Pillars & Umbrellas

Pillars endure. Until the next paradigm comes up. Umbrellas give protection. But the storm bends them and they are easily forgotten. Both symbolize democracy as a condition of success for gender equality and appreciation of different realities of life.

The Pillars & Umbrellas event series reflects on the core themes of gender equality, participatory justice, sustainability, and cultural diversity in a variety of formats. The documentary and film series Visual Takes - Cyborgs in the Colors of the Spectrum addresses the field of tension between artificial intelligence and society on three evenings in winter 2022.

Pillars & Umbrellas is a project of the Office of the Gender Equality and Women's Representative of the Dresden University of Technology in cooperation with the National Competence Center for Artificial Intelligence ScaDS.AI Dresden/Leipzig.

Visual Takes - Cyborgs in the Colors of the Spectrum

Does intelligence require consciousness? The metaphor of the cyborg as a hybrid of machine and organism symbolizes the fusion of nature, technology and culture. This raises questions about identity and the dissolution of boundaries.

The first three events will take place on Wednesdays, this will be October 12th, November 23rd and December 7th at 8:00 pm at the Kino im Kasten, August-Bebel-Straße 20, 01219 Dresden. All interested parties are cordially invited, admission is free.

Dates:

12.10.22 - "The Social Dilemma" - Documentary film, introduction by André Wendler
The first evening takes a look at America, where social media platform operators are essentially driving the development and funding of AI. A feature-length documentary focuses on the potential risks of social media, especially on our mental health. In the supporting program, we are joined by media culture scholar André Wendler for a discussion.

23.11.22 - "Coded Bias"- Documentary film, introduction by Josephine D´Ippolito
The second documentary addresses the desire for inclusive facial recognition software through the fresh lens of a digital activist. Numerous examples are used to show how AI algorithms multiply racial and gender biases. One area of application is video surveillance, which is ubiquitous in China and is also used in Germany, for example, at train stations, airports or border controls. The speaker of the evening is Josephine D'Ippolito, who is concerned with the reflection of gender and AI in the medium of film.

07.12.22 -"HER" - Feature film
The protagonist of the science fiction film drama shown in December professionally writes empathetic letters for people who have difficulty revealing their own feelings to their counterparts. What does a person need to develop feelings? After the breakup of his long-term relationship, he falls in love with the voice of his newly installed operating system, which is based on artificial intelligence. To what extent is such love possible?

The collaborative project Pillars & Umbrellas is funded by the German federal and state governments as part of the Excellence Strategy.