{"id":7309,"date":"2015-06-01T09:17:33","date_gmt":"2015-06-01T09:17:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?p=27987"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:24","slug":"what-if-asked-the-first-chiftalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2015\/06\/01\/what-if-asked-the-first-chiftalk\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018What if\u2026\u2019 asked the first CHIFTalk"},"content":{"rendered":"

The inaugural CHIFTalk promised an evening of interdisciplinary future insights, and it didn\u2019t disappoint. Offering an ecletic mix of musings \u2013 from scholarly theorising to imaginative science-fiction, interactive live music to monologue \u2013 the inaugural CHIFTalk asked \u2018What if\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

The Kleine Zaal (small hall) of the Rotterdamse Schouwburg buzzed with chatter in anticipation of the first event of the Community for Histories of the Future (CHIFT)<\/a>\u00a0 since it launched in January<\/a>. The sci-fi evening drew a near capacity crowd \u2013 with a large majority being EUR students and staff. <\/p>\n

Founder and Director dr. Etienne Aug\u00e9<\/a> of ESHCC introduced CHIFT to the audience with a hint of what was to come; \u2018artists, scholars, politicians, writers and filmmakers are all part of the CHIFT community\u2019. \u2018An evening into the future\u2019 would contrast dystopian visions with the optimistic, as presenters and performers led the audience in questioning how our relationship with technology will evolve in the years to come.<\/p>\n

ESHCC on what\u2019s to come<\/b><\/p>\n

The academic contributions for the evening came from the Media and Communication department of ESHCC, with Matthijs Leendertse<\/a> , dr. <\/a>Mijke Slot<\/a>\u00a0 and dr. Daniel Trottier<\/a>\u00a0 taking the stage. According to Leendertse, \u2018the future of learning is like a Chinese buffet\u2019, where students will pick and choose creating a personalised selection of courses, and technology will facilitate changes in student assessment; \u2018testing will move to monitoring\u2019. By 2025, news will be produced by robots, warned Slot, with a few \u2018individual gonzo journalists fighting the system\u2019. She urged the audience to \u2018start imagining\u2019 how technology can help, rather than surpass in the field, \u2018before it\u2019s too late to edit the future\u2019. Trottier predicted that \u2018privacy and anonymity will be the commodity of the future,\u2019 as we are witnessing the \u2018disappearance of disappearance\u2019. Leaving the audience with food for thought, he suggested our actions as \u2018Little-Brother\u2019 are largely responsible for diminishing privacy, as one ought remember that \u2018Big Brother is also watching how Little Brother watches\u2019.<\/p>\n

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Mijke Slot of ESHCC.<\/i> Photo: CHIFT<\/i><\/p>\n

But the night wasn\u2019t only scholarly predictions. The audience listened intently as Mike Jansen<\/a> , one of the few Dutch Sci-Fi authors, read his short story, \u201cLeviathan Hunter\u201d. Writer and director Mischa Rozema<\/a>\u00a0 introduced the 15 minute teaser of his upcoming dystopian 1984-esque film \u201cSundays\u201d<\/a>,\u00a0 adding that he hoped to be back on the CHIFT stage in two years with the feature-length film. Theatre director, playwright and poet (among others) Joachim Robbrecht<\/a>\u00a0 read a monologue to the crowd with the aid of a smoke machine for extra effect. The future of warfare he mused, lies not with the soldiers but rather with journalists; it will be \u2018storytellers on the battlefields.\u2019<\/p>\n

Audience collaboration in live performance<\/b><\/p>\n

When Maarten Zaagman<\/a>\u00a0 took to the stage, he announced that with the help of the audience, he would demonstrate the future of musical improvisation. A trained percussionist, Zaagman took his place behind a marimba onstage, and would quickly become one of the evening\u2019s favourites with his interactive improvisation<\/a> . Prompting the crowd to take out their smartphones, he explained a serious of live votes would determine the direction of his performance. With smart-phones in hand the tech-savvy audience couldn\u2019t help but get distracted; looking around it seemed everybody had taken the opportunity to sneak a look at their messages, oblivious to the task at hand. That was, until Zaagman offered a subtle reminder that we \u2018should see the [application] page now\u2019. Logged in and ready to go, he began to play, as the audience stared at their screens wondering what would happen next. The screen updated, the live vote had started; should he go faster or slower? A minute later, should he continue playing the marimba with two mallets or use four? And again, should he add a bowed note up or down? As the excitement built, the collaborators-cum-audience furiously refreshed their browsers; had the next vote already started? Maybe now? Now? When the option came to \u2018take part yourself!\u2019 by adding a high or low note, the hall erupted in chimes. As the music faded, the online application read \u2018thank-you\u2019, and the crowd broke into applause. <\/p>\n

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Maarten Zaagman\u2019s interactive improvisation. Photo: CHIFT<\/i>\u00a0<\/p>\n

But it didn\u2019t end there. After all, what futuristic sci-fi evening would be complete without a discussion about humans on Mars? Artemis Westenburg President of Explore Mars Inc .<\/a> urged the crowd to take note of the \u20186th of October 2033\u2019. \u201cI can guarantee you we are going to make that date\u201d she said, adding \u201cif we as a society want it, it will happen in 20 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHIFTalk\u2019s diverse perspectives appreciated <\/b><\/p>\n

The evening wasn\u2019t just for fans of sci-fi, with many students attending out of curiosity. \u201cI\u2019m not that interested in sci-fi, I came because I was intrigued,\u201d student Nabila Hisbaron (20) said. \u201cWhen talking about the future, it\u2019s really relevant for everyone. The speakers and performers all came from different fields, and the creative perspectives made it easier to connect and relate to the topics at hand. We have always had control to some extent over our future, but now with new technologies and the likes of social media, we have new collaborative powers \u2013 the whole concept is changing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interdisciplinary nature of the event appeared a hit with the audience, with visitors already looking forward to the next edition. \u201cI really enjoyed it,\u201d student Sem Oerlemans (22) said of the evening. \u201cIt was interesting to see the mix of science fiction (storytelling) and actual work that is being done for the future. I had expected science fiction to be more of a focus, but that doesn\u2019t mean I was disappointed. The speakers had different opinions on \u2018the future\u2019, and as a result we got to see many different perspectives. Overall, great evening, I\u2019m looking forward to the next one, and if possible I\u2019d love to get involved, although I\u2019m not yet sure how.\u201dHK\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\t

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