Arse Elektronika San Francisco 2015

Sex, work and tech.

October 2-4, 2015 in San Francisco, USA.

Call for talks, performances, games, workshops, machines, systems!



* How can we change work structures in the sex tech field. Is DIY really so revolutionary, or are we just tinkering around with our misery?
* Work and labor struggle and exploitation in sex tech. What to do about dildo sweatshops?
* What are the correlations of technology and sex work?
* Some research suggests that different sexual dynamics prevail in traditional breadwinner households. What sexual dynamics might proliferate in an economy of widespread automation and basic income, in a society where "having a job" becomes increasingly antiquated?
* What is emotional labor to a chatbot?
* What about the connection between 'work' and active/passive dichotomies in sex? What is the invisible work of bottoms and subs, and how might it be better recognized?
* What do you do with your sex when it stops working?
* How is silicone working out for the environment? We know silicone is inert, versatile, non-toxic, and body safe as an object but what is our collective exit strategy for the e-waste & non-biodegradable leftovers of sex toy boom? How are silicone lubricants (and other health & beauty uses) interacting with the water supply once they're washed down the drain?
* What work goes into the extraction of raw resources, such as the rubber tree plantations of South America that make our condoms and catsuits? How do you go from a rubber tree to a rubber dildo?
* How can we work out irreconcilable political differences to protect common interests for our sexual and reproductive health?
* How much sex does it take to power a light bulb? Can fucking charge a battery? Could we power electronics with our sex lives?
* What happens when your recreational sex life gets you fired? (Definitely blowing your work load!) How do you get back to work after a sexual scandal?
* How does activism focused around sexual orientation work with or against activism focused around gender identity? (e.g., In what ways has the fight for marriage equality worked for and/or against the fight for transgender rights?)
* How do we create toys that improve how sex works for folks with disabilities?
* How does your sexuality-related activism add to your emotional workload?
* What happens when your recreational sex life starts to feel like work?
* Is making sex toys a good thing in a world already full of plastic junk? Is there another way? Biodegradable sex toys?
* Can someone please do something about this FUCKING PATENT TROLL?!?!
* Is patenting sex toys a special kind of evil?
* Is any of this smart sex toy stuff leading to Rise of the Machines?
* Would Comrade Lenin approve of all of this?

Submit a talk, a performance, a game, a workshop, a machine, a system!

Deadline: August 31, 2015.
Our selection will be announced early September, 2015. (Yes, yes, we can do that fast!)

For questions, please email: office AT monochrom.at

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Johannes Grenzfurthner/monochrom (Conference organizer)

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