Infrastructural Power

What if the bridges, apps, and city grids we use every day weren't just neutral tools, but silent participants in violence? In the series finale of  Infrastructural Power , Rick and Rachael tackle the darkest side of the built world:  Infrastructural Violence . Drawing on the works of Giorgio Agamben, Achille Mbembe, and Eyal Weizman, we explore how systems can embody harm by design, implement...

We were promised that the digital revolution would kill red tape, but the truth is far more complex. In this episode of  Infrastructural Power , Rick and Rachael peel back the "user-friendly" curtain to reveal the rise of  Digital Administrative Infrastructures . We explore how Big Data and bureaucracy have converged to create a "seamless" world where control is hidden in the c...

Think your phone is just a neutral tool? Think again. In this episode of  Infrastructural Power , Rick and Rachael go beneath the glass to explore the interface as a dynamic, invisible force that shapes our habits, our language, and our very sense of self. Moving beyond "buttons and screens," we dive into the "Hook Model" of digital habit formation and the chilling "Addict...

What if infrastructures weren't just support systems, but tools of control? In this episode, we explore how infrastructures—from urban layouts to virtual worlds—become so embedded in our lives that we stop noticing them. We look at how they shape and govern our environments, subtly directing our behavior. We also examine megacities as extreme cases of infrastructural saturation, with the cyber...

How is power built through the invisible? In this episode, we explore how maps, censuses, standards, and protocols not only organize the world but also make it legible for governance and control. From “technologies of formatting” that shape infrastructures to metadata that records even our most subconscious interactions, we delve into the technical foundations of infrastructural power. What if tom...

How do we experience infrastructures in our daily lives? How are they designed and what aspects are shown, and what others are hidden from our perception? How do their creation and maintenance involve narratives about either a utopian or dystopian future? The second session deals with the aesthetics related to infrastructures. It will be assessed through the analysis of the way our everyday life e...

Why can we consider infrastructures as "power enabling architectures"? How does power manifest itself via sociotechnical structures? When embedded into technology, does it present distinctive features when compared to other types of domination? Is it possible to design ethics into infrastructures? The first episode introduces the overall subject of the course: the interplay between infrastructure...