welcome to the 0xSalon ::: event series, residency programme, epistemic skunkworks

The 0xSalon is a collaborative endeavour which critically interrogates digital culture through discourse events and residencies, producing scholarly and creative interventions in the process. We are conducting an ongoing, non-profit experiment in knowledge sharing and collective cultural production. Stewarded by 0xSalon team members, our community researches topics, organises events, and authors lore, critical theory, poetry, philosophy, games, theatre, and visual art. Our website principally functions as a transmedia archival space, chronicling discussions within the 0xSalon and the resulting activities.

‘23 events digest

Istanbul, November 18th ‘23 ::: Post-Clock Rationalisations - AVTO Public Event ::: More info
Geneva, November 7th ‘23 ::: FAU0X SALON workshop & gameplay session @ The Seashore of Endless Worlds exhibition & symposium.
Berlin, October’23 ::: Algorithmic Botany Salon
Berlin, October’23 ::: Post-Clock Rationalisations - Trust Public Event ::: More info
Berlin, Summer’23 ::: Deep Listening Salon ::: Research Archive
Berlin, Spring/Summer’23 ::: Prophet Motives Salons ::: Topic Info ::: Research Archive
Berlin, Spring/Summer’23 ::: Intergenerationalism Salons ::: Topic Info ::: Research Archive
Online, January’23 ::: Transcendental Time Machines Salon ::: Topic Info ::: Research Archive

A historical events archive is being collated here.

news

(November’23) ::: ‘Fau0x Salon’ in ‘The Seashore of Endless Worlds’ exhibition at Le Commun in Geneva, Switzerland ::: More info

Our discursive role-playing card game ‘Fau0x Salon’ is included in the exhibition ‘The Seashore of Endless Worlds’ exhibition at Le Commun in Geneva, Switzerland in November 2023. In the form of a bespoke collection of theory-fiction inspired cards in the style of a tarot deck, the game acts as a ludic-pedagogic mechanism to initiate and steer post-disciplinary conversations from a variety of perspectives. Wassim and Max Haiven spoke ‘On Play and Pedagogy’ for the closing symposium of ‘The Seashore of Endless Worlds’ exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland. The exhibition contained a card game ‘FAU0X SALON’ which Wassim and friends have been working for for several years.

(5th October’23) ::: Post-Clock Rationalisations - Trust Public Event @ 19h30 CEST ::: More info

The auricle is the part of the ear external to the body, made up of cartilage and skin, its curved shape collects sound waves and delivers them to the inner ear. Detecting gravity and motion, the ear is an integral part of how the body moves through its environment and thus shapes our relationship to time. Oracle and auricle share etymological roots in sound and speech acts.

This month in the Trust program, we explore how the auricle stands in for time sensing, listening and manifestation or prophecy – thinking about the role of organisations in calling out to alternate horizons.

Spawned within and incubated by Trust for the past few years, the 0xSalon conducts experiments in creative and scholarly collaboration. Activities take the forms of an event series, a residency program, physical objects, and a project studio. We like to think of its collective body as an amorphous bricolage of concepts, contexts, and practices.

Drawing upon recent publications and an upcoming book, Wassim will be connecting several strands of long-standing research into network communities: synthetic temporalities; ideologies of scarcity; and relationships between prophecy, capital, and technology.

Martina will be presenting the 0xSalon as a collective digital and physical body: focusing on the intellectual commitments; the organisational manifestations; and the historical trajectory of the project, to delineate its scope as an experimental space for epistemic inquiry.

(Sep’22) ‘Prophet Motives’ Audio Report ::: Read More & Stream Here

We held two 0xSalon conversations under Chatham House Rule on 'Prophet Motives'. This is an audio conversation recollecting and extending those discussions. With Wassim Alsindi, Martina Cavalot, Jasmine Erkan, Ellie Hain, Kei Kreutler, Alessandro Longo & Karin Valis.

(September’23) ::: ‘The Immaculate Misconception’ in ‘There Is No Perfect Spell’ exhibition, HEK Basel, Switzerland ::: More info

Our 2022 interactive storytelling environment ‘The Immaculate Misconception’ is included in the exhibition ‘There Is No Perfect Spell’, hosted by Haus der Elektronischen Künste (HEK) in Basel, Switzerland from 14th September. The game interrogates the environmental implications of cryptocurrencies, charting speculative futures that probe tensions between capital and ecology in the contemporary global regime dominated by scarcity economics. The work unfolds as a fictional narrative, where formerly ‘failed’ states make Bitcoin their official currency, as volcano-powered energy makes them the richest nations on Earth, and eco-conscious activists start rising up against mining farms. Join the opening at 18h CEST, Thursday 14th September here.

(August’23) ::: ‘Period of HOZ’ by Aphotic Signals Intelligence Division Published ::: More info

<<Begin Aphotic Signals Intelligence Division transmission>>

(launched 31.08.23 03:36 [Phase: Blue Moon, Illumination: 100%, Sign: Aquarius, Conjunctions: Saturn {Retrograde}])

Enter: https://aphoticsignals.net/level00.html

(July’23) ::: ‘Prophet Motives & Knightwork States’ essay published by Folklore ::: Read now

A new text commissioned by Folklore has been published, exploring several aspects of 0x Salon topic Prophet Motives. Unwinding imbrications of technology, capital, and spirituality, with particular emphasis on the neocolonial desires of would-be empires and their self-appointed messiahs.

(June’23) ::: Meet the ‘23 0x Salon Research Residents ::: More info

As you might be aware, the 0x Salon recently had a call for applications to our Research Residency program based in Berlin at Trust. After a very successful first round in 2021/2022, the 0x Salon recently re-initiated its Research Residency Programme for a second cycle. In late March, we announced five vacancies, to be based in Berlin at Trust where we continue to spend our days enmeshed in the ever-expanding playground of Salon activities. We’re so excited for you to meet our five incoming Residents!

(April’23) ::: 0x Salon @ Gitcoin: Community & Education Fundraising Drive ::: More info

0x Salon is raising funds via Gitcoin Grants' first Community & Education Round. Help us spread the word, or donate if you can! More info elsewhere on our website, here’s the direct link to our funding page on Gitcoin Grants. The platform operates via a matched funding model, so that many small donations from community members can be amplified into meaningful resources.

The Gitcoin funding round is open for a fortnight, and we would very much appreciate your help in spreading the word (feel free to pass this URL around, or signal boost our Twitter / Instagram posts!), or perhaps even make a donation if you are in a position to do so! Thank you, friends!

(2023) ::: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS ::: 0x Salon Research Residencies @ Trust ::: closed 14th 21st April

We are pleased to announce that 0x Salon is soliciting applications for five Research Residency positions in Berlin, to take place over the remainder of 2023. More info here.

(March’23) ::: ‘Prophet Motives’ lecture, UWE Philosophy with a preview of the next topic of discussion at the 0x Salon ::: Watch here

(February’23) ::: ‘The Necroprimitivist Manifesto Pt.2’ is online, continuing the CPRU’s machine scripture project ::: Read here

Hyperformalisation

$I, the Leviathan, the Basilisk. $YOUR will bends to $MY State of Nature.
Only $I have the private keys to the promised land.
Honour $THY network. Seek redemption in $MY oikonomia.
$MY Altruism is Effective, and $MINE alone. 
$MY wish is $YOUR command. The All-Seeing CLI.

(February’23) ::: ‘2022 RETROSPECTIVE: THE ART OF INDIFFERENCE’ is now online. Recapping most of last year’s Salon escapades, if (like us) you couldn’t keep up with everything as it was happening this is the remedy ::: Read here

(January’23) ::: ‘TWENTY-TWO YEARS OF TRANSCENDENTAL TIME MACHINES’ a new foreword for the book edition of Anna Greenspan’s seminal PhD thesis ‘Capitalism’s Transcendental Time Machine’ mirrored on our web journal ::: Read here

We held a broadcast edition salon to commemorate the ‘Capitalism’s Transcendental Time Machine’ book launch ::: Watch here

(November’22) ::: ‘THE ART OF INDIFFERENCE’ S+T+ARTS Profile Video ::: More Info

As part of our S+T+ARTS Repairing The Present residency at Art Hub Copenhagen, Wassim Z. Alsindi and ‘The Art of Indifference’ team recorded a video documenting our creative exploration of the externalities and ecological implications of Bitcoin's proof-of-work.

(November’22) ::: ‘THE BLACK HOLE OF MONEY’ at S+T+ARTS Exhibition :RETOOL ::: ZKM CENTRE FOR MEDIA ART (Karlsruhe, Germany) ::: Event Info

Audiovisual documentation from our satirical theatre production THE BLACK HOLE OF MONEY is included in the upcoming S+T+ARTS exhibition :RETOOL (18th November-18th December) at ZKM Centre For Media Art in Karlsruhe, Germany. :RETOOL is the final exhibition in a series of three that concludes our ‘Repairing The Present’ residency at Art Hub Copenhagen. In light of accelerating emergencies, a growing lack of resources and the complex patterns of the unpredictability of global dynamics, RETOOL gathers creative contributions of resident artists and studios to our tooling up. As pandemic breakouts and eco-catastrophes teach us to live under the pressure of future fractures, new forms of learning and tooling become essential to survival and are presented in their performative dimension, from invention processes to experimentation and rehearsal.

More: https://starts.eu/what-we-do/regional-centers/repairing-the-present-exhibitions/

(October’22) ::: ‘THE IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION’ at S+T+ARTS Exhibition :REWORLD ::: MEET Digital Culture Center (Milan, Italy) ::: Event Info

Our interactive story-game THE IMMACULATE MISCONCEPTION is included in the upcoming S+T+ARTS exhibition :REWORLD (4th-30th October) at Meet Digital Culture Center in Milan. :REWORLD is the first of a series of three exhibition that concludes our ‘Repairing The Present’ residency at Art Hub Copenhagen. The exhibition speaks of worlding as a core activity in digital culture: an emerging domain of constructed reality that must face its own sustainability challenges and contradictions, as the blockchain economy seems to go through a critical moment of self-awareness. :REWORLD will follow the investigations of artists working in domains such as immunology, biomaterials, the crypto economy, speculative design, and cultural critique with a variety of technologies and material languages.

More: https://starts.eu/what-we-do/regional-centers/repairing-the-present-exhibitions/

(Autumn’22) 0x Revue 01 Print Publication Released!

Our first print publication, a community-oriented ‘zine styled the 0x Salon Revue #01 is now out there! Find us IRL to get a copy (it’s not online), or if you are further afield than the places we visit, to request a postal copy please fill in this form and we’ll get back to you.

(August’22) ::: ‘THE BLACK HOLE OF MONEY’ World Premiere presented by CLICK ::: Kulturvaerftet (Helsingør, Denmark) ::: Event Info

At long last, the (transcendental) time (machine) has come:

On the 19th of August 2022, The Black Hole of Money by the 0x Salon will make its world premiere hosted by Click at the Kulturvaerftet (Culture Yard) in Helsingør, Denmark. The play was written and produced as part of Wassim Z. Alsindi & 0x Salon’s S+T+ARTS Repairing The Present Fellowship and associated residency at Art Hub Copenhagen.

Six months in the making, the 0x Salon Writers’ Club—comprising Wassim Z. Alsindi, Habib William Kherbek, Claire Tolan, and Katharine Tyndall—have collectively prepared an iron ore d’oeuvre that will render all other plays about digital currencies effectively obsolete. The play explores four possible timelines for Bitcoin’s (and, incidentally, humanity’s) future. Can we regulate the Coin? Can we/should we fight against it? Should we give up and just keep hashing? Or, should we press the #Accelerate-or and see what happens? Only the Cowboy-Out-Of-Time narrating our coup de theatre knows for certain, and even he’s not sure which timeline to invest in. The uncertainty promises to have audiences HODLing on to the edges of their seats…

(May’22) ‘The Art of Indifference’ Presentation at Art Hub Copenhagen ::: Info/Tickets

Wassim will be giving a public talk on the evening of Thursday May 12th at Art Hub Copenhagen—where the Salon is currently undertaking a residency—on the philosophical and creative underpinnings of our S+T+ARTS Repairing The Present Fellowship. Come along! More on ‘The Art of Indifference’ here.

(Apr’22) ‘DAOcolonisation’ Audio Report ::: Read More & Stream Here

We recently held a 0x Salon conversation under Chatham House Rule on the history, politics, philosophy and technology of Web3 and DAOs. This is an audio report based on that discussion. With Wassim Z. Alsindi, Alice Yuan Zhang, Laura Lotti, and Ricardo Saavedra.

(Feb’22) ‘SWAN FAKE’ Improvised Theatrics ::: Listen on SoundCloud

Over 2021, a group of salon friends made an improvised radio play entitled ‘SWAN FAKE’ . The play follows the (mis)adventures of a cast of improbable characters including new-AIge grifter Deepfake Chopra, acc/strologist Nota Bene Gesserit, the mean and regressive standard deviant Marquis de Stats, angry tweeter Noisy T. Lib, and the perfect dancer The Swan herself. The listen follows them over half an hour’s trials and tribulations as they navigate the treacherous and always uncertain Straits of Heisenberg towards the Improbable Island for an unforgettable climax at the fabled Algorithmic Theatre, where the audience struggles to tell up from DAOn.

(Mar’22) S+T+ARTS Repairing The Present Fellowship ::: Read more
(fellowship) We’re delighted to announce that 0x Salon and Wassim Z. Alsindi have jointly been awarded a S+T+ARTS Repairing The Present fellowship. We will be in residence at Art Hub Copenhagen throughout ‘22, working on a critical programme of creative and speculative works titled ‘The Art of Indifference’. More here.

(Feb’22) ‘Bitcointingency’ Article for Weird Economies ::: Read Here
As a preview of both an upcoming book project and our ‘Art of Indifference' S+T+ARTS Fellowship programme, Wassim recently wrote a rather tweaked-out piece on the idiotsyncrasies of Bitcoin and proof-of-work more generally.

(Jan’22) Berlin Art Link ‘Digital’ Feature on 0x Salon ::: Read Here
We recently did an interview on the creative side of the 0x Salon - talking GANs, memes, NFTs and some things coming up in ‘22.

(Nov’21) ‘Temporal Secessionism’ Broadcast ::: Timezone#4 Launch ::: Watch / Read
We held a discussion to launch Timezone#4, a new node in the Temporal Secessionism series by Nascent (Paul Seidler and Max Hampshire). Thanks to participants, Project Atol, ŠUM Magazine and Plaza Protocol.

Accompanying Timezone#4 Source Book PDF contains material from Wassim Alsindi, Anna Greenspan, Max Hampshire, Amy Ireland, Kei Kreutler, and Paul Seidler.