Mitchell and Chakrabarty in Palermo: Images in the Age of AI
W. J. T. Mitchell and Dipesh Chakrabarty participated in the Summer School 'Beyond Globalization' at the University of Palermo on July 17-18, organized by the Department of Culture and Society. Mitchell, a leading visual culture theorist, delivered a lecture reinterpreting his essay 'World Pictures: Globalization and Visual Culture' through three William Blake images, including the frontispiece of 'Europe: a Prophecy'. He introduced concepts like 'imagetext' and 'biopicture', anticipating the agency of images and the rise of AI. Chakrabarty discussed the 'energivorous' nature of freedom and progress, linking capitalism, colonialism, and fossil fuels. Other speakers included Serena Marcenò, who critiqued resilience as a neoliberal ideology, and Michele Nicoletti, who addressed the crisis of supranational institutions. The event explored themes of sovereignty, borders, technological acceleration, and postcolonial futures, culminating in questions about AI as a potential 'companion species' and the energy costs involved.
Key facts
- Summer School 'Beyond Globalization' held at University of Palermo on July 17-18.
- Organized by Department of Culture and Society, coordinated by Serena Marcenò, Valeria Cammarata, Giulia Sajeva, Germana Vinciguerra, Angela La Rosa, Claudia Spagnulo, Bianca Nogara Notarianni.
- Mitchell and Chakrabarty are both professors at University of Chicago and collaborators on Critical Inquiry.
- Mitchell presented a new reading of 'World Pictures' using three Blake images, including 'The Ancient of Days'.
- Chakrabarty's 'The Climate of History: Four Theses' (2009) was foundational for his Anthropocene reflections.
- Serena Marcenò identified resilience as a neoliberal ideological device.
- Mitchell introduced concepts of 'imagetext' and 'biopicture'.
- The event concluded with open questions about AI and energy costs.
Entities
Artists
- W. J. T. Mitchell
- Dipesh Chakrabarty
- William Blake
- Serena Marcenò
- Michele Nicoletti
- Sandro Mezzadra
- Brett Neilson
- Martina Tazzioli
- Federica Mazzara
- Maria Gabriella Trovato
- Rochona Majumdar
- Salvo Vaccaro
- Giulia Sajeva
- Michele Cometa
- Valeria Cammarata
Institutions
- University of Palermo
- University of Chicago
- Critical Inquiry
- exibart.es
- exibart Italia
Locations
- Palermo
- Italy
- Silicon Valley