Panel discussion: Public Space in the next Machine Age

Discussion

TAB Club, Põhja pst 27a

From:17:00 09.09.2015

To:18:30 09.09.2015

It’s inevitable that technology and humans will increasingly share this world in the near future. How will this shared life of man and machine look like? How do we design (public) space for it? Moderated by editor-in-chief of A10 new European architecture, panelist are Aet Ader (b210, Guild of Estonian Architects), Ivan Sergejev (curator TAB 2015 symposium), Ott Alver (MUST, curator of TAB Tallinn Vision Competition), Johan Tali (curator Estonian Pavillion 2014 Venice Biennale).

In Self-Driven City it’s not only cars that no longer need human conductors. Public transport will drive itself too. City and traffic lights will switch on and off automatically. Sprinkler installations will extinct all fires and water all parks. Machines can build our houses, robots can take care of the elderly, and paint some walls while they’re at it. Children will be self-educated on laptops while being watched in CCTV. And we’ll have endless data that will provide knowledge about all our moves, wishes and needs. 

We know that our lives depend on technology when our airplane is being landed, just as much as a heart-lung machine keeps us alive in complicated surgery. We know Facebook, Apple and Google know everything about us. We have accepted all that - the technology doesn’t scare us, because humans will always be needed.  

A robot errs in moral and emotional decisions. No 3D-printer works without constant human care. Every unmanned drone is operated by 4 human beings. Still, it’s inevitable that technology and humans will increasingly share this world in the near future. But what do we know about the social and human dimensions of the current systemic transition? What if our robots will demand political representation? What if our sex robots start faking a headache? How to protect people from a suicidal self-driven car? How exactly does this new world work, and how do we design (public) space for it? What can architects, designers, urban planners contribute to the shared life of man and machine?  

On the opening night of TAB we will discuss these and other issues in relation to the competition for the Viru Intersection in Tallinn, the Estonian Pavillion at the Venice Biennale 2014 and public space in Estonia today. 

Moderator: Indira van‘t Klooster (editor-in-chief of A10 new European architecture) 

Line-up:
Aet Ader (b210, Guild of Estonian Architects), Ivan Sergejev (curator TAB 2015 symposium), Ott Alver (MUST, curator of TAB Tallinn Vision Competition), Johan Tali (curator Estonian Pavillion 2014 Venice Biennale)

Program:
17.00                   opening by Indira van‘t Klooster
17.10                   4 short statements by Ott Alver, Johan Tali, Ivan Sergejev and Aet Ader
17.30                   debate with speakers and audience