as darkness fallsas darkness falls

Theory & Practice of Self-Empowerment
in the Age of Digital Control

It is time for new openings

The light of power aims to technically analyse masses of data and establish a regime of security and control. However, the light of power also has the function of blinding people and giving them the impression that there are no alternatives – neither socially desirable spheres of darkness nor powers of light which promote freedom and self-empowerment. To change this, the totality of

light must be broken – with openings to new approaches of critical thought and action.

The last thematic thread of the conference identifies these insightful interruptions in image strategies of visual culture and in the major counter-transparency offensives waged by Internet activists.

3:30 to
4:45 pm
Sternfoyer
Light Powers: Visual Maturity and Authority-Free Images
Lecture by Dietmar Dath (author) and Swantje Karich (author), Moderator: Tilman Baumgärtel (author), German-English
5:00 to
6:30 pm
Sternfoyer
Transparency: What can we learn from Manning, Assange and Snowden?
Discussion with Christoph Bieber (political studies scholar), Micah L. Sifry (sociologist) and Jacob Appelbaum (activitist), Moderator: Tilman Baumgärtel (author), English-German
6:45 to
7:45 pm
Sternfoyer
Light Regulation: Top-Down-Visibility to Bottom-Up-Transparency
Lecture by Felix Stalder (media theorist), Moderator: Tilman Baumgärtel (author), English-German
8:00 to
9:30 pm
Sternfoyer
Good Night, and Good Luck – A Conference review
With Christoph Kappes (web pioneer, consultant), Robert Pfaller (philosopher) and Anke Domscheit-Berg (politician), Moderator: René Aguigah (journalist), German-English