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29<br><br>
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM <br><br>
N52-390<br><br>
<br>
<font size=4>SPEAKERS (in alphabetical order): <br>
</font>Klare Allen</b>, Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project
Co-Director and <br>
Community Organizer at Alternatives for Community Empowerment<b>
</b><i>and </i><b>Gene Benson, <br>
</b>Staff Attorney at Alternatives for Community Empowerment<br><br>
<b>Sujatha Byravan</b>, <h2>Executive Director of the Council for
Responsible Genetics <br><br>
<b>Beatriz da Costa,</b> </h2>Long-term collaborator of Critical Art
Ensemble<br><br>
<b>Jonathan King, </b>Professor of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology<br><br>
<h2><b>Eugene Thacker, </b></h2>Assistant Professor, School of
Literature, Communication, & Culture, <br>
Georgia Institute of Technology<br><br>
<b>Nato Thompson, </b>Associate Curator at Massachusetts Museum of
Contemporary <br>
Art and curator of the exhibition "The
Interventionists"<br><br>
<b>Charles Weiner</b> , Professor Emeritus of History of Science, Program
in Science, <br>
Technology, and Society, Massachusetts Institute of Technology<br><br>
<h2><b>Faith Wilding, </b></h2>Multi-disciplinary artist with a focus on
issues of women and <br>
technology, with particular emphasis on biotechnology<br><br>
<b>THE BIG QUESTIONS: <br>
</b>What is the relation of art and politics? Can activist artists and
socially engaged scientists <br>
work together? What are the politics of biotechnology under global
capitalism, especially at <br>
a time of open-ended war? What are the private and public institutions
that govern its development <br>
and control its interpretation and use? What should be the status of
biological expertise and biological <br>
literacy in a democracy? Is freedom of speech relevant to contemporary
science, and is freedom of <br>
research relevant to contemporary art? <br><br>
<b>CAVS is a center for art and exchange in the School of Architecture
and Planning at MIT</b>. <br>
To join our mailing list, please write to lrharris@mit.edu.<br><br>
<b>CAVS at MIT</b> (N52-390) is located at 265 Massachusetts Avenue. Take
the Red Line to Central Square <br>
or #1 Bus to NECCO Factory stop. Enter on Front St, next to the MIT
Museum. Take the elevator to the <br>
third floor. For more info, call 617.452.2484 or
<a href="http://web.mit.edu/cavs/" eudora="autourl">http://web.mit.edu/cavs/</a>.<br><br>
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