Abstract

Full Paper, Theme Non-human – Post-human Agency  Sub theme Symbiotic Individuations

French philosopher of technology Gilbert Simondon is undoubtedly one of the key figures when it comes to conceptualizing individuation across physical, mental and social strata. In this article, we develop an overlooked aspect of Simondon’s work, namely how his ontogenetic project also implies an idea of a “human science” based on a “human energetics#, which – maybe in spite of its name – is an inherently transhumanist project opening fields of transduction across both disciplinary and experiential fields, with a particular emphasis on the role of technology. We present key concepts in Simondon’s work and relate them to lines of thinking on energies in the arts (Kahn) and post- colonialism (Wynter), exemplified through an analysis of Nigerian artist Otobong Nkanga’s video work “Remains of the Green Hill”. Our primary aim with the article is to continue a mobilization of Simondonian concepts and thinking for an experimental, transhumanist exploration in relation to its ethic-aesthetic and artistic potential.

• Christoph Brunner, PhD, is Assistant Professor for Philosophy of Media and Technology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He works on the politics of aestehtics in social movement and media ecologies.
• Jonas Fritsch, PhD, is Associate Professor in Interaction Design at the IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in the Department of Digital Design where he is heading the Affective Interaction & Relations (AIR) Lab. His work revolves around a creative thinking of interaction design, experience philosophy and affect theory through design experiments.