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  The 
 Last 
 Meeting 
  10 day worksession
  [11-21/07/2019]  
  @ Verbeke Foundation, BE  






About

    The Last Meeting

A gathering on computational governance.

'Just as global telecommunications have collapsed time and space, computation conflates past and future. That which is gathered as data is modelled as the way things are, and then projected forward – with the implicit assumption that things will not radically change or diverge from previous experiences. In this way, computation does not merely govern our actions in the present, but constructs a future that best fits its parameters. That which is possible becomes that which is computable. That which is hard to quantify and difficult to model, that which has not been seen before or which does not map onto established patterns, that which is uncertain or ambiguous, is excluded from the field of possible futures. Computation projects a future that is like the past – which makes it, in turn, incapable of dealing with the reality of the present, which is never stable.'
- New Dark Age: Technology and the End of the Future, James Bridle

Information technology has long surpassed its purpose as a lifeless, functional tool—it now has an agency of its own. It has extended our bodies into devices, expanded our brains into networks, and moved us beyond our human capacities through the machine-automated elimination of inefficiency. Social media and telecommunications, service networks and interactive appliances, navigational positioning and tracking systems, personalised search engines and instant, ubiquitous access to the largest collection of data in the world—all of these are active agents in processing and steering our social and political lives.

When humanity—with all its flaws, irregularities and oddities—is transformed into data, a new modus operandi of automation arises: customs and cultural habits become calculable standards; the desires and fetishes of the individual shift into building blocks for citizens of the future; the randomness of human interaction and societal dynamics converts into a prewritten script. When the input we give the network turns into a compulsory feedback loop, the world becomes a digital commonwealth run by data-driven balancing protocols. 

The Last Meeting is an attempt to transcend the individual incapability to grasp the complex.

Through the gathering, we seek to investigate the possibilities and dangers of incorporating contemporary technology into policy- and decision-making, synthesising the phenomenal and the computational. The Last Meeting is a meta-meeting—a meeting in which to consider the possibility of never again holding another meeting. It is, we propose, the last, final meeting.




    The gathering

The gathering is an intense 10 day think tank, where theoretical discussions are interlaced with practical assignments. Our focus is on reflection, process and collaboration. The end-goal is an exhibition and a publication. 

Reflection
The meta-meeting is an opportunity to rethink the standards of human gathering. We will reflect on the why, how and where of humanity as a social organisation, and on the influence of contemporary technology in reforming these social conventions. 

Process
Since the reason we are gathering is to study the act of gathering, the process of interacting with each other -- making decisions as a group, working together, creating a final product, organising our living conditions, … -- is to be clearly documented.

Collaboration
We are not a collective, nor do we wish to act as one. We are individuals working together, re-evaluating our collaboration at every instance. Our agreement to work together, whether physically or cognitively, is to be questioned. 

🔗participants^𝌡
🔗roles^𝌡
[ TRANSCLUDEX::participants:PARTICIPANTS]




Program

  * Day 1 / 2019-07-11 / Thursday: Arrival
    10:00: Meetup at Berchem Station for collective departure to Verbeke Foundation
    11:30: Arrival 
    12:00: Lunch
    14:00: Short intro of The Last Meeting + Documentation teams; practical info on accomodation (sleeping quarters, kitchen); planning for the week; arrangement cooking team, etc
    14:45: Practical tour (kitchen, sanitairy, wc, ...) + devision sleeping places
    16:00 - 18:00 : break + getting installed
    18:00 : Cooking together 
    20:00 : Informal round table (personal introductions)
    21:00 : Washing up
    
    documentation: Liesje & Aaron
    cooking: Erika & Ans


  * Day 2 / 2019-07-12 / Friday: Computation
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 12:00 : Tour of the Verbeke Foundation 
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break (installation HQ: glass pavilion / INTERNET!!! cables, chairs, beamer, etc) + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 17:00 : Theory Session 1: Computation by James Bridle
    17:00 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner 
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program (beamer)
    20:30 - 21: 30 : All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace - Adam Curtis

    documentation: Camille & Rik
    cooking: Andrew & Ben



  * Day 3 / 2019-07-13 / Saturday : Transhumanism
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 12:00 : Theory Session 2: Beyond Machines by Vilèm Flusser
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 15:30 : 
- Introduction/experiment Questions - a dialogue format by Eitan Efrat & Sirah Foighel Bruttman
    16:00 - 17:30 : 
- Discussion session Transhumanism : "Homo Deus" (video lecture by Yuval Noah Harrari) & Human Manifesto 
(analogies - oppositions)
    17:30 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program
    20:30 - ... : Technocalyps - Frank Theys
         
       remarks: wedding party!
       
       documentation: Erin & Nastya
       cooking: Camille & Lode


  * Day 4 / 2019-07-14 / Sunday: Excursions Doel & Port of Antwerp
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 12:45 : Excursion: DOEL
    12:45 - 13:30 : Picknick
    13:30 - 18:00 : Excursion: Port of Antwerp (automated landscape, its scale, relation to the city etc)
        & Visit exhibition Ria Pacqué at Middelheim (Opened till 21:00)
    TBC : Dinner on location (pizza, ...)
    TBC : Depature to Verbeke Foundation
    20:30 - ... :  /// Campfire

Documentation: Lodewijk & Erika


  * Day 5 / 2019-07-15 / Monday: Data
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 12:00 : Theory Session 3: Big Data by Byung-Chul Han 
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 16:00 :  Artist Presentation 1: Stan Wannet
    16:00 - 18:00    First proposals 
        Creating a comunal working situation 
        Creating invitations and communication
    17:00 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program
    20:30 - ... : Youtube Session

Documentation: Liesje & Ans
Cooking: Erin & Erika







  * Day 6 / 2019-07-16 / Tuesday: Governance (management, policy, decision-making)
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 11:00 : ???
    11:00 - 13:00 : Artist Talk 2: visit of the exhibition by Peter Beyls and Q&A 
    12:30 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 17:00 : Hannah Arendt & "the last meeting" (Discussing "Meetings")
   Brainstorm  & Working Situation : practical tour around the workshop & creation-time
    17:00 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program
    20:30 - ... : What is democracy? by Astra Taylor

Documentation: Ben & Andrew
Cooking Michelle & Liesje

  * Day 7 / 2019-07-17 / Wednesday: Working Day
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 12:00 :  WORKING DAY VERBEKE
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 17:00 : WORKING DAY VERBEKE (is this open for suggestions?)
    17:00 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program
    20:30 - ... : Campfire

Documentation: Erika & Camille
Cooking: Aaron & Rik

  * Day 8 / 2019-07-18 / Thursday: Production
    09:00 : Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    09:30u : Breakfast together + Preperation Talk & Round Table : quick meeting about the presentation on Saturday
    10:00 - 12:00 : Production
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 17:00 : Production
    17:00 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program
    20:30 - ... : Presentation + practicalities 

Documentation: Ans & Aaron
Cooking: Nastya & Lode

  * Day 9 / 2019-07-19 / Friday: Set-up
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    10:00 - 12:00 : Set-up + round table in communal space  
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    14:00 - 17:00 : Set-up + communication
    17:00 - 18:00 : Break
    18:00 : Cooking team starts
    19:00 - 20:00 : Dinner
    20:00 - 20:30 : Washing up + setting up evening program
    20:30 - ... : Final crit + map + texts
    
    Documentation: Liesje & Aaron
    cooking: Ben & Camille


  * Day 10 / 2019-07-20 / Saturday: Expo
    07:30: Putting on the breakfast (breakfast team)
    08:00-09:30u : Open breakfast
    11:00 : Opening expo
    11:00 - 12:00 : open expo
    12:00 - 12:45 : Break + lunchteam prepares the lunch
    12:45 - 13:30 : Lunch
    13:30 - 14:00 : Washing up
    14:00 - 18:00 : Open expo (guided tours, performances, presentations, etc)
    18:00 : collective cooking + campfire + beers
    
           remarks: wedding party
           
           Documentation: Liesje & ...
           Cooking: Ans & Andrew 


  * Day 11 / 2019-07-21 / Sunday: Departure
    10:30: Putting up brunch
    11:00 - 13:00 : brunch + evaluation: continuation of the format, visions for the future
    13:00 - ... : Clean up
    Collective departure 
    Belgian Fries in Antwerp
    
    Documentation: Ben & Camille






Input & reflection

  * Texts

1. 🔗computation^𝌡  + Theory session on Computation 
2. 🔗beyondmachines^𝌡  + Theory session on Beyond Machines
3. 🔗bigdata^𝌡 + Theory session on Big Data 
4. 🔗humanmanifesto^𝌡 +  + Theory session on Human Manifesto 


  * Guests

🔗eitan&sirah^𝌡
🔗stanwannet^𝌡
🔗peterbeyls^𝌡


  * Films

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace - Adam Curtis
"Homo Deus" (video lecture by Yuval Noah Harrari)
Technocalyps - Frank Theys
What is democracy? by Astra Taylor


  * Youtube

🔗youtubesession^𝌡




Documentation & Publication

The website is the collective place for documentation, (pad)discussions etc.
Possibly, other people from outside the foundation can join, or follow what's happening by already visiting the website during the 10-day gathering.
It is also the publication and living archive that stays (active) after the gathering.
It should therefore reach some cool looking point at the 21th, for the 1-day opening of the exhibition (see program below).

  * Ethering
Some help on using the Etherpad+E2H hypermedia collaborative system.
🔗ethering^𝌡


  * Hypothesis
"The Hypothesis Project is a new effort to implement an old idea: A conversation layer over the entire web that works everywhere, without needing implementation by any underlying site. (...) Using annotation, we enable sentence-level note taking or critique on top of news, blogs, scientific articles, books, terms of service, ballot initiatives, legislation and more. Everything we build is guided by our principles. In particular that it be free, open, non-profit, neutral and lasting to name a few."
https://web.hypothes.is/about/
🔗hypothesis^𝌡


  * Daily Documentation



🔗AnsPersonalNotes^𝌡
🔗excursion^𝌡


  * Brainstorm on presentation
--> these pads need to be restructured!!!

🔗brainstormsession^𝌡 2019.07.15
🔗brainstormsession2^𝌡 2019.07.16
🔗preptalk1^𝌡 2019.07.18
🔗language^𝌡 2019.07.18
🔗ALastMeetingStreamOfThoughts^𝌡 2019.07.18-19
🔗buildingadancefloor^𝌡 2019.07.18-19


  * A Last Meeting's protocol
In a society where computerized decision-making and communication render human meetings obsolete, we wish to provide a script enabling future re-enactments of such meetings.
But we are not nostalgic!
A Last Meeting is a protocol for organising meetings.
The protocol is a way to systematize a certain set of human interactions and dynamics.
It is an open script for active and engaged exchange. 
The protocol of "A Last Meeting" is based on The Last Meeting, a 10-day worksession that took place at the Verbeke Foundation in July 2019. 

🔗ALastMeeting^𝌡  


  * Avatar


  * Dancefloor

🔗buildingadancefloor^𝌡


  * The Cloud








The Website

Site built by E2H, an "Etherpad Hypermedia" project by middlemachine & David Potočnik, 
and is licensed under a Creative Commons - Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) 


Design : Pow Pow Institute, RELOADED