QUANTOPIA Lecture-Demonstration by DJ Spooky

Tuesday, February 4 at 4 p.m.

Sponsored by the Georgetown University Departments of African American Studies and Performing Arts and the Racial Justice Institute

QUANTOPIA Lecture-Demonstration by Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky

A celebration of the history of the Internet, QUANTOPIA is a tribute to the depth & high stakes of free speech and creative expression involved in our daily use of media. Teaming up with Internet Archive, and commissioned by Hewlett 50 Arts Commission, Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky created compositions exploring the network evolution. QUANTOPIA, defined as the utopia of quantification—the dream that we can count, measure, and weigh everything and reach a perfect understanding of the world despite its paradoxes—brings a fresh perspective to the 50-year evolution of information technology. DJ Spooky will talk about the genesis of the project, and how the work illuminates ever-present issues of inclusion and exclusion, echo chambers and small-world phenomena. DJ Spooky will be joined by the GU Chamber Singers to demonstrate a musical excerpt of his original QUANTOPIA score, featuring text from Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This event, part of the Racial Justice: Art(s) and Activism lecture series, honors Georgetown University’s recent initiative to highlight art, activism and racial justice by focusing on work by literary, visual and performance artists whose art serves the ongoing struggle to produce new forms of racial freedom.
Davis Performing Arts Center, Gonda Theatre
FREE

BIO: Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky is a composer, multimedia artist and writer whose work immerses audiences in a blend of genres, global culture, and environmental and social issues. His written work has been published by The Village Voice, The Source, and Artforum, among others, and he is the Editor of Origin Magazine. Miller has collaborated with a vast array of recording artists, ranging from Metallica to Chuck D; Steve Reich to Yoko Ono. Miller’s recent projects include “Peace Symphony,” commissioned by UN Peace Boat, “Hidden Code,” a new planetarium show commissioned by Dartmouth College in collaboration with Museum of Science Boston, “Forest Symphony” commissioned by Oregon State University, the CD/DVD of “Rebirth of a Nation” on Cantaloupe Music, and the publication of his fourth book “The Imaginary App” from MIT Press.