About Alan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, (23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954), was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of “algorithm” and “computation” with the Turing machine, which played a significant role in the creation of the modern computer.Turing is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.
During the Second World War, Turing worked for the government at Britain’s code-breaking centre, breaking German ciphers. His homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952, when homosexual acts were still illegal in the United Kingdom. He accepted treatment with female hormones (chemical castration) as an alternative to prison.
In 1954, he committed suicide from cyanide poisoning. It was suggested that Turing was re-enacting a scene from the 1937 film Snow White, his favourite fairy tale, pointing out that he took “an especially keen pleasure in the scene where the Wicked Witch immerses her apple in the poisonous brew.”
On 10 September 2009, following an Internet campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for the way in which Turing was treated after the war.
Decode/Recode
Decode/Recode is a globally networked interactive event celebrating the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth, as part of the official opening of the University of Salford building at MediaCity on 23 Mar 2012. LASALLE participated in a 24-hour ‘live’ digital media performance with the organiser’s 24 partners worldwide.
In this multimedia performance, the University of Salford acts as the central node receiving ‘coded’ content from LASALLE’s and other partners’ nodes. These nodes will be decoded and recoded, passing it on to the network of partners, forwarding, sending it back or distributing it further.
Decode/Recode is an interactive media performance with interactive artworks, sound, lights, performers, and VJs. Audiences participated in the event by eating an apple.
Participating Artists from LASALLE:
Prof. Steve Dixon, President, LASALLE College of the Arts
Milenko Prvacki, Senior Fellow (Office of the President)
Faculty for the Creative Industries
Erzan Adam, Lecturer, Diploma Level 1 (Visual Studies)
Urich Lau, Lecturer, Diploma Level 1 (Visual Studies)
Lim Shengen, Lecturer, Diploma Level 1 (Visual Studies)
Adeleine Daysor, Lecturer, Diploma Level 1 (Visual Studies)
Faculty of Media Arts
Kal Almkhlaafy, Lecturer, Broadcast Media
Faculty of Performing Arts
Melissa Quek, School of Dance
Elizabeth de Roza, School of Theatre
Brian O’Reilly, School of Contemporary Music
Date: Fri 23 Mar 2012
Time: 8.25pm – 12am
Venue: Creative Cube, Campus Green, Lasalle College of Arts
Enquires: www.lasalle.edu.sg
