2/5 n-space States of Exception conference @ London

https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/states-of-exception-2026/prophets-and-protocols

Connecting themes and ideas emerging from n-Space, a new space at Somerset House Studios for research and interdisciplinary experimentation across art and technology, States of Exception is an ongoing series exploring art, technology, and governance.

From data centres reconfiguring energy grids to AI systems determining credit ratings, the convergence of technology and governance is reengineering everyday life. The first events in the series interrogate contemporary sociotechnical systems and ask what operative fictions – the stories that make these systems feel inevitable – drive the transformations to come. Through talks, performances, and dialogues, States of Exception stages encounters where artists, technologists, and researchers challenge these systems and rehearse new possibilities together.

Technology has become a matter of faith. From self-optimisation regimes to crypto evangelism, techno-cults influence how we live, believe, and submit to the very systems that govern us. In this conversation, Günseli Yalcinkaya, Wassim Z. Alsindi and Ruby Justice Thelot examine the cultural and ideological infrastructures that normalise technology’s power – from game theory becoming lifestyle advice to continuous upgrades that seem impossible to refuse. When technological change is treated as faith rather than contestable design, areas of everyday life drift beyond public debate. Through case studies, Yalcinkaya, Alsindi and Thelot, trace the lore, folklore, and mysticism of techno-religious formations.