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OPEN 2009

- Media Lab Doctor of Arts Symposium
Media Lab, University of Art and Design Helsinki

November 5.–6., 2009
Helsinki, Finland

OPEN 2009 – Media Lab Doctor of Arts Symposium focuses on the role of openness in a post-industrial society. The central argument goes as follows: Coupled with the continuous development of an open network infrastructure, new ways of organising, communicating and collaborating are rapidly changing the lives of people globally. The efficiency and resilience of these practices is bringing them from the periphery of the society towards its centre. Thus far, software development and media are areas where new organizational forms have been able to out-compete more traditional forms. Examples stemming from Linux software development and the Wikipedia community have widely been used to describe the trend. They are based on open knowledge and individual empowerment, representing an alternative for the traditional hierarchical power relation. We believe that the phenomena will continue to expand increasingly into other domains in the society.

Openness and empowerment are increasingly being considered as important components of strategical thinking in governments and public institutions around the world. The Obama campaign and the uprising in Iran indicate that the new strategies can be effective in the struggle for political power. Governments in United States, UK and Australia have been active in opening up public data. In Finland, a catalog for open public data, and a competition for building on that data, have been launched recently. The Public Broadcasting Company (YLE) has committed itself to an enabler strategy, which centers on open access and collaborative (re)use of media. Overall, digitalisation and declining costs for data storage and transmission have enabled near unlimited sharing of cultural products. Open collaborations have produced cultural artefacts, ranging from movies and animations to music; furthermore some artists have successfully embraced openness in the form of allowing remixes or distributing their products. Recent cases like the Finnish Carrot Mob and Electric Cars – Now! movement suggest that new organisational strategies will have increasing importance even for the production of consumer goods and services.

However, the shift is not without its contradictions. We can see rifts appearing between the old and new ways. We have already witnessed collisions of new ideals and traditional value systems. For many, the Pirate Bay trial symbolised the fight between old ideals of leadership and control and a more open and networked society, while some question the ethical grounds of sharing copyrighted products. Contradictions have created value-charged discussions. Many people who are actively engaged in openness are not always able or willing to articulate their experiences. For some, openness has become an ideology or a marketing term comparable to “web 2.0″. These approaches often foster biased dialogue: The people who are most knowledgeable on openness do not want to speak out critically about it. Did the pirates sell out? In addition, there is an activity divide appearing. The same tools that connect people to each other, and to information, passify and disconnect others. Openness of information can also assist actions that have negative effects for individuals such as cyber-bullying or identity thefts. Any practical attempt to create systems supporting openness has to address the contradictory nature of openness and to position itself in regard to the legacy. What is needed is a critical and constructive discussion on how openness can be supported.

A lot of research has been conducted around the theme of openness on an societal level. It has been researched by several disciplines under concepts such as peer production, open access, corporate transparency, creative commons and so forth. Much of it has approached the theme from legal, political, economical or sociological standpoints. What has mainly been missing, however, is the close scrutiny of openness on the practical level. We think that the way forward is to bring the discussion closer to people and their every-day experiences. How does openness touch our lives?

The symposium calls for contributions on the possibilities and challenges of a more open society. We invite practical, but critical accounts on the theme. The symposium is intended as an open platform for discussion on the ideas brought forward through this call for papers. Therefore, more than academic vigour, we favour insightful contributions based on experience. Through this event, we hope to continue a critical discourse about the meaning of openness in tomorrow’s society.

TRACKS

1. Life in the Open – Experiences and Practices

This track approaches the theme of openness on the level of individuals and communities. How is openness affecting human capacity to act in the world? The Internet is an unprecedented source for information and an efficient tool for making arrangements. Emotional support, companionship and providing a sense of belonging are all non-material social resources that can be shared online. Openness has been said to increase serendipity – the likelihood of people accidentally discovering something fortunate. On the other hand, the panopticon has been used as a dystopian metaphor for explaining how the threat of being monitored represses individuals. Instead of the digital divide, the ability to be a part of collaborative processes – the activity divide – is becoming a source of inequality. This track strives for finding new conceptualizations of experiences and practices of life in the open. Are there open practices shaping interaction in communities? What conflicts arise when taking into use open ways of interacting? What positive or negative experiences do you have of openness? What motivates individuals into open behaviour?

The participants of this track are asked to submit practical accounts such as:

• experiences from open activities
• ethnographic studies
• practitioners accounts
• descriptions of utopias/dystopias
• demos and art projects

2. Making Openness

This track explores the tools, methods, strategies and practices of creating systems which support open flow of information. Opening the flow of information between humans requires a radically new perspective on the way activities and communication are organised, whether in virtual or real-life settings. We are going to need a new kind of understanding of the design and management of open systems and the organising of open activity. How can the experience and interactions in an open ecosystem be shaped? What insufficiencies can we recognize in current methods? Is the role of a professional changing in an open environment? How is it possible to organise grass-root activities which depend on open participation? How can organisations and businesses adapt to openness? How do you introduce openness on a strategical level, or create the basis for open innovation?

The participants of this track are asked to submit practical accounts such as:

• case studies
• methods
• process descriptions
• best practices
• demos and art projects

SUBMISSIONS

To support rich discussion, we are accepting two kinds of contributions for the symposium: short papers and videos. The deadline for the video synopses is September 30th, and October 14th for short papers (note: the deadlines have been extended).

Further information about the submissions

Important dates

ELIGIBILITY

The symposium is aimed for researchers, but invites insightful contributions from practitioners, designers, business professionals or activists, among others.

SYMPOSIUM LANGUAGE

The symposium language is English.

STAY INFORMED

More information and technical submission details can be found on our website at http://mlabsymp.uiah.fi/. Updates regarding the event will be posted to Aalto Openness Interest Group on Facebook. We encourage all interested people and participants to join the group. The wiki-page about this event on Tutkimusparvi’s wiki is the constantly changing up to date master document about the event. To get in touch with the organizing team send email to opensymposium AT taik DOT fi.