Panels is a series of conversations hosted by Modem about our complex relationship with technology, moderated by Emily Segal. It’s a space for critical thinkers to envision how human minds and institutions can thrive amidst exponential change.
The second season of Panels explores how technology is reshaping and reimagining the infrastructures we depend on. The conversations explore the implications of bootlegging in the deepfake era, the politics of reclaiming the platform, and the vast potential of synthetic ecologies. Set within a virtual environment built in Unreal Engine, Panels mirrors the seamless transition between digital and physical realms, creating a space that fosters critical dialogue on new and emerging possibilities.
Set within a virtual environment built in Unreal Engine, Panels mirrors the seamless transition between digital and physical realms, creating a space that fosters critical dialogue on new and emerging possibilities.
EPISODE 01
Bootlegging in the Deepfake Era
with David Rudnick, Reggie James
and Emily Segal
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
How do deepfakes reshape the boundaries between homage, appropriation, and theft in cultural production?
Can a bootlegged identity generate its own cultural value, or is it forever bound to the original?
When replication is effortless, what new ethics of consent, identity, and representation do we need—if any?
EPISODE 02
Synthetic Ecologies with
Ross Lovegrove, Ada Sokół
and Emily Segal
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
What does the design practice of tomorrow look like in an age of synthetic ecologies? Are we talking about labs, servers, fermentation tanks, game engines—or something entirely different?
Are we still drawing from nature—or designing entirely new natures from code and simulations?
Can designers shift from shaping objects to curating systems that evolve and behave—almost like living things?
EPISODE 03
Reclaiming the Platform with
Charles Broskoski, Sebastian Clark
and Emily Segal
TOPICS OF CONVERSATION
Why is owning infrastructure—servers, protocols, codebases—critical to cultural and intellectual autonomy online?
How can a platform challenge the logic of the feed and the optimization machine?
What does “cultural infrastructure” look like in a post-platform era?
Panels Season 02
Vision: Modem
Moderator: Emily Segal
Original score: Pierre Rousseau
Title design: Bureau Antoine Roux