Attention is the touchstone problem of our age. Over the last twenty years, an unprecedented concentration of technical and financial power has successfully monetized human attention. The harms of this new system — in effect, the "fracking" of our most intimate selves — are familiar to all. Less widely understood is the nature of the movement that has emerged to fight back against this historic injustice: ATTENTION ACTIVISM.

In this course, we will survey the intellectual and practical foundations of the nascent ATTENTION ACTIVISM movement. We'll draw on texts by Karl Marx, Guy Debord, Shoshana Zuboff, Tim Wu,  and Yves Citton among others. What do the extractive incursions of the Attention Economy mean for shared life in the twenty-first century — and how are communities of activists already working to resist them?

Led by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Mass incarceration today succeeds—tragically—by insulating the majority of free society from the deep injustices of a system that transfers massive amounts of wealth from working class communities into the hands of a few private individuals, at the expense of our most vulnerable populations. (Of course, many people are directly affected by the carceral state, and don’t need to read a report to understand the damage it is doing.)

How do we oppose a system that is adding another layer of exploitation by making incarcerated people and their loved ones products of the attention economy? In this course we will read selections from Danielle Allen's Cuz (2017), along with Angela Davis, Michelle Alexander, and others, and we will delve into working resources that are actively being used to mount nationwide campaigns to ensure people are valued over profit.

Co-taught by Len Nalencz, Professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and educator at the Bard Prison Initiative, and criminal justice advocate Amber Pedersen.

Enroll HERE.

Attention is the touchstone problem of our age. Over the last twenty years, an unprecedented concentration of technical and financial power has successfully monetized human attention. The harms of this new system — in effect, the "fracking" of our most intimate selves — are familiar to all. Less widely understood is the nature of the movement that has emerged to fight back against this historic injustice: ATTENTION ACTIVISM.

In this course, we will survey the intellectual and practical foundations of the nascent ATTENTION ACTIVISM movement. We'll draw on texts by Karl Marx, Guy Debord, Shoshana Zuboff, Tim Wu,  and Yves Citton among others. What do the extractive incursions of the Attention Economy mean for shared life in the twenty-first century — and how are communities of activists already working to resist them?

Led by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Mass incarceration today succeeds—tragically—by insulating the majority of free society from the deep injustices of a system that transfers massive amounts of wealth from working class communities into the hands of a few private individuals, at the expense of our most vulnerable populations. (Of course, many people are directly affected by the carceral state, and don’t need to read a report to understand the damage it is doing.)

How do we oppose a system that is adding another layer of exploitation by making incarcerated people and their loved ones products of the attention economy? In this course we will read selections from Danielle Allen's Cuz (2017), along with Angela Davis, Michelle Alexander, and others, and we will delve into working resources that are actively being used to mount nationwide campaigns to ensure people are valued over profit.

Co-taught by Len Nalencz, Professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and educator at the Bard Prison Initiative, and criminal justice advocate Amber Pedersen.

Enroll HERE.

Attention is the touchstone problem of our age. Over the last twenty years, an unprecedented concentration of technical and financial power has successfully monetized human attention. The harms of this new system — in effect, the "fracking" of our most intimate selves — are familiar to all. Less widely understood is the nature of the movement that has emerged to fight back against this historic injustice: ATTENTION ACTIVISM.

In this course, we will survey the intellectual and practical foundations of the nascent ATTENTION ACTIVISM movement. We'll draw on texts by Karl Marx, Guy Debord, Shoshana Zuboff, Tim Wu,  and Yves Citton among others. What do the extractive incursions of the Attention Economy mean for shared life in the twenty-first century — and how are communities of activists already working to resist them?

Led by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.

Mass incarceration today succeeds—tragically—by insulating the majority of free society from the deep injustices of a system that transfers massive amounts of wealth from working class communities into the hands of a few private individuals, at the expense of our most vulnerable populations. (Of course, many people are directly affected by the carceral state, and don’t need to read a report to understand the damage it is doing.)

How do we oppose a system that is adding another layer of exploitation by making incarcerated people and their loved ones products of the attention economy? In this course we will read selections from Danielle Allen's Cuz (2017), along with Angela Davis, Michelle Alexander, and others, and we will delve into working resources that are actively being used to mount nationwide campaigns to ensure people are valued over profit.

Co-taught by Len Nalencz, Professor at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and educator at the Bard Prison Initiative, and criminal justice advocate Amber Pedersen.

Enroll HERE.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Digital technologies, particularly the evolution of the smart phone, have profoundly reshaped contemporary notions of home. Domestic space, once understood as a private sanctuary physically bounded from the outside world has drastically transformed into a highly fluid and digitally connected sphere, radically blurring boundaries between home and public life. Remote work and workplace intrusion, home as a social media stage, home as an entertainment hub, and home as the epicenter for shopping and consumption habits are a few of the many ways in which the house has been transformed into a setting for continuous and unavoidable digital contact. 

Today, the home is the front line of attention fracking. 

This three-session virtual course will bring attention to this radical transformation of our domestic space and interrogate the implications of global connectivity taking over local intimacy. Using the very tools (laptops, tablets, smartphones etc.) and platforms we are critically examining, the seminar will bring together participants from all over the world to examine how digital intrusions have reshaped our private lives. In doing so, we will conceive spatial strategies to reimagine and sustain the life-giving sanctuaries of home and community. 

Taught by Felipe Correa, architect and founder of Somatic Collaborative, a NYC-based design practice.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Digital technologies, particularly the evolution of the smart phone, have profoundly reshaped contemporary notions of home. Domestic space, once understood as a private sanctuary physically bounded from the outside world has drastically transformed into a highly fluid and digitally connected sphere, radically blurring boundaries between home and public life. Remote work and workplace intrusion, home as a social media stage, home as an entertainment hub, and home as the epicenter for shopping and consumption habits are a few of the many ways in which the house has been transformed into a setting for continuous and unavoidable digital contact. 

Today, the home is the front line of attention fracking. 

This three-session virtual course will bring attention to this radical transformation of our domestic space and interrogate the implications of global connectivity taking over local intimacy. Using the very tools (laptops, tablets, smartphones etc.) and platforms we are critically examining, the seminar will bring together participants from all over the world to examine how digital intrusions have reshaped our private lives. In doing so, we will conceive spatial strategies to reimagine and sustain the life-giving sanctuaries of home and community. 

Taught by Felipe Correa, architect and founder of Somatic Collaborative, a NYC-based design practice.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Digital technologies, particularly the evolution of the smart phone, have profoundly reshaped contemporary notions of home. Domestic space, once understood as a private sanctuary physically bounded from the outside world has drastically transformed into a highly fluid and digitally connected sphere, radically blurring boundaries between home and public life. Remote work and workplace intrusion, home as a social media stage, home as an entertainment hub, and home as the epicenter for shopping and consumption habits are a few of the many ways in which the house has been transformed into a setting for continuous and unavoidable digital contact. 

Today, the home is the front line of attention fracking. 

This three-session virtual course will bring attention to this radical transformation of our domestic space and interrogate the implications of global connectivity taking over local intimacy. Using the very tools (laptops, tablets, smartphones etc.) and platforms we are critically examining, the seminar will bring together participants from all over the world to examine how digital intrusions have reshaped our private lives. In doing so, we will conceive spatial strategies to reimagine and sustain the life-giving sanctuaries of home and community. 

Taught by Felipe Correa, architect and founder of Somatic Collaborative, a NYC-based design practice.

Just as a fish doesn't notice the water until it's gone, we're only now grasping the profound impact of the written word as it recedes from our lives. For centuries, text has invisibly shaped our cognition, institutions, and sense of self. Now, as AI models pen Joycean prose while humans increasingly struggle with multisyllabic words, we're witnessing an unprecedented reversal: swarms of machine intelligence processing text with superhuman ability, while adult literacy rates plummet to middle-school levels. Welcome to the Age of Detextualization.

This transformation reaches far beyond mere communication. As AI enables speech-to-data conversion and voice-activated operations, we're transitioning from a text-centric world to one where AI-mediated speech reigns supreme. This shift isn't just changing how we communicate; it's rewiring human cognition and attention at a fundamental level.

Our generation faces a crucial challenge: how to preserve the benefits of literacy as we transition to a potentially post-literate era. Can AI interfaces foster the deep engagement we associate with reading? Is it possible to maintain the clarity of thought cultivated by writing in a world of speech-to-speech communication? Or are we witnessing an inexorable trade, where machines inherit our textual capabilities while humans slip into terminal illiteracy?

This seminar will explore these questions, with special attention to an emerging paradox: as general literacy declines, the cognitive formation provided by deep reading may become even more crucial—perhaps our key to meaningful interaction with increasingly sophisticated AI models in the years ahead.

Led by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Just as a fish doesn't notice the water until it's gone, we're only now grasping the profound impact of the written word as it recedes from our lives. For centuries, text has invisibly shaped our cognition, institutions, and sense of self. Now, as AI models pen Joycean prose while humans increasingly struggle with multisyllabic words, we're witnessing an unprecedented reversal: swarms of machine intelligence processing text with superhuman ability, while adult literacy rates plummet to middle-school levels. Welcome to the Age of Detextualization.

This transformation reaches far beyond mere communication. As AI enables speech-to-data conversion and voice-activated operations, we're transitioning from a text-centric world to one where AI-mediated speech reigns supreme. This shift isn't just changing how we communicate; it's rewiring human cognition and attention at a fundamental level.

Our generation faces a crucial challenge: how to preserve the benefits of literacy as we transition to a potentially post-literate era. Can AI interfaces foster the deep engagement we associate with reading? Is it possible to maintain the clarity of thought cultivated by writing in a world of speech-to-speech communication? Or are we witnessing an inexorable trade, where machines inherit our textual capabilities while humans slip into terminal illiteracy?

This seminar will explore these questions, with special attention to an emerging paradox: as general literacy declines, the cognitive formation provided by deep reading may become even more crucial—perhaps our key to meaningful interaction with increasingly sophisticated AI models in the years ahead.

Led by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Just as a fish doesn't notice the water until it's gone, we're only now grasping the profound impact of the written word as it recedes from our lives. For centuries, text has invisibly shaped our cognition, institutions, and sense of self. Now, as AI models pen Joycean prose while humans increasingly struggle with multisyllabic words, we're witnessing an unprecedented reversal: swarms of machine intelligence processing text with superhuman ability, while adult literacy rates plummet to middle-school levels. Welcome to the Age of Detextualization.

This transformation reaches far beyond mere communication. As AI enables speech-to-data conversion and voice-activated operations, we're transitioning from a text-centric world to one where AI-mediated speech reigns supreme. This shift isn't just changing how we communicate; it's rewiring human cognition and attention at a fundamental level.

Our generation faces a crucial challenge: how to preserve the benefits of literacy as we transition to a potentially post-literate era. Can AI interfaces foster the deep engagement we associate with reading? Is it possible to maintain the clarity of thought cultivated by writing in a world of speech-to-speech communication? Or are we witnessing an inexorable trade, where machines inherit our textual capabilities while humans slip into terminal illiteracy?

This seminar will explore these questions, with special attention to an emerging paradox: as general literacy declines, the cognitive formation provided by deep reading may become even more crucial—perhaps our key to meaningful interaction with increasingly sophisticated AI models in the years ahead.

Led by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.

In a culture dominated by visual stimuli, the cultivation of listening skills often takes a backseat — yet through listening we can engage with and understand our environments in unique and powerful ways. By practicing active listening, we can connect with our surroundings more holistically. This act of listening can expand our perception, inform our spatial, ecological, and political awareness, and provide space to reflect on the passage of time.

In this 3-week course, we will use our ears to unfold a series of intentional, multi-sensory listening exercises that culminate in the creation of a sound walk. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Pauline Oliveros, Tarek Atoui, Hildegard Westerkamp, Francisco López, and Christina Kubisch, we will expand auditory awareness through durational exercises that incorporate drawing, movement, sounding, and learning how to direct our listening attention. You’ll also learn how to use basic recording tools and audio tour software.

The course will culminate in a public listening event, where participants can engage with audio tours in person through headphones via the guided audio tour software Echoes.

Led by composer, sound technologist, archivist, and researcher Anastasia Clarke.

In a culture dominated by visual stimuli, the cultivation of listening skills often takes a backseat — yet through listening we can engage with and understand our environments in unique and powerful ways. By practicing active listening, we can connect with our surroundings more holistically. This act of listening can expand our perception, inform our spatial, ecological, and political awareness, and provide space to reflect on the passage of time.

In this 3-week course, we will use our ears to unfold a series of intentional, multi-sensory listening exercises that culminate in the creation of a sound walk. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Pauline Oliveros, Tarek Atoui, Hildegard Westerkamp, Francisco López, and Christina Kubisch, we will expand auditory awareness through durational exercises that incorporate drawing, movement, sounding, and learning how to direct our listening attention. You’ll also learn how to use basic recording tools and audio tour software.

The course will culminate in a public listening event, where participants can engage with audio tours in person through headphones via the guided audio tour software Echoes.

Led by composer, sound technologist, archivist, and researcher Anastasia Clarke.

Led by acclaimed conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll, this seminar will draw on design, visual art, architecture, public policy, and even music to see trash anew. With readings from Edouard Glissant, Hannah Arendt, Valeria Luiselli , and others, we'll seek to come into closer relationship with the invisible material processes that drive our world.

Enroll HERE.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

In a culture dominated by visual stimuli, the cultivation of listening skills often takes a backseat — yet through listening we can engage with and understand our environments in unique and powerful ways. By practicing active listening, we can connect with our surroundings more holistically. This act of listening can expand our perception, inform our spatial, ecological, and political awareness, and provide space to reflect on the passage of time.

In this 3-week course, we will use our ears to unfold a series of intentional, multi-sensory listening exercises that culminate in the creation of a sound walk. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Pauline Oliveros, Tarek Atoui, Hildegard Westerkamp, Francisco López, and Christina Kubisch, we will expand auditory awareness through durational exercises that incorporate drawing, movement, sounding, and learning how to direct our listening attention. You’ll also learn how to use basic recording tools and audio tour software.

The course will culminate in a public listening event, where participants can engage with audio tours in person through headphones via the guided audio tour software Echoes.

Led by composer, sound technologist, archivist, and researcher Anastasia Clarke.

Led by acclaimed conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll, this seminar will draw on design, visual art, architecture, public policy, and even music to see trash anew. With readings from Edouard Glissant, Hannah Arendt, Valeria Luiselli , and others, we'll seek to come into closer relationship with the invisible material processes that drive our world.

Enroll HERE.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

Led by acclaimed conceptual artist Mary Ellen Carroll, this seminar will draw on design, visual art, architecture, public policy, and even music to see trash anew. With readings from Edouard Glissant, Hannah Arendt, Valeria Luiselli , and others, we'll seek to come into closer relationship with the invisible material processes that drive our world.

Enroll HERE.

By slowing down the now-automated capture of the medium, we will seek to rediscover the diverse attentional experiences that go into making an impression of ourselves and our surroundings.

All the while, we will think about the relation of these technical processes to meaning-making. Photographs attempt to trap a moment in the amber of silver halide crystals. Our society's preoccupation with photos is analogous to our obsession with the concept of time. What do we see when we look back? 

Enroll HERE.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

By slowing down the now-automated capture of the medium, we will seek to rediscover the diverse attentional experiences that go into making an impression of ourselves and our surroundings.

All the while, we will think about the relation of these technical processes to meaning-making. Photographs attempt to trap a moment in the amber of silver halide crystals. Our society's preoccupation with photos is analogous to our obsession with the concept of time. What do we see when we look back? 

Enroll HERE.

The Attention Labs are an experiential, participatory workshop curriculum dedicated to the joint exploration of radical human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to build sanctuaries of attention — as well as networks of solidarity to sustain them.

Register for our DUMBO Lab HERE.

By slowing down the now-automated capture of the medium, we will seek to rediscover the diverse attentional experiences that go into making an impression of ourselves and our surroundings.

All the while, we will think about the relation of these technical processes to meaning-making. Photographs attempt to trap a moment in the amber of silver halide crystals. Our society's preoccupation with photos is analogous to our obsession with the concept of time. What do we see when we look back? 

Enroll HERE.