Dominique Trudel & Juliette De Maeyer  | From Franklin Ford to @franklinfordbot: The movement of intelligence in media history

An intriguing figure in the history of American journalism, Franklin Ford (1849-1918) was a journalist, a media theorist and an entrepreneur who devised grand plans about the future of journalism and the impact of communication technologies on society. This talk outlines the contribution of Ford to the history of media and communication research, and particularly explores how the remediation of a Twitter bot is a useful instrument to revisit Ford’s legacy.

March 28 | 4:30 – 6 PM
Milieux Institute EV 11.425
Concordia University
1515 St. Catherine St. W 

Stephen Monteiro  | The Fabric of Interface

How may a handheld screen function like a loom, visual data function like swatches of fabric, or tactile interfaces function like needlework? What can such affinities tell us about digital media’s relationship to labor, industry, and gender? Presenting from his new book, Stephen Monteiro (Sociology and Anthropology, Concordia) examines how contemporary personal media forms and practices have been shaped by the larger histories of manufacturing, visual narrative, and social inequality.

March 6 | 4- 6 PM
Milieux Institute EV 11.705
Concordia University
1515 St. Catherine St. W 

CALIFORNIA TYPEWRITER is a documentary portrait of artists, writers, and collectors who remain steadfastly loyal to the typewriter as a tool and muse, featuring Tom Hanks, John Mayer, David McCullough, Sam Shepard, and Milieux’s own Darren Wershler.

It also movingly documents the struggles of California Typewriter, one of the last standing repair shops in America dedicated to keeping the aging machines clicking.

In the process, the film delivers a thought-provoking meditation on the changing dynamic between humans and machines, and encourages us to consider our own relationship with technology, old and new, as the digital age’s emphasis on speed and convenience redefines who’s serving whom, human or machine?

FREE ADMISSION
Screening to be followed with a Q&A with director Doug Nichol.

Friday, February 2 | 4 PM
J. A. de Sève Cinema
Webster Library Building, main floor
1400 Boulevard de Maisonneuve O, Montréal, QC H3G 1M8
Concordia University

https://californiatypewritermovie.com/