Transversal Infrastructure presented at Holcim Conference in Detroit
Apr 16, 2016
Paper Abstract:
"The paper develops the concept of transversal infrastructure through a series of case studies aimed at describing the political potential of design within digital systems. Through four acts, the authors collect together sitings of transversal digital infrastructure, cutting with precision across social, technical, and environmental urbanisms. Act One looks at the formation of contemporary culture through digital infrastructure and their ability to implicate heterogenous scales of time, culture, and geography. Act Two considers digital infrastructure in the context of the “smart city,” located on a continuum between the assumptions of Cultural Studies and a drone bombing near Khod. Act Three explores the protocols of
geospatial infrastructure from territory to the torrent. To conclude, Act Four reviews several processes for modulating noise within crowd-enabled systems, and proposes some heuristics for designing in and across transversal infrastructure."
