Iannis John Bardakos and Malvina Apostolou
This is the discovery.
We are in the process of producing a condition linked to the cybernetic picnic. This demands a functional model in which the written paper derives from the experiment laboratory being constructed.
We hereby propose the creation of an experiment. Our intention is to navigate such a perpetual and fluid cybernetic situationist system, immerse ourselves like flaneurs in its techno aesthetic frameworks, visualise different phases of it, and imprint some of its transformations.
C. Alexander argued for a decentralised and organic approach to city planning, proposing its conception as complex systems similar to nonhierarchical networks. Instead of the metaphor of a tree, he proposed the one of a semi-lattice, where nests of layers of complexity and flexibility could coexist and interact within the urban environment.
G. Deleuze and F. Guattari proposed metaphorical structures with no central point of origin or hierarchy, where any point can connect to any other point. They could operate within no predetermined orders, interconnecting disparate elements, constantly evolving and adapting while emerging new links.
K. Lynch has proposed five elements with which someone could identify and describe a city or a cityscape.
We intend that the paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks could structure and organise an urbanscape allowing, at the same time, possibilities of interpretations and the emergence of systemic mental maps. We imagine non-linear systems of interconnected multiplicities within digital landscapes and metaversial environments that emerge networks of multifaceted relationships and assemblages by and with the human interaction.
A system that comprises nodes, points and axis/grids—considered as anchored to it, characterising and structuring it—could be transformed parametrically, adapting to dynamically emerging trigger elements that appear during a flânerie condition.* The system’s structure could move in spatiotemporal dimensions within its fundamental topological grid, embracing the new synesthetic, kinesthetics and experiential elements arising. Some of the nodes/points/axis/grids of the system will be open spaces of black boxes, ready to host memories, uncannies, references, the subconscious or the unpredictable, and thus turning into places during the flaneurie.
This can result in infinite possible combinations of narratives, identities, patterns, and flows. It can allow interactions and retroactions that were not designed or predicted initially. The new meta-scapes emerging when experienced and traversed could be read through parametric flexible membranes that are diffused dynamically through time, inflating and deflating to create cavities and, therefore, new potential subspaces.
*Flânerie is the art of moving through spaces with a focus on observing and experiencing rather than arriving.
Profiles
Malvina Apostolou is an architect and researcher. After completing her studies in Architecture (University of Patras), she obtained her Master’s in socio-ecology (MSc, Université Paris 7) with an interdisciplinary approach. She holds a PhD in Architecture (PhD, HESAM Université-Hautes Écoles Sorbonne Arts et Métiers). The main research interest of the thesis is directed towards investigations of the process of architectural design in the light of the energy transition, exploring, among other, the cognitive hierarchies of architectural synthesis, the epistemological interpretation of architectural discourse under sustainability issues, collaborative practices and the autonomy of the field of architecture. She has collaborated with architectural offices in different phases of the design of projects at different scales (residential, hotel, open spaces). She has participated in scientific research at the European Commission’s Research Centre (JRC) in Italy on methodologies and strategies for the design of sustainable cities and at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in France. She has taught in the postgraduate programme Research in Architecture at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris la Villette. She has also participated in seminars and workshops and has published in conference proceedings and scientific journals. Her research interests are broad, including the city and public space, the cognitive process of design, as well as non-hierarchical sustainable socio-ecological systems. She is interested in the application of interdisciplinary approaches and methodological tools in the process of architectural synthesis at the crossroads of digital, social, and ecological transitions. Adapted from www.arch.upatras.gr/en/faculty/adjunct-professors/malvina-apostolou-7645
Iannis John Bardakos is a scholar and practitioner with over 30 years of experience spanning academia, commerce, and entrepreneurship. His diverse roles include artist, researcher, producer, coordinator, director, and consultant, with a focus on contemporary media arts. Iannis engages with projects involving digital animation, generative art, virtual and augmented reality, and interactive installations, often incorporating generative AI methodologies. He has founded and directed media art and educational studios in cultural centres such as Athens, Paris, and Shanghai, including JAM, THESE, RHO, 2^6, and Cognitive Nexus. His academic background includes foundational studies in mathematics, computer science, and philosophy, complemented by degrees in animation, film, and the arts. His research, conducted mainly in Shanghai, examines the intersection of technology and art through a technoetic perspective. Iannis holds dual PhD degrees from Paris 8 University and the Athens School of Fine Arts and dual MFAs from Paris 8 University and the School of Fine Arts. He co-edits the Technoetic Arts Journal and is a member-at-large of the American Society for Cybernetics. His work also spans writing, analogue art, art curation, and innovative digital media projects across Europe and Asia. Adapted from www.johnbardakos.com