alt.olympics is a research and interaction design programme of the Alternative Learning Tank for students of the I/M/D department of the Royal Academy of Art focusing on creative (de)construction of the protocols of sports and a critical analysis of their political, social and technological aspects in relation to such topics as: gender, sexuality, psychology, robotics, ethics and (post)digital culture.

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Critical Approaches to Technology

We confer a very special status to technology in our lives. New technologies get adopted at a very fast pace and the general perception is that technology is good, it makes us more efficient, it makes new forms of communication possible and allows for convenience. But does it really? In this course you will be exposed to other takes that explore the darker side of technology and reveal the threats that come hand in hand with every innovation. We will look at specific technologies that have transformed our ethical and socio-political outlooks, from the atomic bomb to the smartphone. The Critical Art Ensemble stated that any technology that is unavailable to the masses is an instrument of control and domination. It would therefore be desirable for the powers that be, if these technologies were invisible or ignored.

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