Dr. Yuk Hui 許煜 Center for Cultural Studies Department of Computing 36 Laurie Grove New Cross London SE14 6NW UK cu601yh[A]gold.ac.uk huiyuk[A]gmail.com www.digitalmilieu.net

I am now working on the Metadata Project which is part of the New Media Research Project funded by The Leverhulme Trust. The working title of my PhD thesis is "On the Existence of Digital Objects". The thesis is a philosophical investigation of such digital objects as images, videos, facebook objects which pervade our everyday life online and constitute a digital milieu with which we live. Despite their popularity, philosophical reflection about them has largely been absent. Digital objects in their simplest form are data, which is further formalized through logical metadata schemes or ontologies. The formalized objects present themselves as data which are programmable objects which we create, drag, delete, as well as networks which are created through logical inferences. It argues that investigation of natural objects by traditional metaphysics fails to understand digital objects. It proposes to develop a new method based on the conceptualisation of technical objects in Martin Heidegger and Gilbert Simondon’s works. Heidegger is important because understands it through situating it within its world, Simondson treats it as an evolution towards perfection. The thesis proposes synthesizing the ideas of these two thinkers through the concept of relations by studying the genesis of Mark Up languages from GML to the semantic web and history of artificial intelligence, especially what Hubert Dreyfus calls the Heideggerian AI. It develops a theory of relations from Hume (discursive relations) and Heidegger(existential relations) to analyse digital objects. Both relations refer to two conceptions of temporality. The analysis of relations leads to understand the digital milieu as a technical system, which exhibits the dynamic between these two relations. The thesis further proposes to investigate experiences in the digital milieu through the analysis of both cognitive (Husserl) and existential (Heidegger) meaning, by contrasting them with computational logic, algorithms and the extended mind hypothesis. In general, the thesis demonstrates a new approach and metaphysical understanding of computational objects, which is called machine phenomenology.

I am working under the advice of Professor Bernard Stiegler(philosophy), Dr. Matthew Fuller(Media Theory), Professor Scott Lash(cultural studies), and Professor Robert Zimmer(Computing & Mathematics). In parallel to the philosophical investigations, I am also working closely with the industry. I am one of the founding members of the International Association of Web and Philosophy. Currently I am leading a project to develop a time-based video tagging application in collaboration with the Tate,UK After graduated from Computer Engineering, I worked in the software industry specializing in ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning) system and Web Applications. Later I switched to work in the cultural industry on media and publication to pursuit my interest in writing. The experience in two fields inspired me to have a deep reflection on humanity and technology and pursuit further studies. As a writer, I have published in many Chinese newspaper and magazines. Besides of writing, I also enjoy doing sports, playing music, and arts, I am a co-founding member of the international art/culture research collective DOXA. You can find an interview of me with Theory, Culture and Society

Keywords: Digital Objects, Metadata, Semantic Web, Ontology, Phenomenology, Heidegger, Husserl, Simondon

Languages

English, French, German, Mandarin, Cantonese, Chewchau

JAVA, C++, PHP, Processing

Education

1. 2007 - 2011 PhD Goldsmiths College Cultural Studies/Computing[thesis title: On the Existence of Digital Objects], funded by The Leverhulme Trust
2. 2006 - 2007 MA Goldsmiths College Cultural Studies [thesis title: Decentralization, Network Protocol and Control Society]
3. 2000 - 2003 B.ENG University of Hong Kong Computer Engineering [project title: Enhancing the security of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) Protocol]

Relevant Employment

September 2010 - February 2011, Research Associate, Media and Communications, Goldsmiths University
December 2010 - present, Researcher, Theory, Culture and Society

Publications

• Academic Publications
  • Book Chapters
    • Search, in Benjamin Robertson,Marie-Laure Ryan and Lori Emerson ed., Johns Hopkins Encyclopedia of Digital Textuality, (Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming)
    • The New Politics of the New Media, in Rajan N. The Digitized Imagination, (Rouledge, 2009)
    • A Phenomenological Inquiry on the Emergence of Digital Things, in schwinghammer, A. & Menrath, K., What does a chameleon look like? Topographies of Immersion, (Cologne: Herbert von Halem Verlag, 2010)
  • Journal Articles
    • Computational Turn or a New Weltbild?, in Unseen/Junctures: The Journal for Thematic Dialogue, edited by Susan Ballard, 2010
    • The Extended Mind and the Digital Milieu, in Proceedings of VIIIth European Conference on Philosophy and Computing, edited by Klaus Mainer, Verlag Dr. Hut, 2010
    • On The Meaning of Digital Objects, in Proceedings of VIIth European Conference on Philosophy and Computing, edited by Jordi Vallverdu, University Autonoma de Barcelona, 2009
  • Book Reviews
    • Individuation and the Play of Memories, Review of Bernard Stiegler's Acting Out, in Parallax 16, 2010 (117-20)
    • The Plane of Obscurity--Simulation and Philosophy, Review of Manuel DeLanda's Philosophy and Simulation--The Emergence of Synthetic Reason in Computational Culutre 01, 2011
    • Review of Graham Harman's The Prince of Networks: Bruno Latour and metaphysics, in Parallax, 2011 (in preparation)
  • Translations
    • [article]One World One Dream - China at risk of new subjectivity by Brian Holmes ,Leaders Economic Journal, China, September 2008
    • [book] Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology by David Graeber, Guangxi Normal University Press , China, 2010 (forthcoming)
  • Multimedia
    • Smooth Plan- A Journey to Nomadology 101, in Inflexions, Volume 1, edited by Sense Lab Concordia University,2008
• Articles in Chinese
  • 甚麼是「此刻」？本土的本體面向(What is 'Now'? An ontological orientation of Locality), in Local Discourse Year Journal 2010, Azothe, Taiwan, 2010 (Chinese, forthcoming)
  • 獅子山精神的批判(Critique of Lion Rock Spirit--Neoliberalism in Hong Kong), in Local Discourse Year Journal 2009, Azothe, Taiwan, 2009 (Chinese)
  • 另一種本土，另一種認同，另一種政治 (Another Locality, Another Identity, Another Politics), in Local Discourse Year Journal 2008, UP Publication, Hong Kong 2008 (Chinese)
• Other Publications
  • Books
    • Brave New World: Crime and Punish on the Internet (in Chinese), China, 2005. ISBN: 998-98772-0-1

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Activities

• Talks and Presentations
  • 2011
    • Technological system and the problem of symbolization, Rethinking Jacques Ellul and the Technological Society in the 21st Century, University of Lisbon, Portugal, June 17‐18, 2011
    • On the Genesis of Objects, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University, UK, 12 May
    • The Theatre of Engineers: Materialism on an uncanny Stage, Atelier “Philosophie et Ingénierie”, Chambéry, France, 16 May (Keynote Speech)
  • 2010
    • Reclaiming culture from industry, capitalism and the British "Creative Economy": An investigation of new configurations of the artistic system, European Congress of Aesthetics, Madrid, Spain, 10-12 November
    • What is a Digital Object?, The First Web & Philosophy International Symposium, Sorbonne Paris, 16 October
    • The Extended Mind and the Digital Milieu, The 8th European Conference of Computing and Philosophy, Munich Germany, 4-6 October
    • The Extended Mind and the Redistribution of Energy, Sommerakademie Wo Kommen Unsere Energien Her, Essen Germany, 30 Aug- 8 Sep
    • Critique of Search and the Problem of Knowledge, Deep Search II (World-Information Institute), Vienna, 28 May
    • Computational Turn or a new Weltbild, Workshop on Computational Turn, Swansea University,UK, 08 March
  • 2009
    • The Image of Networks, A Topological Approach to Cultural Dynamics, Barcelona, 10-12 December
    • Theory and Method: The Problem of the Symbols, Inter-Asia Cultural Typhoon 2009, Tokyo, 3-5 July
    • On the Meaning of Digital Objects, The 7th European Conference of Computing and Philosophy, Barcelona, 2-4 July
    • On the Temporal Experience of Digital Objects, The 5th Social Study of ICT Open Research Forum (SSIT-ORF), London School of Economics (21-22 April, 2009)
    • Time-Based Video Tagging Engine, Open Knowledge Conference, University College of London, (28 March, 2009)
    • On the Logic of Digital Objects– the Necessity of Meanings, Les Entretiens du Nouveau Monde Industriel, Paris, (24-26 March, 2009)
    • Rethinking Digital Object, Rethinking Information Relevance“, Future of Social Networking (W3C workshop), Barcelona, (15-16 January, 2009)
  • 2008
    • Production of Network & Network of Production, Force of Metadata Force of Metadata, Goldsmiths, University of London (29th November 2008)
    • Toward the phenomenology of digital things, The 4th Social Study of ICT Open Research Forum London School of Economics,London (23 April 2008)
    • A phenomenological inquiry of a digital thing, „that´s what a chameleon looks like” Imagination, Illusion, Immersion Freie Universität,Berlin (2 February 2008)
  • 2007
    • The Notion of Time at the age of Ubiquitous Computing”, University of Frankfurt/Goldsmiths College Acrossing Time Zones , Goldsmiths, University of London,London (14 November 2007)
• Other Projects
  • Organizations
    • Return of the Tank

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Community Services

• Industrial/Academic Communities
  • Working Group(XG) on Social Web Standardization, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), 2009-2010
  • Reviewer for Theory, Culture and Society
• NGO & Charities
  • Advisor to ACO (Art and Culture Outreach) HK, 2008-2010
  • Director, Hong Kong Backpackers' Association 2004-present
  • Project Coordinator, Cycling Hong Kong 2004 (Partnered with ORBIS)
  • Project Coordinator, Cycling across Tibet 2002 (Partnered with MÉDECINS SANS FRONTIÈRES)

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Links of Friends