Arse Elektronika

Arse Elektronika
GenreSex and technology conference
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Various (San Francisco, Linz, Hong Kong, etc.)
Years activeSince 2007
Inaugurated5 October 2007; 16 years ago (2007-10-05)
Organised bymonochrom
WebsiteArse Elektronika conference page

Arse Elektronika is an annual conference organized by the Austrian arts and philosophy collective monochrom, focused on sex and technology. The festival presents talks, workshops, machines, presentations and films. The festival's curator is Johannes Grenzfurthner. Between 2007[1] and 2015,[2][3] the event was held in San Francisco, but is now a traveling event in different countries.

The name Arse Elektronika is a pun on Ars Electronica, the name of an arts and technology organization based in Austria.[4]

Speakers at past conferences have included Violet Blue, Mark Dery, Richard Kadrey, Annalee Newitz, Carol Queen, Susie Bright and Rudy Rucker, with demonstrations by Kyle Machulis of the blog Slashdong; Heather Kelley; Allen Stein of Thrillhammer; and other engineers of the pornographic website Fucking Machines.

Arse Elektronika became a point of reference for many debates around sex and technology.[5]

Main conferences

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Arse Elektronika's curator Johannes Grenzfurthner (at Arse Elektronika 2007)
  • 2007: The first conference,[6][7][8] dealing with the impact of sex on technological innovation and adoption.
  • 2008: "Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep: Critical Perspectives on Sex and Science Fiction,"[9] focused on sex and technology as seen through the futurist lens of science fiction, as well as depictions of science fiction in pornography.[10]
  • 2009: "Of Intercourse and Intracourse"[11] dealt with bodies and the modification thereof, including wetware, gene therapy, biotechnology and body modification. Talks also speculated on the social impacts of these technologies, particularly the implications on heteronormativity if biological sex becomes easily changeable.
  • 2010: "Space Racy", dealt with issues of space, both in an architectural and aeronautical sense.[12] Topics included the possibility of sex in outer space, the gendered and/or sexualized nature of built spaces, interspecies romance in video games, and an interactive installation called Six Feet Under Club in which participants could have sex while buried in a surveillant coffin.[13]
  • 2011: "Screw the System," dealt with sex, technology, class politics, and culture.[14][15]
  • 2012: "4PLAY: Gamifuckation and Its Discontents" dealt with sex, technology and games.[16]
  • 2013: "id/entity" dealt with sex, technology and identity.[17][18]
  • 2014: "TRANS*.*" dealt with technology and sexuality in societal and personal transition.[19]
  • 2015: "Shoot Your Workload" dealt with technology and sexuality and work (tech and sex work; work and labour politics in context of sex tech; work in a physical context).[20][21]
  • 2023: "Sexponential" dealt with artificial intimacy. It took place in Linz, Austria in September 2023 at the culture center DH5.[22][23]

Additional exhibitions and performances

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Arse Elektronika organizes exhibitions and lecture performances world-wide that are not always part of the actual conference.[24][25] In April 2010, the first Arse Elektronika exhibition "Techno(sexual) Bodies" was presented at Videotage in the city of Hong Kong; it was curated by Johannes Grenzfurthner and Isaac Leung.[26][27]

In March 2019, monochrom presented (as part of an Arse Elektronika special at NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf) a sex robot called Nekropneum Fuckenbrust Neckhammer 40k.[28][29][30]

Publications

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pr0nnovation? Pornography and Technological Innovation (Arse Elektronika Anthology #1)

  • Edited by Johannes Grenzfurthner, Günther Friesinger, Daniel Fabry. Published by RE/Search Publications (San Francisco) in cooperation with monochrom.
  • Features essays by Michael Achenbach, Timothy Archibald, Peter Asaro, Thomas Ballhausen, Binx, Violet Blue, Jonathan Coopersmith, Mark Dery, Thomas Edlinger, Johannes Grenzfurthner, Ema Konstantinova, Tina Lorenz, Stefan Lutschinger, Kyle Machulis (Slashdong), Aaron Muszalski, Annalee Newitz, Carol Queen, Thomas Roche, Autumn Tyr-Salvia, Frank Apunkt Schneider, Katie Vann, Rose White, Amanda Williams, Katherina Zakravsky.[31]

Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep? Critical Perspectives on Sexuality and Pornography in Science and Social Fiction (Arse Elektronika Anthology #2)

Of Intercourse and Intracourse – Sexuality, Biomodification and the Techno-Social Sphere (Arse Elektronika Anthology #3)

  • Edited by Johannes Grenzfurthner, Günther Friesinger, Daniel Fabry. Published by RE/Search Publications (San Francisco) in cooperation with monochrom.
  • Featuring essays and short-stories by Eleanor Saitta, R.U. Sirius, Jack Sargeant, Annalee Newitz, Katrien Jacobs, Christian Heller, Bonni Rambatan, Kyle Machulis, Saul Albert, Tatiana Bazzichelli, Johannes Grenzfurthner, Violet Blue, Carol Queen, Douglas Spink, Rose White, Rainer Prohaska, Thomas Ballhausen, Uncle Abdul, Elle Mehrmand (Echolalia Azalee), Micha Cárdenas (Azdel Slade), Ani Niow, Monika Kribusz, Noah Weinstein, Randy Sarafan, Allen Stein, Kim De Vries, Pepper Mint, Robert Glashuettner, Jonathon Keats.[33]

Screw The System – Explorations of Spaces, Games and Politics through Sexuality and Technology (Arse Elektronika Anthology #4)

  • Edited by Johannes Grenzfurthner, Günther Friesinger, Daniel Fabry. Published by RE/Search Publications (San Francisco) in cooperation with monochrom.
  • Featuring essays and short-stories by Jaakko Stenros, Paolo Pedercini, Rosalynn Rothstein, Adam Rothstein, Jack Sargeant, Anna Anthropy, Heather Kelley, Lindsay Grace, Johannes Grenzfurthner, Maggie Mayhem, Ned Mayhem, Kristen Stubbs, Marco Maiocchi, Margherita Pillan, Marko Radeta, Pietro Righi Riva, Samuel Coniglio, Katherine Becvar, Nadja Sayej, Thomas Ballhausen, Philip Freeman, Jonathan Mann, Rich Gibson, Maymay.[34]

References

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  1. ^ Hansen, Burke. "Rise of the f*cking machines: Arse Elektronika bumps uglies with Web 2.0". The Register. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  2. ^ Flox, A.V. (16 March 2016). "Eagerly We Await the Coming of the Sex Robots". VICE Motherboard. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. ^ Alptraum, Lux (26 February 2016). "What Happened to the Crowdfunded Sex Toy Revolution?". VICE Motherboard. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  4. ^ Jardin, Xeni (26 September 2008). "Arse Elektronika event on sex and tech now under way in SF". Boing Boing. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. ^ Wong, Julia Carrie (24 September 2015). "Joy Stick: The Tarnished Dreams of Teledildonics' Inventor". SF Weekly. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  6. ^ Violet Blue, Special to SF Gate (4 October 2007). "Arse Elektronika 2007: Porn and Tech Conference / Violet Blue holds hope for the future of sex, despite the musical condoms". SFGate.
  7. ^ Silverberg, David (4 October 2007). "Sex Meets Tech at Kinky Conference in San Francisco" Digital Journal. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  8. ^ Lynn, Regina. "Moanin' and Makin' Music at Arse Elektronika". Wired. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  9. ^ Jardin, Xeni (26 September [2008]). "Arse Elektronika Event on Sex and Tech Now Under Way in SF". BoingBoing. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  10. ^ Wortham, Jenna. "Prosthetic Fetishes and Fan Erotica: Sci-Fi Predicts Future of Sex". Wired. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Arse Elektronika 2009". monochrom.
  12. ^ Millard, Drew (10 June 2013). "Everything You Need to Know About Justin Bieber Going to Space". Noisey VICE. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  13. ^ "Six Feet Under Club Takes Sex to New Depths" Archived 2010-12-13 at the Wayback Machine. CarnalNation
  14. ^ "Arse Elektronika Sex + Tech Conference Hits SF". KQED. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Screw the System: monochrom's incendiary critique". RE/Search Publications. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  16. ^ Interview with Arse Elektronika curator Johannes Grenzfurthner in Kill Screen Magazine: "Stories about orcs and rape: the man behind Arse Elektronika"
  17. ^ Warren, Peter. "7th Annual Arse Elektronika to Tackle 'Id/entity'". AVN. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  18. ^ Schodt, Chris (19 October 2013). "Arse Elektronika: Sex and Technology in the Mission". Mission Local. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  19. ^ Doctorow, Cory (October 2014). "Arse Elektronika sex/tech conference starts tomorrow in San Francisco". Boing Boing. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  20. ^ Dent, Steve (19 January 2015). "Code your own climax with this customizable vibrator". Engadget. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  21. ^ "The Lyst Summit meets Arse Elektronika". Copenhagen Game Collective. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  22. ^ "Das Festival für Sex und Technologie: monochroms ARSE ELEKTRONIKA kommt nach Linz!". APA OTS. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  23. ^ Giard, Agnès. ""B-hind", le plug-in anal". Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  24. ^ "Wiener staunen über Virtual-Reality-Pornos". Heute. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  25. ^ Arse Elektronika at 'Sexual Cultures Conference 2012', Brunel University, UK (Onscenity Research, School of Arts and the School of Social Sciences at Brunel University)
  26. ^ "Technosexual Bodies". Time Out Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  27. ^ "Dorkbot: Technosexual Bodies". Dorkbot HK. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  28. ^ Jan Petter. "Warum es in Düsseldorf jetzt einen Darkroom voller Sexroboter gibt" (in German). Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  29. ^ Alexandra Wehrmann (8 March 2019). "Mensch und Maschine: Digitalfestival zum Thema Robotik im NRW-Forum". Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  30. ^ Westdeutsche Zeitung (15 March 2019). "Meta Marathon Düsseldorf: Fünf Tipps" (in German). Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  31. ^ Grenzfurthner, Johannes; Friesinger, Günther; Fabry, Daniel (2008). pr0nnovation? Pornography and Technological Innovation. RE/Search, edition mono/monochrom. ISBN 978-18893072-0-6. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  32. ^ Grenzfurthner, Johannes; Friesinger, Günther; Fabry, Daniel (2009). Do Androids Sleep with Electric Sheep? Critical Perspectives on Sexuality and Pornography in Science and Social Fiction. RE/Search, edition mono/monochrom. ISBN 978-18893072-3-7. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  33. ^ Grenzfurthner, Johannes; Friesinger, Günther; Fabry, Daniel (2011). Of Intercourse and Intracourse – Sexuality, Biomodification and the Techno-Social Sphere. RE/Search, edition mono/monochrom. ISBN 978-39027960-2-8. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  34. ^ Grenzfurthner, Johannes; Friesinger, Günther; Fabry, Daniel (2013). Screw The System – Explorations of Spaces, Games and Politics through Sexuality and Technology. RE/Search, edition mono/monochrom. ISBN 978-3902796165. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
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