If you're thirsty and have always wanted to know about looking for space microbes on Europa, what medieval people really thought about dragons, how to make energy from alternative sources, or what a philosopher has to say about what the heck is actually going on, come to Public Works! It's a free event in the style of Nerd Night but designed just for Ithaca. We're bringing a variety of intellectually-stimulating presentations right to you for your entertainment and educational pleasure at The Downstairs, the bar below The Watershed. Come hear talks given by Cornell and IC graduate students, professors, community experts, and everything in between! Each session will feature one to three accessible talks, followed by a Q&A session where audience participation is highly encouraged but not required!
Bring a friend, make a friend, ask an expert, and drink a beer!
The November 6th Public Works event will feature 2 talks:
an ornithology talk:
"Fit and Fabulous Feathers: How Birds Show Us Love Isn’t Blind"
by Dr. Sarah Khalil
Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
In the vibrant world of avian courtship, love takes on a dazzling array of forms. This talk explores the intricate and often surprising ways that birds display their “affection”, revealing that their choices in mates are far from random. From the flamboyant plumage of peacocks to the elaborate dances of birds-of-paradise, we’ll delve into the evolutionary strategies that underpin these fabulous feathers and bizarre behaviors, and why more often than not, it pays to be choosy. Join us for a journey into the world of birds, where love is not just a feeling, but a complex interplay of signals and selection that challenges the notion that love is blind.
and a performance studies talk:
"Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Theatre"
by Saviana Stanescu and Jon McKenzie
Ithaca-Based Playwright and Professor of Practice the Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University
Have you ever thought about how AI could perform on stage? While some artists fear loss of originality and control with AI, others explore recombinant and posthuman modes of creativity For example, what kind of visual representations of AI can we create in theatre? How can we use AI to augment performance possibilities? Playwright and ARTivist Saviana Stanescu will talk about (co)authoring various theatre shows for which she created/wrote Artificial Intelligence characters and stories. Media artist and performance theorist Jon McKenzie will present LifeLines BFX: Blavatsky Freud Experience - an experimental video staging an encounter of historical figures provoked by contemporary events. Its “traumaturgy” uses literate and digital AI for making cures with different mediums.
Time and Location
First Wednesday of every month, 7 PM.
The Downstairs
121 W. State Street
Ithaca, NY
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We want to hear from you! Come talk to us at a Public Works event or send us a message at ithacapublicworks@gmail.com. Are you an academic? Feel free to list your Public Works talk as an outreach event on your CV! Are you not an academic? We still want to hear from you!
