Ben Pulver® Index (2025) Academic / Art / Writing PhD, Art History · UofT Art Practice ↗ CV Classic design ↗

Ben Pulver Researcher · Artist · Writer Cybernetics & art.

Ben Pulver presenting Cybernetic Images and Imaginaries at House of Annetta, London
Lecture ‘Cybernetic Images & Imaginaries’ for New Heretics exhibition at House of Annetta, London, England in May, 2026.
Cybernetic Images & Imaginaries

Self-published zine and performance lecture for the New Heretics exhibition at House of Annetta, London (May 2026). A speculative visual archive exploring how the ideas of cybernetics and AI have found figures and form.

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Dissertation 2022–

Art and cybernetics in France, 1968–1985. Traces an ‘aesthetics of dysfunction’ mapped onto two dimensions: explicit protest and sabotage against the cybernetic regime of control, and the implicit, often spectral condition of cybernetic and computer art that reveals a fundamental motivation of mitigating disorder.

Research Areas Ongoing

Cybernetics. Art. Computer art. AI slop. Creativity and cognition. Information aesthetics.

Practice Mixed media

Letterpress printing apprenticeship at Massey College Print Studio — 19th century techniques in conversation with contemporary typing practices. Digital artwork, poetry, short stories, and a podcast on The JCR (Massey).

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Statement

On the work
On the dissertation

In that timeline I trace an emergent condition I name an ‘aesthetics of dysfunction’ which can be mapped onto two dimensions of ‘dysfunction’ in response to cybernetics: 1) the explicit protest and sabotage against the cybernetic regime of control and order; and 2) the implicit, often spectral condition of cybernetic and computer art and telematics that while seeking formal qualities of control and function reveal their fundamental motivation of mitigating disorder and dysfunction.

On the zine & performance lecture

Recently, I self-published a zine and gave a performance lecture at an art exhibition at the House of Annetta in London, England titled New Heretics — the zine and the talk were titled Cybernetic Images and Imaginaries and investigated a speculative visual archive to think about how the capacious and multivalent ideas of cybernetics and artificial intelligence have found figures and form.

On the art practice

Alongside my research practice, I also maintain a dynamic mixed media art practice. I have been a printing apprentice at Massey College in the Print Studio, exploring 19th century letterpress printing techniques and alienation in contemporary typing practices, and have exhibited some of this work at Hart House.

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Writing & Talks

Academic + Creative
Talks & Lectures
“Cybernetic Images and Imaginaries” Performance lecture, House of Annetta, London (New Heretics)
History of Cybernetics & AI Invited lecture, Sorbonne 1, Paris
“Cybernetics and AI slop” Centre for Culture and Technology, Toronto
“The future of art, or art for the future” Art History dept, UofT — on Abraham Moles
Creative
Digital artwork, poetry, short stories Arbour Room Magazine
Digital artwork, poetry, short stories Audeamus
Cybernetic Images and Imaginaries Self-published zine
Podcasts — The JCR (Massey)
On ChatGPT across disciplines The JCR, Massey College
On architecture, affect, aesthetics The JCR, Massey College
On walking and thinking The JCR, Massey College
Performance lecture at House of Annetta, London Lecture at Massey College Slop in the Machine — Centre for Culture and Technology Lecture at university library Presenting at Massey College Presenting at Centre for Culture and Technology
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Art / Mixed media practice

Letterpress · digital · zine
001 Cybernetic Images and Imaginaries Zine & performance lecture · New Heretics, London 2026 002 Letterpress Work Print / exhibited at Hart House — 003 Digital artwork & poetry Arbour Room Magazine — 004 Digital artwork & poetry Audeamus — 005 View full art practice → All work 2022–26
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Curriculum Vitae

Ben S. Pulver