User:SHRED/⠏⠑⠗⠎⠕⠝⠁⠇⠀⠗⠑⠁⠙⠑⠗
“È sciocco pensare di dover leggere tutti i libri che compri, come è sciocco criticare chi compra più libri di quanti ne potrà mai leggere. Sarebbe come dire che dovresti usare tutte le posate o occhiali, cacciaviti o punte da trapano acquistati prima di acquistarne di nuovi.
Ci sono cose nella vita di cui abbiamo bisogno di avere sempre scorte in abbondanza, anche se ne utilizzeremo solo una piccola parte.
Se, ad esempio, consideriamo i libri come una medicina, capiamo che è bene averne tanti in casa piuttosto che pochi: quando vuoi stare meglio, allora vai all’ “armadio dei medicinali” e scegli un libro, uno a caso, ma il libro giusto per quel momento. Ecco perché dovresti sempre avere una scelta nutriente !
Chi compra un solo libro, legge solo quello e poi se ne sbarazza. Applica semplicemente ai libri la mentalità consumistica, cioè li considera un prodotto di consumo, un bene. Chi ama i libri sa che un libro è tutt'altro che una merce.”
- Umberto Eco
This quote from Eco underlines the fact that is impossible to read everthing you're interested in, and why this it is not a problem.
☟☻ Have fun in reading what my readings are about ☻☟
📖 Readings
⚠ This section contains both Books, Zines, Papers, Articles, Manuals, Labels and whatever is a form of written language ⚠
What i'm up to now
Becoming the product - the Critical Internet Researcher as a Virtual Intellectual
Morgane Bulluart | Set Margins' | ENG | Link
Notes:
La linea analitica dell'arte moderna, Le figure e le icone
Filiberto Menna | Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi | ITA | Link
Notes: I stole this book from my highschool library, and it's actually the original edition from 1984. Nobody was using the library. I stole it out of curiosity. 5 years later, thanks to my beloved Gabriele Perretta, friend and ex-professor i had in my bachelor, I discovered that Filiberto Menna was one of the most important art historian in the world. He really was a big element fot the foundations of what art history is now. One of the main texts of contemporary art history criticism.
Later on, from September 2024 to April 2025, i had the *huge* opportunity to personally design Euforia, the art show of his wife Tomaso Binga (Bianca Pucciarelli Menna) that took place at MADRE Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina in Naples. More about this work i did, can be found in my portfolio, or by asking me ofc.
Techgnosis
Erik Davis | NERO | ITA | Link
Notes:
Algorithms of Resistance: The Everyday Fight against Platform Power
Tiziano Bonini & Emiliano Treré | Oscar Mondadori | ITA | Link - PDF (EN)
Notes:
Reading Queue
⚠ There is no particular order in this queue ⚠
Eating the Future: The Metabolic Logic of AI Slop
Kate Crawford | e-flux journal | ENG | Link
Notes:
Tractatus Logico-Philosphicus
Ludwig Wittgenstein | Feltrinelli | ITA | Link
Notes:
Il videogioco del mondo
Stefano Gualeni | Timeo | ITA | Link
Notes: I have to read this for my research publication that i'm doing with Claudio about graffiti and videogames.
TDB XPOST
Multiple Authors | TDB | ITA | Link
Notes:
Cattiva Luce (Vol.I Buio! - Vol.II Ombra - Vol.III Eclissi) [3 different volumes]
Multiple Authors | TDB | ITA | Buio - Ombra - Eclissi
Notes:
KEY NOTES ON THE UNRULY CITY: Social, Material, and Spatial Transgressions.
Adam Kraft | A5 Press & Errant Bodies Press | ENG | Link - PDF
Notes: Super highly produced book - (I will upload the pdf to the Bootleg Library)
Of Sponge, Stone and the intertwinement with the Here and Now - A Methodology of Artistic Research
Janneke Wesseling | Valiz vis-à-vis | ENG | Link
Notes: Bought at the Antwerp art book fair for 1€
Monumenta 2008 Richard Serra Promenade
Alfred Pacquement | Centre Pompidou | FRA | Link
Notes:
Solution 305 Dying Livingly
Staci Bu Shea | Sternberg Press | ENG | Link
Notes: This text is a reading for my next artwork project, which i have in mind for 2 years now. Recommended and lent by Riccardo Santalucia (Ex Lens Based student)
Nuart Journal [vol.1 - 2 - 3]
Multiple Authors | Nuart Journal | ENG | Link
Notes: The numaration of the volumes makes no sense, as you can see on the website...
I would like to
Cognition Everywhere: The Rise of the Cognitive Nonconscious and the Costs of Consciousness
N. Katherine Hayles | New Literary History | ENG | Link
Notes: PRIORITY
Unthought: The Power of the Cognitive Nonconscious
N. Katherine Hayles | ENG | Link
Notes:
*More texts from Katherine Hayles*
Death Design Data
Cecilia Casabona, Ginevra Petrozzi | Onomatopee | ENG | Link
Notes: This text is a reading for my next artwork project, which i have in mind for 2 years now. Recommended by Robin
Accomplished readings
⚠ In this section many things are missing. It's impossible for me to put everything i've read which i thinks it has been valuable for me in some way.
So this section will mainly deal with readings i had during XPUB + Something Pre XPUB ⚠
Footnotes: books and papers scattered about the floor.
McKitrick K. | contained in: in: Dear Science and other stories | 2021 | ENG |
➤Summary:
➤Evaluative: (analyze the source, find its strenghts and weaknesses and what's relevant for you both if you do agree or disagree)
➤Interpretative: (often done during the second reading of the text. it can be analytical or sentimental. map meanings, draw parallels, bring up questions, how do we relate to the text...)
+
Umberto Eco’s Antilibrary: Why Unread Books Are More Valuable to Our Lives than Read Ones
Maria Popova | The Marginalian | ENG | Link to the article
This short article is a small addition to the discurse of ways of knowledge touched upon in Footnotes.
By briefly picking up Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan - the impact of the highly impobable, it points value towards the unknown and unknowing rather than showing off personal knowledge as something we tend to be clinging to. Eco's antilabrary concept is a great example of bringing attention to this shift of focus (maybe it can even be considered a paradigm shift) on what knowledge is, moving from its per se value to the value of not knowing, the unknown and unknowing. This is better embodied by the Japanese word Tsundoku which means leaving a book unread after buying it. Unread books we own are useful in a way of keeping us aware of how much we don't know and their usefulness as tools that gives us availability (to some extent of course) to what we miss, to a new-to-discover point, topic, perspective, to this immense knowledge but yet ungraspable.
Emissary's Guide to Worlding
Ian Cheng | Timeo | ITA | Link PDF (EN)
➤Summary:
➤Evaluative: (analyze the source, find its strenghts and weaknesses and what's relevant for you both if you do agree or disagree)
➤Interpretative: (often done during the second reading of the text. it can be analytical or sentimental. map meanings, draw parallels, bring up questions, how do we relate to the text...)
MELODY III BOOK II
Jon Gibson | Printed Matter Inc. NYC | Rather than a musical score, the work in this book is a graphic realisation of the structure of a musical composition. | Link
Notes: Book from 1976. Bought at the Antwerp Art Book Fair 2025 - Super connected to our Writing Machines Ensemble project for the SI28.
[The Guy that sold me this book was going to scam me by charging me 10€ more. I know that mine it's an original edition from the time, but cmon...]
All Problems of Notation Will be Solved by the Masses
Simon Yuil | ENG |
Additional content: Zuhui notes - short version
➤Summary:
➤Evaluative: (analyze the source, find its strenghts and weaknesses and what's relevant for you both if you do agree or disagree)
➤Interpretative: (often done during the second reading of the text. it can be analytical or sentimental. map meanings, draw parallels, bring up questions, how do we relate to the text...)
The carrier bag theory of fiction
Ursula K. Le Guin | Essay contained in: Dancing at the edge of the world | ENG | PDF
Notes:
➤Summary: This short essay from 1986 highlights how, in fiction novels, the hero figure took centre stage and everything revolved around that cisgender male character. It also discusses how this has been the main narrative form of writing for centuries. In most narratives, this classical character has often been used, with its figure built upon conflict. However, Le Guin differs with this main type of narration. Instead of the hero, she proposes that the natural shape of the novel might be that of a bag (intended as a container in the general sense).
Le Guin wrote a lot of science fiction and fantasy narratives and conceived them as a way to describe what is going on in the world, what people do and feel, and how they relate to everything else inside this container. This is in open opposition to the linear, progressive mode of the techno-heroic which is also embedded in technological sciences.
Using the carrier bag narrative device, the figure of the hero falls into the bag too, which removes him from the pedestal on which he was placed by the historical reiteration of conflict narratives. Most importantly, science fiction can become a more realistic genre than a mythological one based on a Promethean figure, and technology and science can be intended more as cultural containers than "weapons" of domination (based on the dominant view of continuous economic growth).
➤Evaluative: (analyze the source, find its strenghts and weaknesses and what's relevant for you both if you do agree or disagree)
Concerning the style of this essay i would say that it's fairly simple, an ironic and cheeky writing style reminiscent of a 's/train of thought' approach, but as verbose as. Where as for "strain of thoughts" refers to the mental burden from negative, repetitive, or overwhelming thinking, while a "train of thought" is the logical sequence of connected ideas. A strain can be caused by mental stress, overthinking, or conditions like anxiety, and can lead to mental fatigue [definition from the web].
This comment primarily concerns the first part, up until the point where she says, 'It is the story that makes a difference'. I found that the arguments up to that point were too simplistic and lacked references, since historical and scientific topics require scientific evidence for what she spoke about. I am not against the arguments themselves, but I found the way they were presented and described tedious and based on personal assumptions. (in contemporary memes, it can be referred to the 'Karen' figure).
The text highlights the significant issue of how literature has been dominated by the hero character and how this has been forcefully embedded in it, with which I agree. Regarding the style of writing, this topic was presented from a very personal point of view rather than through critical analysis, which I found strange and frustrating to read in (a text that may look like) an essay. Note: this is my personal opinion and it concerns this text ONLY - NOT her personally.
Researching on what Le Guin wrote during her career helped me much to better comprehend why this style of writing and why the importance of this topic to her.
I agree with the conclusion in which she suggests the carrier bag theory as an alternative 'style' of writing, but personally I've never felt the hero's problem that much. This is probably because I don't read narrative + this problem may have been more prevalent in the '80s. In my view, then, this problem is far less common today in scientific, technological, media, sociological and philosophical papers and essays.
➤Interpretative: (often done during the second reading of the text. it can be analytical or sentimental. map meanings, draw parallels, bring up questions, how do we relate to the text...)
No note here. I may have wrote this type of note together with the Evaluative one.
Questions to reflect about, asked by Marloes and Steve.
How does this text relate to writing machines?
tbh i don't know now
How can this text inform methods for research and writing?
This text serves as a useful reminder that all texts are inevitably influenced by stylistic writing dynamics, which are closely linked to historical power dynamics. These dynamics have a dual relationship with writing and storytelling, as they are closely influenced by each other. Societal power structures have always influenced the prevailing narrative of each era, and consequently, narrative has influenced society in supporting these dynamics.
Being aware of these influences in storytelling is crucial, as they are not usually perceived as omnipresent and as an element that greatly influences people's perception of power dynamics. Since we are dealing with a type of narrative and fictional writing, the tendency is not to perceive these elements as conditioning factors, partly because, as Le Guin points out, they are modes that have persisted for hundreds of years.
That's why I think that when it comes to informing methods of research and writing, this text has value. The issue is not strictly related to the stylistic mode of writing about the techno-hero, but should be understood in a broader sense, in understanding how we are all inevitably initially influenced by our time and by the dominant dynamics of power and the system, because they also affect methods of information. Where information includes the methods by which science and non-fiction inform the public.
It is therefore necessary to be extremely aware of this conditioning, not only with regard to our perception but also with regard to what we want to produce culturally. It is important to reflect on alternative modes of information, in the strictest sense of production.
Who is in our neighborhood? what is in our carrier bag?
A Rant About “Technology”
Ursula K. Le Guin | ENG | Link
Notes:
➤Summary:
➤Evaluative: (analyze the source, find its strenghts and weaknesses and what's relevant for you both if you do agree or disagree)
➤Interpretative: (often done during the second reading of the text. it can be analytical or sentimental. map meanings, draw parallels, bring up questions, how do we relate to the text...)
Uncreative Writing (CTRL+C CTRL+V, Scrittura Non Creativa)
Kenneth Goldsmith | NERO | ITA & ENG (i have read both versions)
Notes:
This book really paved my way of thinking. I was already familiar whit some methods presented in this book, but as always, when seeing something written on paper that resonates with you, it really gives you confidence in what you're already thinking.
The book overall is easy to read and understand. The most valuable parts are the Intro and the ending. In between it's full of examples and methods.
I read this book back in 2023/2024, and It's cool to see how *super* valuable it is during the #SI28.
Guide to Starting Your Own Art Space
Mark Allen | Machine Project | ENG | Link
Notes: Since i inherited the ownership of SOS Some Other Space and Rotterdams Instituut vor Kunsten from Joseph i really feel the duty to keep this space running and to fuel it with new energy. It was also a really big dream of mine to have an art space in which i can run.
I'm teaming up with my trusted co-curator Claudio to curate this space. We split readings of other text that will help us to run the space, which are also from Mark Allen and the Machine Project, such as Guide to curationg and planning events and Guide to workshops
The text so far is a pretty easy reading. Very simple vocabulary and clear concepts. Short sentences and chapters. Sometimes i feel like it's way to simple for the subject of running an art space, but i also know that your art space that u have it's yours, so it's you in the end that decides how to run it and what to do.
Cultural Analytics
Lev Manovich | Raffaello Cortina | ITA | Link - PDF
Notes:
Art.comm. Collettivi, reti, gruppi diffusi, comunità acefale nella pratica dell'arte: oltre la soggettività singolare
Gabriele Perretta | Castelvecchi | ITA | Link
Notes: This was the main book that shaped my Bachelor thesis + my thesis advisor was Perretta himself. The book is very hard to comprehend at first due to the over complicated language. But it has so much valuable content in it. It mainly speaks about how the figure of the author changed and is changing thanks to contemporary technology, by speaking about mediums and what actually is the "technique". My note here on this book is very reductive though.
L'obvie et l'obtus
Roland Barthes | Einaudi | ITA | Link
Notes:
Places i look up to (Publishers & Stores)
Publishers
NERO (IT)
Krisis (IT)
CURA (IT)
Timeo (IT)
TDB (IT)
Postmedia Books (IT)
Aksioma (SI)
Errant Bodies (DE)
Hitzerot (DE)
Possible Books (DE)
Sternberg Press (UK)
Valiz (NL)
Set Margins' (NL)
Onomatopee (NL)
Institute of Network Cultures (NL)
From Me To You Publications (BE)
Nuart (NO)
Other Editions (FI)
Editions Peinture (FR)
MIT Press (USA)
Printed Matter (USA)
Stores
Commerce (IT - Milano)
Dispaccio (IT - Naples)
Tique (BE - Antwerpen)
Kiosk (NL - Rotterdam)
PrintRoom (NL - Rotterdam)
Onomatopee (NL - Eindhoven)
🎥 Movies
⚠ In this section many things are missing. It's impossible for me to put everything i've seen which i thinks it has been valuable for me in some way. So this section will mainly deal with movies i watched during XPUB ⚠
Movie screening event held by Thijs
Notes: This movie is very valuable in order to understand the impact of Text Adventures and Interactive Fiction, their history and the impact they had on interactive media. It's also useful in order to expand on what Writing Machines can be, and a way to have the public more involved through interaction.
📹 Videos
⚠ In this section many things are missing. It's impossible for me to put everything i've seen which i thinks it has been valuable for me in some way. So this section will mainly deal with movies i watched during XPUB ⚠
Masterclass Pauline Oliveros-3: 'Hearing Listening and Movement with Energy Awareness'
Watched and exercised with this video with Clara during the 1st week of XPUB1, on Wednesday.
Note: It has been valuable to better connect with our surroundings thorugh physical exercise. I really felt the power inside my body and i complitely immersed in the state of deep listening. It was not new for me, but with this exercise it really felt so powerfull and intense.
By saying that it was not that new for me, i mean that i've been "praticting" deep listening for a long time already, just without that appellative from Oliveros.
I see Deep Listening as a sort of meditation. It is really important for me to feel. Who i am, where i am, what i am doing, but whitout actually asking those questions. Just by feeling them. That's why i see it to have a strong relationship with meditation.