Network Anarchy and Unstable Diffusions

03 Jul 2025
07:00pm - 10:00pm
$10
Melbourne City
MISCELLANIA 2/401 Swanston St, Melbourne

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Featuring performances from JODI (NL, BE), Eryk Salvaggio (USA) and Debris Facility Pty Ltd (AU)

RMIT University co-presents an evening of internationally recognised artists and thinkers exploring how to navigate the failed promises of the 21st century's internet and its dystopic algorithms, bots, deep fakes and oligarchal control. Once imagined as a decentralised utopia of free knowledge, DIY culture, and radical sharing, the internet has now evolved into a dystopia of crypto millionaires, fascist bots, doomscrolling, and algorithmic control.

Join us for an evening at Miscellania of critical exploration and reflection on how the digital dreams of the past gave way to today's online realities—and what might come next with special guests, JODI (NL, BE), Eryk Salvaggio (USA) and Debris Facility (AU).

Active since 1995, JODI were among the first artists to investigate and subvert the conventions of the Internet, computer programs, and video and computer games. Their work radically disrupts the very language of these systems—visual aesthetics, interface elements, commands, errors, and code—staging extreme digital interventions that destabilise the relationship between computer technology and its users.

Hacker, researcher, designer and artist, Salvaggio will present the 'Human Movie: Six Meditations on a Compression Algorithm' a video essay contrasting computational processes of diffusion models and the human metaphors used to describe them.

Operating as a para-corporate, parasitic entity in a world of systemic decay, Debris Facility Pty Ltd presents Circular Deconomy—a mangled deformance of signal and noise. Amplified drag of sic channels of various needles and pins are used against de-produced "records" of plastics, poly-vinyl, tape, acrylic and glue to produce cyclic noise textures.

Network anarchy and unstable diffusions is curated by Joel Stern (RMIT), Thao Phan (ANU), and Chris O'Neill (Deakin) as part of the AusSTS 2025 Conference 'Signals and Noises', which runs from July 9-11.

Presented by RMIT University School of Media and Communication, ADM+S and the National Communication Museum. Supported by ADM+S as part of the project 'Evaluating Automated Cultural Curating and Ranking Systems with Synthetic Data'.

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Network Anarchy and Unstable Diffusions