14th NEXA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Friday, 2 December 2022 h 10:00-18:30 Conference Room “Luigi Ciminiera”, DAUIN Corso Castelfidardo 34/D (5th Floor) Politecnico di Torino.
In collaboration with MUFANT – Museo del Fantastico e della Fantascienza di Torino Science Fiction from Around the Globe: The Future of Digital Societies
ABSTRACT
Science fiction has often tried to delineate potential societal futures based on technological trends (more or less connected to current capabilities). In other occasions science fiction, rather than an anticipation of the future, delivers a critical look at the present of the complex relationship between technological innovations and humanity.
For these reasons the Politecnico’s Nexa Center for Internet and Society – in collaboration with Turin’s Mufant – Museo del Fantastico e della Fantascienza – will devote its 14th annual conference to science fiction literature. Involving writers from Africa to America, from China to Italy, we will try to imagine how, today and in the near future, art, identity, spirituality, affectivity, life, death and, in a single word, Humanity, can be shaped by the increasingly decisive role of digital technologies.
10:00 – 10:15 | WELCOME AND REGISTRATION
10:15 – 10:30 | CONFERENCE OPENING Institutional greetings
10:30 – 11:00 | INTRODUCTION: WHY THIS CONFERENCE? Introduction by co-directors of the Nexa Center for Internet and Society and co-directors of Mufant – Museo del Fantastico e della Fantascienza di Torino
11:00 – 12:00 | Keynote | FANTASCIENZA AND SCIENCE FICTION IN TORINO. Bruce Sterling, Trustee Nexa Center, Author, Journalist, Editor and Critic
12:00 – 13:30 | LUNCH BREAK
13:30 – 15:00 | Panel #1 | COULD REALITY ANTICIPATE SCIENCE FICTION? The digital revolution as told by contemporary mainland Chinese literature Moderator: v Davide Monopoli, Founder and Director of MUFANT Panelists: Xie Yunnig, Science Fiction Writer from China, Ding Peifu, Editor of Science Fiction World
15:00 – 15:30 | Panel #2 | MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE. Existence, Machines, Identities in Taiwanese Science Fiction Moderator: Add editor, ‘Asia’ series Panelist: Chi Ta-wei, Science Fiction Writer from Taiwan
15:30 – 16:00 | COFFEE BREAK
16:00 – 17:30 | THE LONG TOMORROW. Technologies for living, dying, rebirth: a multicultural Science Fiction perspective. Moderator: Giorgio Raffaelli, editor of Zona 42 Panelists: Martín Felipe Castagnet, Science Fiction Writer from Argentina Tlotlo Tsamaase, Science Fiction Writer from Motswana (Africa) Alessandro Vietti, Science Fiction Writer from Italy
17:30 – 18:30: OPEN DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS After brief summaries by the panels rapporteurs, the Nexa community and the conference participants will discuss what are the key takeaways emerged during the day. The conference will be closed, as usual, by a few remarks by the Nexa center co-directors