The New Alphabet – Opening Days

About

Are binary code, algorithms, and DNA the alphabets of today? The current explosion of knowledge is accompanied by the segmentation of the world into the smallest units. The binary code – with only two elements the greatest abstraction of the alphabetical principle – makes the polymorphism of the analogue calculable. Projects in synthetic biology and artificial intelligence are based on an interpretation of life as a code that can be decrypted and thus manipulated. How objective are data? How do they reproduce existing structures of power and property? What is suppressed? Who dominates the new order of knowledge? And which ethical questions are raised by these alphabetizations? What happens between 1 and 0?

Until 2021, The New Alphabet will spell out both utopias and dystopias. In performances, concerts, talks, films, and installations, the Opening Days will explore instants of alphabetization from the Baroque to the present day.

With Emily Apter, Kader Attia, Joana Barrios, Sandeep Bhagwati, Filipa César, Ann Cotten, Kate Crawford, Lorraine Daston, Simon Denny, Karin Harrasser, Yuk Hui, Alexander Kluge, Sybille Krämer, Armin Linke & Giulia Bruno, Yucef Merhi, Trevor Paglen, Odete Semedo, Helge Schneider, Slavs and Tatars, Felix Stalder, Hito Steyerl, Yoko Tawada, Joseph Vogl, and many more

[Simultaneous translation, film languages, and subtitles: German / English]