How do McCall’s projection works impact spectators as individuals and as members of an audience? McCall famously said that he wanted to transform a cinema audience into a collection of individuals. In this discussion, Cohen and Susik will explore a range of historical sources, contemporary theories and cultural trends that were current at the time of McCall’s quest to realize this ambition. Focal points for the conversation include the modernist legacy of synesthesia, media archaeologies and the aesthetics of technology, as well as the influence of systems theories, cybernetics, networks and their interrelations during the 1960s and ‘70s. Cohen and Susik will also discuss the politics of individuality versus collectivity today, and ask whether McCall's recent projection works, employing digital projectors, computer programmers and hazers, address these issues.

Dr. Kris Cohen is Assistant Professor of Art and Humanities at Reed College. He teaches and writes about the relationships between art, economy and media technologies, focusing especially on the aesthetics of collective life. His first book project, entitled Never Alone, Except for Now, addresses these concerns in the context of electronic networks.

Dr. Abigail Susik is Assistant Professor of Art History at Willamette University. Her research focuses on cultural histories of the European avant-gardes, as well as issues of aesthetics and ethics in contemporary and new media art. She is an Associate Editor of Media-N, Journal of the New Media Caucus. Current book projects include the co-edited volume, Radical Dreams: Surrealism and Counterculture, as well as the monograph, Dream Kitsch: Aragon, Benjamin and the Surrealist Outmoded.

A reception with the participants will follow from 5pm to 6pm.