Repair & Maintenance as a Form of Innovation
Nicolas Nova
13.01.2021
“Dr. Smartphone,”
“Docteur IT,” “iklinik,” “iPhone clinique,” “Smartphone clinique…” These are
some of the names of a new type of business that has appeared in the past ten
years: smartphone repair stores represent the most visible element of this
ecosystem, but similar practices can be seen in hackerspaces and repair cafés.
The services provided vary, but they tend to focus on the material elements of the handset or terminal.
Though the problem or issue is usually with the device’s hardware, repair technicians may also be able to address software issues; overseeing updates, changing settings, installing applications, or adding software and accessories not supported by manufacturers.
Drawing on a two-years field study, this talk will focus on the practices of the repairers. How do these individuals come to end up fixing users’ devices? How do they learn to handle products that were not designed to be repaired? And what can the mending of a cracked phone display tell us about skill and technological innovation?
The services provided vary, but they tend to focus on the material elements of the handset or terminal.
Though the problem or issue is usually with the device’s hardware, repair technicians may also be able to address software issues; overseeing updates, changing settings, installing applications, or adding software and accessories not supported by manufacturers.
Drawing on a two-years field study, this talk will focus on the practices of the repairers. How do these individuals come to end up fixing users’ devices? How do they learn to handle products that were not designed to be repaired? And what can the mending of a cracked phone display tell us about skill and technological innovation?
Nicolas Nova
Nicolas Nova is a researcher, speaker and educator. He is an anthropologist of technology active in the field of interaction design, futures research and digital cultures. His work is focused on observing and documenting digital and new media practices. Nicolas is an active actor in the establishment of Design Fiction, an approach to anticipate and speculate on the near future use of digital technologies. He is both co-founder of the Near Future Laboratory, a research agency based in Europe and California, and Associate Professor at the Geneva School of Arts and Design (HEAD – Genève). He is also associate researcher at medialab SciencesPo in Paris. Nicolas holds a PhD in Social Sciences (University of Geneva), and another PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL, Switzerland). He was previously visiting professor at ENSCI (Paris), Politecnico di Milano, and Art Center College of Design (Pasadena).
http://nearfuturelaboratory.com/about/nicolas-nova.html
Nicolas Nova is a researcher, speaker and educator. He is an anthropologist of technology active in the field of interaction design, futures research and digital cultures. His work is focused on observing and documenting digital and new media practices. Nicolas is an active actor in the establishment of Design Fiction, an approach to anticipate and speculate on the near future use of digital technologies. He is both co-founder of the Near Future Laboratory, a research agency based in Europe and California, and Associate Professor at the Geneva School of Arts and Design (HEAD – Genève). He is also associate researcher at medialab SciencesPo in Paris. Nicolas holds a PhD in Social Sciences (University of Geneva), and another PhD in Human-Computer Interaction from the Swiss Institute of Technology (EPFL, Switzerland). He was previously visiting professor at ENSCI (Paris), Politecnico di Milano, and Art Center College of Design (Pasadena).
http://nearfuturelaboratory.com/about/nicolas-nova.html
Wednesday 13th January
Start time – 6:30pm
Theme: The other side of technological innovation: DIY and repair practices
HYBRID FUTURES: Hosting a series of critical talks with leading-edge practitioners and thinkers around the interaction between humans and machines, curated and led by Dr Betti Marenko, Reader in Design and Techno-Digital Futures at the University of the Arts London, Central Saint Martins. Learn More
Start time – 6:30pm
Theme: The other side of technological innovation: DIY and repair practices
