Bruce Sterling. Historical Narrative, Futurism and Emergent Network Culture. 2010

• published: 20 Apr 2011
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http://www.egs.edu/ Bruce Sterling, noted critic, science fiction writer and net theorist, lecturing on historical narrative, futurism and the emergent network culture. In this lecture Bruce Sterling discusses the (r)evolution of historical narrative in the context of contemporary and evolving network culture. He ponders the trans-temporal and trans-cultural effects of network culture in relation to cultural signifiers and rhizomatic subversions of postmodern culture, focusing on the collapse of historical narrative embedded in a disintegrating digital culture. He brings to light a philosophy of history that is evolving towards an atemporal condition of the emergent net culture, relegated to a dissipation of time-bound origins and identities. Citing the likes of Slavoj Zizek, William Gibson, and Arthur Kroker, Bruce Sterling invites us to re-shift a framework in understanding the nature of history, preempting a retrospective futurism, one that begs for accountability, consequences and a future history in the context of its rapidly evolving fragmented, hyper-linked, cross-referenced and anecdotal systems of history. Public open lecture for the students and faculty of the European Graduate School EGS Media and Communication Studies department program Saas-Fee Switzerland Europe. June 2010. Bruce Sterling. Bruce Sterling is an Austin-born (April 14th 1954) science fiction writer and Net critic, internationally recognized as a cyberspace theorist who is also still based there. However, as a child he also spent a lot of time in India, which can partly explain why today still Sterling is fond of Bollywood movies. Sterling studied journalism. He published his first book, Involution Ocean, in 1977. However, he first started becoming famous in Austin by organizing every year a Christmas party where he would present digital art. In the 80s Sterling published Cheap Truth a series of fanzines, which are magazines for fans of a particular performer, group, or form of entertainment. He did so under the surprising but revealing pen name of Vincent Omniaveritas. In latin, "vincit omnia veritas" means "truth conquers all things". Sterling's writings have been very influential in the cyberpunk movement in literature, specifically the novels Heavy Weather (1994),Islands in the Net (1988), Schismatrix (1985), The Artificial Kid (1980). In 2003 Bruce Sterling became Professor of Internet studies and science fiction at the at the European Graduate School where he teaches intensive Summer seminars. In 2005 he became "visionary in residence" at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. Sterling lived for several years in Serbia with Jasmina Tesanovic his second wife, a Serbian author and film-maker. In September 2007 he moved to Italy where he found a peaceful place to live in Turin. Sterling has travelled the world giving many speeches and collecting awards too. For example, the Campbell Award in 1989 for his novel Islands in the Net, the Hugo Award both in 1997 and 1999 for his novelettes Bicycle Repairman andTaklamakan respectively, the Hayakawa Award in 1999 also for Taklamakan, as well as the Clarke Award in 2000 for his novel Distraction.