Technical Activity, the Geographic Milieu, and the Art of Composition

Abstract

This work was made with the intention of opening up a path to discovery of technical activity’s potential for emancipation once we free technical activity from the reductive shackles of labour. I utilize the philosophy of Gilbert Simondon throughout the work to build upon his theory of technics and individuation. I begin with the acknowledgement that technical activity plays an expressive role beyond that of mere work, utility, and needs fulfilment. From there, we explore the inventive aspect of technical activity and draw parallels between technical individuation and individuation within nature, which gives us a more robust definition of technical invention. Honing in on the co-constitutive relationship between organisms and environment we find a rich vocabulary of mutual formation and operation which we can translate into technical realm. True technical activity should be able to cut across organic-nonorganic lines, being able to take stock of the communicative aspects of all systems under consideration. A theory of technical composition is needed in order to think more clearly of the relations between these disparate domains, and there is no better concept than that of musical counterpoint to aid us in this task.