Precognitive Institute for Industrial Property RYBN (2016)

The Precognitive Institute for Industrial Property is a think tank devoted to observing future technological developments. At a time when the writings of several, supposedly paranoid, 20th century authors actually seem to be becoming true, the Precognitive Institute has set itself the task of carrying out a systemic analysis of works of science fiction in order to identify the potential technological and industrial developments that are described within. The Precognitive Institute will scrupulously collect this information that comprises a range of imagined technological futures and which, for the most part, augur ever more intrusive and sophisticated forms of control. Once a technology has been identified, a patent will be applied for at the INPI at the timely moment i.e. when the technology in question is close to becoming a reality. As a consequence, the patent application will lead to the production of a mass of grey literature describing in detail technology that was perhaps only roughly outlined in the source novel. The Precognitive Institute will then be able to corner the industrial power resulting from these ideas, or failing that, will take stock of the emerging technologies of control based on the information contained in reports of previously published patents and technical audits. The Precognitive Institute’s efforts aim therefore to point out the progression of these speculative companies that operate by obtaining patents and intellectual property rights in order to lay claim to whole areas in the fields of life sciences, technology and ideas.

Extradisciplinary art collective and research group, founded in 2000, based in Paris. RYBN specializes in the production of installations, performances and interfaces referring to codified systems of the artistic representation – painting, architecture, contrecultures – as well as to human and physical phenomena (geopolitics, socioeconomics, sensory perception, cognitive systems)
Their work has been shown in numerous contemporary art exhibitions and festivals, such as Centre Pompidou, Paris; La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris; Nemo, Paris; ZKM, Karlsruhe; LABoral, Gijon; le HMKV, Dortmund; Ars Electronica, Linz; Pixelache, Helsinki; HEK, Basel; Kunsthalle, Kiel; Transmediale, Berlin; ISEA, San José; Elektra, Montréal; Cellsbutton, Jogjakarta; etc. Some of their works have been acquired by national collections, in addition to having received awards in international competitions.
http://rybn.org