HackAthens 2020 — Curators’ Note

What comes after?

The sudden outbreak of Covid-19 has emphatically demonstrated how inherently unpredictable the future is. At the same time, it is an imperative call to rebuild it from scratch. Contradictory? For sure. Welcome to the era of generalized paradoxes.

The crisis was supposed to be gone yet remains perpetually present. The pandemic has landed abruptly, burdening what was already uncertain and volatile: the global climate emergency; the refugee crisis; the endless conflicts in the Middle East; and, of course, the ceaseless cycles of collapse and resurrection of the global markets. The promise of normality remains suspended in an indefinite future.

What comes after?

In a society absorbed in relentless distraction, silence and stillness can spark a feeling of profound fear. Our physical bodies shift from being planes of contact and conflict, to intangible holograms on screens. Can animated emojis replace the sound of our heartbeats? Can we endure the temporal lack of human touch? At what cost?

What comes after?

The illusive stillness of the city is underpinned by an explosive acceleration within its social substratum. Behind the closed gates of our urban parks, parrots are battling pigeons over dominance of the commons. Under the looming collapse of the tourism sector, the renovated Airbnb flats surrender to locals who have been deprived of decent housing. Behind closed doors and in unending conference calls, knowledge workers seek to exorcise the spectrum of a new economic collapse. Out in the empty streets the informal sector workers on scooters strive to offer the basics to those who cannot leave their houses due to their vulnerability.

What comes after?

Climate justice and degrowth. Do people and societies need limits? If yes, what kind of limits? Is there such a thing as ‘enough’? If yes, how much is it? Our cities are generators of ecological degradation: they are responsible for 70% of the total greenhouse emissions, and before the outbreak of Covid-19 it was forecasted that they would soon be hosting 68% of the earth’s population. The general global slowdown, despite its adverse effects on humans, is proving to be beneficial to the rest of our ecosystem. Air pollution in China and Europe has already dropped by up to 30%, the waters of urban coasts are clear again after decades, and our Athenian sky is bluer than ever. We talk of smart cities, but we lack the wisdom to make them sustainable. We talk of circular economies but fail to change our daily habits. Can today's forced social experiment teach us anything about tomorrow's cities? Can we imagine a world of abundance and wellbeing without affluence?

What comes after?

We are not alone on this planet. It is not just fauna and flora; there are also algorithms, data and machines; the big ‘other’ that defines and defies us. It is time to think not just outside our comfort zone, but also beyond our own species. Can we imagine a better world in 100 years from now? Can we adjust this imaginary so that data and emerging technologies do not become the nemesis of our collective hubris?

Reflect,

Respect,

Act,

Hack!

— Angelos Varvarousis, Prodromos Tsiavos

Angelos Varvarousis is a researcher and curator with studies in urban planning, human geography and urban political ecology, living in Athens and Barcelona.

Prodromos Tsiavos is Head of Digital Development & Innovation at the Onassis Foundation and teaches legal and ethical aspects of data science at the Athens University of Economics and Business.