Platform Practices and Predictive Seeing 1

Session Submission Type: Open Panel

Abstract

Large image collections ranging from Sloan Sky Survey, through to ImageNet play a vital role in contemporary economies of knowledge. Yet actual image practices, operations and techniques pertaining to such collections remain relatively occluded. How do data-oriented visual cultures also re-organise ‘seeing’ in the light of prediction? This panel invites contributions dealing with routine, habitual and everyday data practices that have developed in relation to large image collections in contemporary sciences, industry, media, government and cultural institutions. We welcome research working with or analysing image-sets in their predictive transformations across these domains. Here contributions might address how the formatting and processing of images collections and streams – for border control facial recognition, discrimination of objects in robotic manufacture, earth system observation, smart city urban infrastructure and so on – create the material conditions for predictive models. Everyday data practices concerned with collecting, archiving, ordering or moving through image collections or images streams would be relevant topics. How do STS concepts of knowledge infrastructure, platform, centre of calculation, algorithm or large technical system help us understand changes in the operational role of images in prediction, whether, for example, in earth science or social network media? Re-conceptualisation of ontologies of seeing, image, data, model, prediction and knowledge are important to the aims of the panel. The panel aims to support conversation traversing some of the different disciplinary approaches coming from media and cultural studies, art-design and STS to this topic.

Sub Unit

• Papers for Open Panels / Platform Practices and Predictive Seeing

Chair

• Adrian Mackenzie, Lancaster University

Individual Presentations

• Accuracy for Carbon: Visualizing and Financializing Forest Life - Cindy Lin, University of Michigan, School of Information

• Automated Capitalism and the Aesthetics, Epistemology and Politics of the Chart - Liam Magee, Institute for Culture & Society, Western Sydney University; Ned Rossiter, University of Western Sydney

• Every Image An Eigenimage - Anna Munster, University of New South Wales

• Patterns of Life and Predictive Killing: Image Processes, Drone Strikes and Death by Algorithm - Michael Richardson

• Refined Algorithm Vs. Vulgar Image: Disassemble the Representations of Chinese Working-class Youths Through Online Platform - Jiaxi Hou, University of Tokyo

Session Organizers

• Adrian Mackenzie, Lancaster University

• Anna Munster, University of New South Wales