Inte Gloerich

Critical media & technology researcher and cultural organizer.

Current position

PhD researcher at Utrecht University and the Institute of Network Cultures at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. I am currently finishing my dissertation on 'Blockchain as a Truth Machine'.

Contact & information

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>Email: interact [at] integloerich [dot] nl
>Mastodon: @inte@mastodon.social
>LinkedIn: @InteGloerich
>Download my complete CV for my academic work.

Major themes across my work


Technology culture and imaginaries

I investigate the imaginaries around technology by analysing the discourse in start-up culture, the arts, and popular expressions such as memes. I am interested in understanding the kind of world views and power dynamics these imaginaries perform. What problems are highlighted, and what elements are left out of view through new technologized renderings of the world? I am particularly interested in the way technology culture is embedded in, reinforces, or agitates against dominant economic, social, and political dynamics. Right now, blockchain culture is the central focus of my PhD project.

Data, truth claims, and knowledge production

I'm interested in how technologies make promises about truthfulness and objectivity. How do we get to know the world through different technologies, and what is left out of view? Why is this promise of a scientific and mathematical access to the world presented as superior to other ways of thinking and being in the world? How did this belief in the objectivity of data come about, and how does it relate to the history of knowledge production and power relations thoughout the centuries?

Feminist, decolonial, and ecological theory

In my analysis of technology culture, imaginaries, and economic systems, I use critical concepts from feminist, decolonial, ecological, and critical media theory that expose power structures and ideological framings. As part of the Feminist Economies Collective, I explore the possibilities of using intersectional feminist economic theory as a guiding light to think about economic alternatives and exploring possible future ways of living together.

Things I did and wrote

Keywords: socio-technical imaginaries, technology culture, performativity, feminist economics, media studies, cultural analysis.

Presentations

Upcoming

>Doomers versus Accelerationists: The Ideologies contesting the Future of AI Presentation at University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Brasil (19 November 2024)

2024

>Imagining 'truth' with blockchain Presentation at ARTeCHÓ – Art, Economy, and Technology (24 September 2024)
>Gamification in Blockchain-based Climate Finance Presentation at The Convergence of Gamification and Financialisation symposium, Abertay University, Dundee, UK (1 June 2024)
>Speculative Blockchain Constellations: Cryptoastrology and other on-chain divinations. Presentation at Celestial Bodies, Terrestrial Beings. Biennale Nova–XX, Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris (11 April 2024)
Digital Colonialism. Contemporary practices of extraction Introduction and moderation at Impakt Centre for Media Culture, Utrecht (25 January 2024)
>[urban interfaces] x OCP x GDS: Roundtable Creative Urban Methods. Presentation and discussion at Utrecht University (22 January 2024)

2023

>AI imaginaries of risk, harm, and justice. Presentation with Gabriele Ferri at AI cultures: Communications between humans and machines in a plural world conference, University of Turin, Turin (24-25 October 2023)
>Universal truths and changing realities: The uses of blockchain mysticism. Presentation at 21st Century Magic and Spirituality in Media and Culture conference, Goldsmiths, University of London (30 June 2023)
>Do your own research! Truth, volatility and speculation in blockchain imaginaries. Presentation at TECH/MONEY workshop, STRATLab, University of Maryland, hosted by SCI Annex, Toronto (22 May 2023)
>Blockchain mysticism: Predestination or prefiguration? Presentation at Beyond Financialization: Blockchain Mysticism, Community, and Art, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milano (16 May)
>Care and (crypto)economy Presentation at Data for Care training school, NeMe, Cyprus (12 April)
>Radical care: The feminist finance zine and syllabus Presentation with Ania Molenda at Data for Care training school, NeMe, Cyprus (12 April)
>Do your own research! On truth, volatility, and speculation in a memetic crypto imaginary Media Imaginaries, International Symposium, Lund University, Sweden (16 March)
>Studying blockchain imaginaries Debates in Economic and Organizational Sociology PhD seminar series, Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa (23 February)
>Truth and blockchain imaginaries Social Studies of Fintech seminar, Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa (22 February)
>Care as a Cyberfeminist Practice Cyberfeminism Index (Book Launch Mindy Seu), Perdu, Amsterdam (8 February)
>Minor blockchains? Toward a Minor Tech publication launch, Transmediale, Akademie der Künste, Berlin ()

2022

>Performing the speculative present: crypto memes on survival in radical uncertainty Performing Global Crises Conference, University of Otago
>Ownership and desire Aksioma, Institute for Contemporary Art Ljubljana
>Designing money and the future École Supérieure d'Art et de Design Orleans
>Spelers in het NFT speelveld Oddstream
>Feminist Finance Zine Zine ASSEMBLE
>NFT Cultures Studium Generale Tilburg University
>NFTs Beyond (?) Financialisation Scottish Graduate School for Arts & Humanities
>A crypto climate imaginary. A critical analysis The sixth Global Conference on Economic Geography
>How to make sure NFTs become (more) valuable for the arts? NFT Speaker Series, iMAL / Art Brussels
>The promises of NFTs Math Expressionism, Creative Coding Utrecht
>NFT Mania Tegenlicht Meetup, Bibliotheek Neude
>NFT Mania Tegenlicht Meetup, Pakhuis de Zwijger

2021

>Mysticism, utopianism, and the theoretical in blockchain imaginaries Foundations: Token, 17th Venice Architecture Biennale Italian Virtual Pavilion
>What the F are NFTs VISUAL+, Carlow Arts Festival
>Feminist Finance Zine & Syllabus ARIAS Ecologies of Care
>Feminist Finance Zine & Syllabus MoneyLab Berlin: Disaster Capitalism
>The uses of disorder in the blockchain city Rights to the Blockchain City
>NFTs: Non-Fungible Tokens Co-host IMPAKT TV (with Michelle Franke)
>Community Currencies, Social Capitalism & Basic Income Moderation MoneyLab Berlin: Disaster Capitalism
>Values in the blockchain city Panelist Rights to the Blockchain City

2020

>Alternatives for the unbanked: lessons learned from payment kiosks DIS2020: More than human centered design, Designing Futures of Money and Fintech (with Gabriele Ferri)
>Blockchain: Radicalising the social imagination Panel moderation for MoneyLab #8: Minting a Fair Society

2019

>State Machines – three lessons ARIAS Platform Imaginaries, Spui25
>D.R.E.A.M. #3 Rate Me Raum
>Offshore Laboratory FIBER + RYBN, Waag

2018

>Activist and artistic strategies in digital economie and online networks KABK
>Autonomous Fabric: #1 Transactions WdKA
>Creative visions for blockchain and digital economy Spui25
>Inventing the Future of Shipping. Fully autonomous modular container transport Moderation for TodaysArt Festival

Publications

2024

>Crypto/Space: Computational parasitism, virtual land grabs, and the production of Web3 Exit zones Political Geography (with Peter Howson, Antulio Rosales, Olivier Jutel, Mariel García Llorens, Alex de Vries, Jillian Lee Crandall, and Paul Dolan)
>Building prosperity through repair Arts Initiative Tokyo & Baltan Laboratories (with Ania Molenda)
>The City as a License: Design, Rights and Civics in a Blockchain Society. Big Data and Society 11 (1). (With Martijn de Waal, Gabriele Ferri, John Vines, and Chris Elsden)

2023

>First-person speculative fabulation. A workshop method for times of crisis. Mediapolis Journal 9 (2). (With Gabriele Ferri)
>Towards DAOs of difference. Reading blockchain through the decolonial thought of Sylvia Wynter A Peer-Reviewed Journal About Minor Tech 12 (1)
>Risk and Harm. Unpacking ideologies in the AI discourse Conversational User Interfaces CUI'23 (with Gabriele Ferri)
>Performing ecologies of care Performance Research. Special Issue: On Care (with Valentina Curandi, Ania Molenda, Maaike Muntinga, Natalia Sanchez Querubin, Nienke Scholz, Marloeke van der Vlught)
>Blockchains Otherwise Toward a Minor Tech: A Peer-reviewed Newspaper. 13(1) 2023

2022

>Speculate – or else! Blockchain memes on survival in radical uncertainty Critical Meme Reader #2: Memetic Tacticality
>Designing new financial transactions: Theories, case studies, methods, practices and futures Theme track editorial Design Research Society (with Chris Elsden and Bettina Nissen)
>In search of ineffable NFTs NXS#6: Phygital Fashioning

2021

>Canvas design dilemmas digital platforms for resource communities AUAS Civic Interaction Design (with Martijn de Waal, Dolinde van Beek, Nazli Cila, Gabriele Ferri, Inte Gloerich, Tara Karpinski, Angela Mackey, Karel Millenaar, and Wouter Meys)
>The underdistanced and the undernetworked & Three things about our workshop Hackers & Designers: Network Imaginaries (with Gabriele Ferri)
>A conversation between Anab Jain and Marta Peirano, as recorded and retold in a small colony of ants Institute of Network Cultures (with Gabriele Ferri)

2020

>The city as a licence. Implications of blockchains and distributed ledgers for urban governance Frontiers in Sustainable Cities (with Martijn de Waal, Gabriele Ferri, Nazli Cila, Tara Karpinski)
>The blockchain and the commons. Dilemmas in the design of local platforms CHI'20 (with Nazli Cila, Gabriele Ferri, Martijn de Waal, Tara Karpinski)
>Take root among the stars. If Octavia Butler wrote design fiction Interactions (with Gabriele Ferri)
>Feminist Finance Syllabus Edited with Ania Molenda)
>The future is plural Radical care. Embracing feminist finance

2019

>Making the blockchain civic Interactions (with Chris Elsden, Anne Spaa, John Vines, Martijn de Waal)
>Rising above our silos State Machines: Reflections and Actions at the Edge of Digital Citizenship, Finance, and Art (with Yiannis Colakides and Marc Garrett)
>State Machines: Reflections and Actions at the Edge of Digital Citizenship, Finance, and Art Edited with Yiannis Colakides and Marc Garrett
>Flying Money: Investigating Illicit Financial Flows Edited with Judith Hart, Geert Lovingk, Caroline Nevejan, Ilse Verkerk

2018

>Overcoming the blockchain and cybercurrency hype MoneyLab Reader #2: Overcoming the Hype (with Geert Lovink, Patricia de Vries)
>MoneyLab Reader #2: Overcoming the Hype Edited with Geert Lovink, Patricia de Vries

Organizing

2024

>To Research (as) a Care Ecology Workshop at the Performing Care & Carelessness conference, University of Otago (16 February 2024)

2023

>Imagining feminist cryptoeconomics Transmission in Motion seminar (with Ania Molenda), Utrecht University (21 June 2023)

2022

>The Magic City: Of technorationalism and spiritual futures Graduate seminar series, Utrecht University (with Michiel de Lange, Nanna Verhoeff, Imar de Vries, Sigrid Merx, and Rosa Wevers)
>"En wat bouw je dan?" Makersmeeting: Beeldenstorm #2 Workshop for Over 't IJ (as Feminist Economies Collective, with Ania Molenda and Rachel Walker-Konno)
>Designing new financial transactions. Theories, case studies, methods, practices and futures Theme track at Design Research Society (with Chris Elsden and Bettina Nissen)

2021

>The city as a licence. Design, rights and civics in a blockchain society Workshop for Media Architecture Biennale (with Martijn de Waal, Gabriele Ferri, John vines, Chris Elsden)
>Rights to the Blockchain City Hybrid event series (with Martijn de Waal, Gabriele Ferri, John vines, Chris Elsden, Klaas Kuitenbrouwer)

2020

>The underdistanced Workshop for Hackers & Designers Summer Academy (with Gabriele Ferri)
>Designing futures of money and fintech Workshop for DIS2020 (with Chris Elsden, Tom Feltwell, Belén Barros Pena, Bettina Nissen, Chris Speed)
>MoneyLab #8: Minting a Fair Society Hybrid conference (with Aksioma)
>Radical Care: Embracing Feminist Finance Zine Launch events (with Ania Molenda and Cristina Ampatzidou)

2019

>Peak Shaving Time Workshop for We Make the City (with Tara Karpinski, Gabriele Ferri, Martijn de Waal, Nazli Cila, and Wouter Meys)
>MoneyLab #7: Outside of Finance Conference (with Geert Lovink and Patricia de Vries)
>High Internet Weirdness Symposium (with Geert Lovink, Marc Tuters, Daniel de Zeeuw)

2018

>Benefits & horrors of blockchain for the DIY society We Love Public Space (with Minouche Besters)
>Making the blockchain civic Workshop (with Martijn de Waal, Chris Elsden, John Vines)
>New imaginaries for crypto design Exhibition for NeMe
>Flying Money: Investigating Illicit Financial Flows in the City Conference (with Judith Hart, Geert Lovink, Caroline Nevejan, and Verkerk Ilse)

2017

>Karakters en maskers. Gezichten van het online zelf Spui25
>Fear and Loathing of the Online Self Conference at Roma Tre & John Cabot Universities (with Geert Lovink, Teresa Numerico, Peter Sarram, Donatella Della Ratta)

2016

>MoneyLab #3: Failing Better Conference (with Geert Lovink, Patricia de Vries, Max Dovey)

Teaching

List of classes taught at the Media Studies department of the University of Amsterdam

>Blockchain: Imaginaries, Economics, and Cultures (BA elective)
>Analysing Digital Culture (BA core course)
>New Media Research Practices (MA core course)
>New Media Theory (BA core course)
>Media Research (BA core course)
>Media Theory (BA core course)

List of classes taught elsewhere

>Blockchain's Truth Imaginaries (Guest lecture at Art and Network Cultures (RMa Art and Performance Research Studies), University of Amsterdam)
>Network Cultures and Blockchain Cultures (Guest lecture at MA Net Art, Scuola di Nuove Tecnologie dell'Arte, Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Milano)
>Studying Blockchain Imaginaries (Guest lecture at PhD seminar series Debates in Economic and Organizational Sociology, Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Universidade de Lisboa)
>Designing Money and the Future (Guest lecture at École Supérieur d'Art et de Design, Orléans)
>Nieuwe Toekomstperspectieven (Workshop at BA Communication and Creative Business, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences)
>Cryptospeak on Reddit (Project coach at Visual Subcultures Online, MA New Media & Digital Cultures)
>Blockchain Imaginaries (Guest lecture at Body, Mind, Method: Technology, Embodiment, Perception (RMa Media, Art, and Performance Studies), Utrecht University)
>Sociotechnical Imaginaries in Blockchain (Guest lecture at Interaction Design, Northumbria University)
>Speculative Design (theme week at User Research Design minor, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences)
>Design Ethics (Guest lecture at Philosophy in the Postdigital World minor, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences)
>Activist and Artistic Strategies in Digital Economy and Online Networks (Guest lecture at BA Interactive / Media / Design, KABK)