Introductory Statement

The Terror is about formulating collaborative strategies for an uncertain future. It will have a strong emphasis on discursive forums that seek to activate and implicate the delegates’ presence in the city. Using the Liverpool conferences’ considerations of where we are now as a springboard and ever mindful of Manchester’s own historical relationship with new technology, The Terror will seek to consider the potential artistic, social and ethical consequences of what is blithely hailed as the Information Revolution. We are making steps to ensure there is a tangible effect for people in the city too, so that informal alliances forged during the conference can be developed over time to strengthen both the city’s burgeoning electronic art infrastructure and the ability of its various communities to access these networks with voices of their own.
We are producing The Terror in collaboration with a prestigious International Programming Committee, many of whom have a long history of experience not just as successful practicing artists or scientists in their own right, but as grass roots activists who strive to develop their work in the context of a wider community.