Ian Alan Paul (b. 1984, US) is an artist-theorist whose work examines enactments of power and practices of resistance in global contexts. Their transdisciplinary practice is formally diverse, often involving coding, photography, writing, and video, and is situated at the intersections of critical theory, contemporary art, and digital media studies. Ian has taught, developed projects, and lived for extended periods in the United States, Mexico, Spain, Egypt, and Palestine, and has exhibited their work and given lectures internationally. A longer bio can be found here, and they can be contacted here.
Projects & Writing
Are Prisons Computers? ◦ Text ◦ 2022
// a diagram of the historical relationship between the digital and the carceral
// a diagram of the historical relationship between the digital and the carceral
Living and Dying Together, Apart ◦ Text ◦ 2022
// a text theorizing the the convergence of network connections and separations in the pandemic
// a text theorizing the the convergence of network connections and separations in the pandemic
Controlling the Crisis ◦ Text ◦ 2020
// an essay that examines the cybernetic policing of migrants in the EU
// an essay that examines the cybernetic policing of migrants in the EU
Notes On Ungovernable Life ◦ Text ◦ 2020
// a theorization of life, and its formal incommensurability with governance
// a theorization of life, and its formal incommensurability with governance
Ten Premises For A Pandemic ◦ Text ◦ 2020
// a pandemic isn’t a collection of viruses, but is a social relation among people, mediated by viruses
// a pandemic isn’t a collection of viruses, but is a social relation among people, mediated by viruses
The Corona Reboot ◦ Text ◦ 2020
// a provisional theorization the new subjectivities in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
// a provisional theorization the new subjectivities in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
Climate, Capitalism, Control ◦ Video Essay ◦ 2019
// a video essay that diagrams planetary-scale computation, commodification, and climate change
// a video essay that diagrams planetary-scale computation, commodification, and climate change
Climate, Capitalism, Control (Script) ◦ Text ◦ 2019
// the script of the video essay “Climate, Capitalism, Control”
// the script of the video essay “Climate, Capitalism, Control”
The Dis/Appeared ◦ Video Essay ◦ 2018
// a video essay that theorizes colonial regimes of perception in Palestine
// a video essay that theorizes colonial regimes of perception in Palestine
The Dis/Appeared (Script) ◦ Text ◦ 2018
// the script of the video essay “The Dis/Appeared”
// the script of the video essay “The Dis/Appeared”
La Orilla Infinita ◦ Photo Essay ◦ 2018
// a photo essay that explores three histories on the Canary Islands
// a photo essay that explores three histories on the Canary Islands
Negative Monument ◦ Poster ◦ 2018
// an open invitation to engage in the participatory negation of a monument
// an open invitation to engage in the participatory negation of a monument
Ten Preliminary Theses on Trump ◦ Text ◦ 2017
// a set of theses diagramming the significance and consequence of Trump’s election
// a set of theses diagramming the significance and consequence of Trump’s election
Antisocial Media ◦ Text ◦ 2017
// a remix/cut-up/utopian-plagiarism of Guy Debord’s “The Society of the Spectacle”
// a remix/cut-up/utopian-plagiarism of Guy Debord’s “The Society of the Spectacle”
Conditions of Possibility ◦ Online Documentary ◦ 2016
// an online documentary that theorizes the post-revolution/post-coup period in Egypt
// an online documentary that theorizes the post-revolution/post-coup period in Egypt
The Guantanamo Bay Museum ◦ Website / Speculative Fiction ◦ 2012-? (Ongoing)
// a critical fiction exploring the legacies of the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities
// a critical fiction exploring the legacies of the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities
Texts in Mourning And Action ◦ Electronic Civil Disobedience ◦ 2014
// a networked intervention organized in solidarity with the Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico
// a networked intervention organized in solidarity with the Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico
A Future Memorial for NAFTA ◦ Public Installation ◦ 2014
// an installation at the Mexico-US Border to mark the 20th anniversary of NAFTA
// an installation at the Mexico-US Border to mark the 20th anniversary of NAFTA
Bird Migration Authority ◦ Website / Speculative Fiction ◦ 2013
// a critical fiction exploring the aesthetic, ethical, and political policing of migration in the EU
// a critical fiction exploring the aesthetic, ethical, and political policing of migration in the EU
Drone Crash Incident ◦ Performance ◦ 2012
// a drone crash simulated on the campus of UC San Diego
// a drone crash simulated on the campus of UC San Diego
Border Haunt ◦ Electronic Civil Disobedience ◦ 2011
// a collective disruption of the networked policing of the Mexico-US Border
// a collective disruption of the networked policing of the Mexico-US Border