Benjamin Gaulon

Recyclism · Artist, researcher, educator and cultural producer
b [At] recyclism [.] com · Download PDF

Profile

Benjamin Gaulon has worked under the name Recyclism since 2001. His research focuses on the limits and failures of information and communication technologies: planned obsolescence, electronic waste, consumerism, ownership and privacy, explored through détournement, hardware hacking, glitch art and recycling. His projects take the form of software, installations, hardware, web-based and interactive works, street interventions and workshops, open source when applicable.

He co-founded the collective NØ with Dasha Ilina (2018) and co-directs NØ SCHOOL NEVERS (since 2019). With Vincent Valéry, he co-founded the Internet of Living Things Institute (IoLT), and with Jérôme Saint-Clair, the Internet of Dead Things Institute (IoDT). He is completing a practice-based PhD at Technological University Dublin on "feral media": technology that has escaped the function it was built for.

His work has been shown at ZKM Karlsruhe, Transmediale, Jeu de Paume, the National Art Museum of China, the Taipei Biennial, Gaîté Lyrique, HeK Basel, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry (Carnegie Mellon), KIKK Festival and Design Museum Gent.

Current positions

2025
CY école de design, Cergy
Adjunct Professor: electronics, physical computing, hacking and recycling, DIY and DIWO practices
2022
HEAD Genève
Recurring guest lecturer: Tech Mining intensive, Master Media Design
2021
Sciences Po, Reims campus
Adjunct Professor: Introduction to Digital Culture
2021
École normale supérieure Paris-Saclay
Adjunct Professor: intensive course in object design (Disobedient Electronics; Tech Won't Save Us), Année de Recherche en Recherche-Création (ARRC)
2018
CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay
Adjunct Professor: introduction to design methods and critical research, Department of Social and Human Sciences (in English)
2018
NØ, association, and NØ SCHOOL NEVERS (since 2019), Nevers and Paris
Founder and director

Previous positions

2018–2019
ENSCI Les Ateliers, Paris
Adjunct Professor: Disobedient Electronics; Tech Won't Save Us
2013–2018
Parsons Paris
Assistant Professor and Program Director, full-time faculty of Art, Media and Technology. Launched and led the BFA Art, Media & Technology (2013) and the MFA Design + Technology (2014). Leadership, Graduation and Curricular Committees; faculty hiring and training; student recruitment and advising
2012–2013
CTVR, Trinity College Dublin
Associate Researcher under the supervision of Linda Doyle. Opened and directed the Recyclism Hacklab in the CTVR building: workshops and mentoring in critical making, physical computing and hardware hacking
2010–2011
Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), Dún Laoghaire
Visiting Faculty: physical computing, hardware hacking, critical making
2006–2013
National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin
Adjunct Professor, part-time faculty, BFA Fine Art Media and MA Art in the Digital World: major studio and thesis courses, faculty training, strategic planning
2007–2013
DATA (Dublin Art and Technology Association), Dublin
Director. Invited over 150 international practitioners; established a funding partnership with the Science Gallery Dublin
2007–2013
IMOCA (Irish Museum of Contemporary Art), Dublin
Co-founder and advisor: communication and media strategy, curating, education programme
2005–2010
Square Integrated Communications, Dublin
Artistic Director: graphic design, web design, marketing and communication

Education and research

2026 to 2028: PhD by prior publication (practice-based), School of Art and Design, Technological University Dublin. Recyclism: Practice-Based Artistic Research into Digital Obsolescence, Materiality, and Power, centred on "feral media".
2003 to 2005: MFA Interactive Media and Environment, Frank Mohr Instituut, Hanze University, Groningen, Netherlands.
1999 to 2002: DNSEP (equivalent to an MFA), École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg (now HEAR), France. Graphic design, typography, web and interactive media, video art, net art.
1997 to 1999: BTS (equivalent to an HNC), École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués de Bourgogne, Nevers, France. Graphic design, typography, 3D, animation, semiotics, art and design theory.

Languages

French and English, both fluent.

Organisations founded and directed

2025
Internet of Living Things Institute (IoLT), with Vincent Valéry (Co-founder)
e-waste and living organisms, electroculture, NEUTRAL HOST
2019
NØ SCHOOL NEVERS, international summer school and festival, Nevers (Co-founder, co-director)
2018
Internet of Dead Things Institute (IoDT), with Jérôme Saint-Clair (Co-founder, CEO)
a fictional start-up in the tactical media tradition that questions linear consumption through the reuse of obsolete technologies; MinitelSE, open source operating system for the Minitel
2018
NØ, non-profit association, with Dasha Ilina (Co-founder)
2012
Recyclism Hacklab, CTVR, Trinity College Dublin (Founder)
2007
IMOCA (Irish Museum of Contemporary Art), Dublin (Co-founder, advisor (2007 to 2013))
2007
DATA (Dublin Art and Technology Association) (Director (2007 to 2013))

Selected exhibitions and festivals

2026
2026
Festival Technopolice (October)AERI, Montreuil, France
2025
Residency and exhibitionFrank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA
2025
IoLT residenciesCreative Coding Utrecht, Netherlands; Verte Inc., Nevers
2024
Composting ComputersCreative Coding Utrecht, Netherlands
2024
CurieuCity Festival Art et SciencesUniversité Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
2023–2024
Remember Tomorrow: A Telidon StoryInterAccess, Toronto, Canada
2021
WRO Biennale: REVERSOWrocław, Poland
2019
ReFunct Media, with MANAShanghai Institute of Visual Arts, China
2019
ENCOUNTERED ERROR, curated by LAb[au]Société d'électricité, Brussels
2019
Repair ActsUniversity of the West of England, Bristol, UK
2018
Post-Nature, Taipei BiennialTaipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan
2017
Cityleaks FestivalCologne, Germany
2016
2016
Regeneration MovementNational Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung
2015
Critical MakeHeK, Basel, Switzerland
2015
corrupt.yourself (solo)UMOCA, Salt Lake City, USA
2015
ISEA 2015Vancouver, Canada
2015
PIKSEL 15Bergen, Norway
2014
thingworld, International Triennial of New Media ArtNational Art Museum of China, Beijing
2014
Hack! Détournements (solo)Espace Gantner, Bourogne, France
2014
Transmediale AfterglowBerlin, Germany
2013
GLI.TC/H 0P3NR3P0Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, USA
2013
Transmediale BWPWAPHaus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin
2013
2012
2012
ResonateBelgrade, Serbia
2011
New York Electronic Art FestivalHarvestworks, New York, USA
2009
ISEA 2009 (ReFunct 09, Force Majeure)IMOCA and The LAB, Dublin
2008
Lightwave08Science Gallery, Dublin
2007
Come Out and Play, PICNIC '07Amsterdam, Netherlands
2006
ISEA 2006San Jose, USA
2004
Sonic Acts X UnsortedAmsterdam, Netherlands

Full list at recyclism.com/info.html.

Selected workshops and talks

2026
ReFunct Media WorkshopMaMa, hosted by Pogon, Zagreb, Croatia
2026
The Internet of Living Things x Soft Robotics, PEPR O2RUniversité Paris Nanterre
2026
Tech Mining x ReFunct Media, one-week intensiveÉcole nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
2025
Artist lecture, Sylvia and David Steiner Speaker SeriesFrank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon University
2025
Art of Change 21, guest talkPalais de Tokyo, Paris
2025
Media Archaeology mentoring + ReFunct Media WorkshopFire Station Artists' Studios, Dublin
2025
STWST84x11 FOG MANIFESTOStadtwerkstatt, Linz, Austria
2025
Tech Mining E-Waste WorkshopHEAD Genève
2024–2025
CODE MentorshipIMPAKT, Utrecht; Werktank, Leuven; NØ SCHOOL, Nevers
2021
Recyclage à l'œuvreInstitut français, Izmir, Turkey
2020
2019–2020
2018
Artisanal Electronics: Digital Repair CulturesHEAD Genève
2018
ReFunct Media Modular WorkshopFrank Mohr Institute, Groningen
2016
Colloque État de l'art urbain, Oxymores IIIGrande Halle de la Villette, Paris
2014
2012
E-Waste Workshop 13Transmediale, Berlin
2011
E-Waste Workshop 9.0Goldsmiths, University of London
2005–2013
E-Waste Workshops 1.0 to 15.0, with Lourens RozemaGroningen, Strasbourg, Dublin, New York, London, Metz, Nantes, Berlin

Curating and cultural production

2022–2023
NØ LABGaîté Lyrique, Paris
2021
DIWOStereolux, Nantes
2014
2007–2013
DATA workshops 2 to 19 and events 24 to 59Science Gallery and other venues, Dublin
2012
Openhere FestivalScience Gallery, Dublin
2011
2011
BYOB DublinIMOCA, Dublin

Publications

Gaulon, B. (ed.), The Internet of Dead Things, Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam, 2025. ISBN 979-10-415-4978-8. With contributions by Geert Lovink, Benjamin Cadon, Fieke Jansen, Margarita Padilla, Alessandro Ludovico, Régine Debatty, Jérôme Saint-Clair, Teresa Dillon, Nicolas Nova, Lori Emerson, Garnet Hertz, Janet Gunter and Spider Alex. Publisher's page
Gaulon, B. (ed.), DeFunct / ReFunct, published with the support of RuaRed and D.A.T.A for the DeFunct/ReFunct Symposium, Dublin, 2011. ISBN 978-0-9570777-1-3. Texts by Garnet Hertz and Jussi Parikka, Rosa Menkman, Alessandro Ludovico, Eduardo Navas and Phillip Stearns; artists LoVid, Gijs Gieskes, Karl Klomp (MNK), TokTek and Recyclism. PDF

Grants and awards

2019, 2021–2025
Cultural grants for NØ SCHOOL NEVERS: Département de la Nièvre, Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, DRAC Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
2024
Lauréat IF Export, Institut français
2020
DICRéAM, CNC (Dispositif pour la création artistique multimédia)
2019
ARCADI, aide aux arts numériques (MinitelSE)
2019
Production grant, NØ SCHOOL NEVERS, Agglomération de Nevers
2012
Postscapes Networked Art Award, Denver
2011–2012
Culture Ireland travel grants (Berlin, New York, Paris)
2011
Arts Council Ireland, Travel and Training Award in Visual Arts
2010
Critical Artware award, data corruption software subcategory, Notacon 7, Cleveland
2004, 2010
Turbulence Spotlight (New Radio and Performing Arts)
2008
Culture Ireland curatorial grant, Mission Creep
2007–2009
Dublin Arts Council grants for DATA

Selected press

"Defunct to ReFunct", CFA Magazine, Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts, Fall 2025.
"The Internet of Dead Things", CreativeApplications.Net, 2025.
Laurent Diouf, "L'art numérique passe au low-tech", Stereolux Magazine, October 2024.
Elsa Ferreira, "NØ School : apprendre à s'émanciper du capitalisme", Makery, March 2024.
Laurent Catala, "Benjamin Gaulon en session tech mining à l'iMAL", Intramuros, February 2023.
Maxence Grugier, "Critical Makers at Nø School Nevers 2022", Makery, July 2022.
Gwénola Champaulaune, "La No School revient, pour sa 2e édition", Le Journal du Centre, May 2021.
Dare Pejić, "Tech won't save us at Nø School Nevers", Makery, July 2019.
Tina Amirtha, "How Parsons Paris Reinvented Itself", Fast Company, October 2015.
Filippo Lorenzin, "Benjamin Gaulon: hacking (and recycling) the culture of obsolescence", Digicult, November 2014.
Bogar Alonso, "Make Project Hotel Glitch a Reality with Your Disruptive Art", The Creators Project (Vice), December 2013.
Katherine Biber, "Surveillance is our new normal, so let's take a closer look", The Conversation, October 2013 (2.4GHz, Trace Recordings, UTS Gallery, Sydney).
Régine Debatty, "Interview with Benjamin Gaulon aka Recyclism", We Make Money Not Art, November 2012.
Marie Lechner, "Techno : recyclage à l'œuvre", Libération (Écrans), March 2011.
Michael Lithgow, "Broadcasting the panopticon", Art Threat, March 2008.
Tony Canonico, "2.4Ghz, detourned surveillance", Neural, February 2008.
Alessandro Ludovico, "Corrupt, software for rotting pictures", Neural, July 2006.
Jonah Brucker-Cohen, "Gizmodo Gallery: Benjamin Gaulon", Gizmodo, March 2006.
Sonia Zjawinski, "Graffiti Hackers", Wired 13.12, December 2005 (PrintBall).
Peter Kirn, "The Res: Multiplayer Mac Music with 6 NES Controllers", Create Digital Music, August 2005.

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