Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Junk DNA as Cultural Metaphor

French cultural theorist and genetic engineer (specializing in the DNA of beans) Thierry Bardini will be the keynote speaker of the 10th Annual English Graduate Student Conference, 5:30 PM, Friday 3/30.

The conference, entitled "WASTE," at the University at Albany downtown campus, all day, Friday 3/30.

Thierry's new book is Junkware (2010): "Examining cybernetic structures from genetic codes to communication networks, Thierry Bardini explores the idea that most of culture and nature, including humans, is composed of useless, but always potentially recyclable, material otherwise known as ‘junk.’ Junkware examines the cultural history that led to the encoding and decoding of life itself and the contemporary turning of these codes into a commodity."