CMA thrust seminar | Critical Computation and Emotive Environments

Can computational design be critical? Or will various forms of bias always be found embedded in AI and other computational systems? Could materials be augmented with interactive technologies so as to influence our social interaction? Could surveillance act as a form of resistance? This presentation offers a reflection on these questions, and explores the notion of critical computation. It addresses the discourse of the gaze, and surveillance feminism in particular, using some critical computational design projects by way of illustration. From wearables to architecture, these projects demonstrate an application of techniques, such as EEG brain imaging, facial expression, and gaze tracking as well as robotics and novel actuator systems, such as smart materials and pneumatics systems.