A Cut-Conversation on Techno-Aesthetics: with Gilbert Simondon, Walter Benjamin and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti

Imagine a conversation between Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Walter Benjamin, and Gilbert Simondon, set against the backdrop of mid-20th century modern warfare. Using the cut-up technique, excerpts retrieved from Simondon's On Techno-Aesthetics and Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Technical Reproduction and To the Planetarium are assembled into a dialogue. Marinetti passionately extols the virtues of speed, technology, and the aestheticization of war, while Benjamin counters with his critique of the aesthetization of politics. Simondon interjects axiomatizing techno-aesthetic, proposing that technology and aesthetics are intertwined in a way that transcends mere functionality—it engages perception, performativity, pleasure, and knowledge. As they partake in this cut-conversation, the complexities of modernity are revealed, where the intersections of aesthetics, technology, and politics shape our understanding of the world. Each thinker presents a unique perspective, challenging one another while collectively exploring the implications of their ideas for contemporary society.