Ariana Dongus
Ariana Dongus is a media scholar, teacher and researcher living in Berlin. She is currently pursuing her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Orit Halpern at TU Dresden, where she is also a research associate.After graduating in European Media Studies from the University of Potsdam, she worked as a freelance journalist and filmmaker and studied directing with a focus on documentary film at the self-organised film school filmArche in Berlin. Her research took her to Istanbul and Diyarbekir in southeastern Turkey and later to northern Iraq, where she reported on topics such as refugees, migration and technology. From 2018 to 2022, she was a research associate and PhD candidate at the University of Arts and Design in Karlsruhe (HfG), where she taught media theory. At HfG, she also coordinated KIM, a research group founded by Prof. Pasquinelli for critical studies on artificial intelligence. By exploring the intersection of biometrics, new forms of work, and machine intelligence, she contributes to a critique of today's digital economies. Her work was awarded the 2021 AI Newcomer Prize by the Gesellschaft für Informatik in Germany. Her work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and academic journals, and she has been invited to speak about her research at venues such as Ars Electronica, transmediale, PACT Zollverein, Haute école des arts de Bern, Haus der Kunst Munich, or the Goethe-Institut Montreal.
2011-2015
M.A. European Media Studies, University of Potsdam
2007-2011
B.A. Cultural Studies at Europe University Viadrina
2008-2009
B.A. Facultat de Ciences Socials, Universitat de Valencia,
Cultural Sciences Editor of Marxism and Sciences. A Journal of Nature, Culture, Human and Society, https://marxismandsciences.org/
2023-present
Research Fellow at Technical University Dresden, Chair of Digital Cultures, Prof. Orit Halpern
2022-23
Parental Leave
2018-2022
PhD student & Research Fellow, University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe, chair of Prof. Dr. Pasquinelli ‘Media Theory and AI’, Coordinator of Research Group KIM (Künstliche Intelligenz & Medienphilosophie) & coordinator of PhD group
2020
Founding member of Editorial Board of Umbau, an online magazine dedicated discourses in and beyond Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe, https://umbau.hfg-karlsruhe.de/
2019 – 2020
Project Coordinator of project ‘How Do Machines See the World?’, funded by VW-Stiftung Program “Artificial Intelligence and the Society of the Future”
2015-2018
Ostkreuzschule for Photography, filmArche Berlin
Documentary Photography & Film
Ariana Dongus, "Don’t believe the Criti-Hype. Zu den vermeintlichen und den tatsächlichen Gefahren von KI", springerin, Heft für Gegenwartskunst, Imperiale Gewalt, 4/2023, https://www.springerin.at/aktuell/
Ariana Dongus. der Krypto-Scam mit den Iris-Scans, Jacobin Magazine, https://jacobin.de/artikel/worldcoin-krypto-iris-scan
Ariana Dongus, From first sight to audio message: with content forward
Essay for artist catalogue #SOPHYGRAY from Nadja Verena Marcin, forthcoming August 2023.
Ariana Dongus, FAQ über ChatGPT, fluter. Magazin der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, forthcoming July 2023.
Ariana Dongus, Don’t believe the (Criti-)hype, https://umbau.hfg-karlsruhe.de/posts/don-t-believe-the-criti-hype, June 2023.
Ariana Dongus, Nadja Verena Marcin, #SOPHYGRAY, State of Interim,
Positions on forms of prospective AI, para-educational papers, HfBK Art Education, https://art-education.hfbk.net/de/writings/state-of-interim, 2022.
Ariana Dongus, The Living Pixel. A feminist-materialist examination of the emergence of AI-Vision, in: e Journal of the SFKP, 2020.
Ariana Dongus, Galton’s Utopia. Data Accumulation in Biometric Capitalism, in: Spheres Journal, Leuphana University, 2019.
Ariana Dongus, Your Eyes Don’t Lie, in: NXS World Magazine #4, Algorithmic Anxiety, April 2019.
Ariana Dongus, Life is Real = Reality is a Platform, in: Alberto Brodesco, Federico Giordano (eds.), Body-Images in the Post-Cinematic Scenario. The Digitization of Bodies, Post-cinema & Digital Cultures, Mimesis International, 2018.
Ariana Dongus, Precarious body/images in the algorithmic factory, in: Entkunstung Yearbook, 2018.
Journalist Writing
Ariana Dongus, Nur nicht das Gesicht verlieren , fluter, Magazin der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, January 2020.
Ariana Dongus, Christina zur Nedden, Getestet an Millionen Unfreiwilligen, ZEIT ONLINE, http://www.zeit.de/digital/datenschutz/2017- 12/biometrie- fluechtlinge-cpams-iris-erkennung-zwang, Dezember 2017.
Ariana Dongus, Christina zur Nedden, Überall Lauern Scharfschützen. Die Reporter riskieren ihr Leben, um für Radio StartFM aus der geschundenen Stadt Mossul zu berichten. Print Reportage in publik-Forum im Extra-Thema: „Fürchtet Euch nicht!“, November 2017.
Ariana Dongus, Altruismus Light. Große Technologieunternehmen wie Google fördern digitale Kompetenzen mit Weiterbildungsangeboten – auch in Entwicklungsländern. Ihre Motivation ist alles andere als selbstlos, sagwas.net, Juli 2017.
Ariana Dongus, Christina zur Nedden, Coding Bootcamps Programmierer aus dem Flüchtlingscamp, http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/re-coded-bildet- fluechtlinge-im- irak-zu-programmierern-aus-14993418.html, Mai 2017.
Ariana Dongus, Christina zur Nedden, Programmierjobs für Geflüchtete. Der Code für ein neues Leben, in: Deutschlandfunk, Juni 2017.
University of Arts Berlin
SS 23
The Body as Site of Experimentation“: Exploring Technology, Power and Body Politics
University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe
WS 2020/21
In/visible Subjects of AI: Ghost Work & Biometric Control in the Global South
SS 2020
Queering Media Theory: Women in Computation III
Towards the Parliament of Bodies
Thinking (with) Marx – Gemeinsam das Kapital lesen
WS 2019/2020
Auge/Maschine: Vom Panoptikum zum biometrischen Kapitalismus Women in Computation II
Thinking (with) Marx – Gemeinsam das Kapital lesen
SS 2019
Women in Computation I
2021: AI Newcomer Award 2021, awarded by the German Society for Informatics and Federal Ministry of Education and Research
2018: Connecting Resistances: Emancipatory Activism in West Asia, North Africa and Germany, a conference organized by Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, resident.
2018: Residency at IMPACT 18, Matter in Movement, transdisciplinary symposium at PACT Zollverein Essen.
2015: Master of Arts with distinction, (1.2.), European Media Science, University of Potsdam.
Lecture, The Refugee Camp as Labo(u)ratory, Finissage Simon Denny, Kunstverein Heidelberg, 2023.
Lecture, „The Eyes Don’t Lie? Biometrics in Refugee Aid as new border technologies“, Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, 2023.
Talk & C&A, "Film, Arbeit und Künstliche Intelligenz",Ein Abend in der CineScience-Reihe “Falsche Filme – Kino als Enttäuschung”, Kulturwissenschaftliches Institut Essen, 2023.
Talk and Panel, Symposium: Fujiko Nakaya. Nebel Leben, Haus der Kunst München, 2022.
Panel Contribution, “UNHCR and Eyehood – Data Collection and Civic Society in non-governmental zones“, Symposium: AI Infrastructures for Civil Society and the Arts in the context of House of Mirrors: Artificial Intelligence as Phantasm, 2022.
Panel Moderation „Künstliche Dummheit? Unfälle und Täuschungen technischer Intelligenz“ KI Festival "Wenn Maschinen Zukunft träumen", Ein Festival zum Leben mit Künstlicher Intelligenz,, Ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt des Deutschen Hygiene-Museums und des Goethe-Instituts, 2021.
The Global Logistics of Vaccination. How the COVID-19 Pandemic Amplified Inequalities, Breaking Models,Data Governance and New Metrics of Knowledge in the Time of the Pandemic, Research workshop, 24 September 2021, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science Max Planck Institute, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdboJ1ynQ5c, 2021.
Driving the Human Opening Festival at ZKM Karlsruhe, Moderation & Talk, November 2020.
University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe, Gathering the Given, Sampling the System, Moderation of graduation.studio, November 2020.
Bundesweite Aktionstage Netzpolitik und Demokratie 2020, Das Große hinter dem Kleinen – Gesichtserkennung im Alltag. Komfort, öffentlicher Raum und (Gegen-)Strategien aus Kunst, Politik & Recht, Interview & Podcast, November 2020.
Het Nieuwe Institute, Technologising the EU Border, System of Systems, Lecture, June 2020.
Shanghai Ming Contemporary Art Museum, Beyond Biometric Images – Updating Farocki’s Notion of the Operative Image, in the framework of the show ‘Mind the Deep: Artificial Intelligence and Artistic Creation’, Lecture, March 2020.
University of Arts Berlin, Politics in the Age of AI and face detection, Lecture, November 2019.
Schwarzmarkt der Ideen im Hygiene Museum Leipzig, Captcha! Alles zu Künstlicher Intelligenz in 180 Dialogen, Conversations, December 2019.
Künstlerhaus Karlsruhe, My Mother Was A Computer. Über die Anfänge der Programmierung, Vortrag, November 2019.
Metabolic Museum–University, 33rd Ljubljana Biennial of Graphic Arts, The Eye of the Algorithm, Lecture, July 2019.
Schweizerische Geschichstage, Panelpresentation „Zur Kritik der Digitalen Ökonomie Versteckte Arbeitsorte im kognitiven Kapitalismus, June 2019.
Historical Materialism Conference Athens, The Camp as Labo(u)ratory, Paper Presentation, May 2019.
Haute école des arts de Bern, Beyond Biometric Images, Guestlecture, May 15, 2019.
Leuphana University, Opening Week of Academic Year, Keynote, Biased Algorithms, October 2019.
Transmediale, Affects Ex-Machina: Unboxing Social Data Algorithms with Claudio Agosti, Ramon Amaro, Nayantara Ranganathan, Caroline Sinders, moderated by Ariana Dongus, February 2019.
Leuphana University, Conference: Digital Cultures: Knowledge / Culture / Technology, Paper Presentation, September 2018.
Ars Electronica, ERROR – The Art of Imperfection, The Camp as Labo(u)ratory, Lecture during Symposium, Expert Tour Guide and Interview, September 2018.
Academic self-administration/committee work
During time at HfG Karlsruhe
- Liaison lecturer
- Representative for students with disabilities and chronic Diseases
- Self-administration work within the media theory department
- Part of the group coordination of "Community Toolkit Workshops", a series of events for students and faculty at HfG to offer topics such as diversity, discrimination and non-violent communication in the form of lectures, workshops and trainings
- Conceptualize, oversee, and coordinate the Rundgang of the HfG for the theory department in 2019
- Supervision of the student presentation of the Women in Computation seminar for the 2019 Rundgang