Blackboxing

BLACKBOXING

Blackboxing is based on the abstract notion of the black box, a machine that ingests material or information and outputs something different without ever revealing the mechanisms of transformation. According to Philosopher of Science Bruno Latour, “When a machine runs efficiently, when a matter of fact is settled, one need focus only on its inputs and outputs and not on its internal complexity. Thus, paradoxically, the more science and technology succeed, the more opaque and obscure they become” (Latour 304). This opacity creates an asymmetry of power between humans and nonhuman agents (machines, tools, materials, etc.), for the sake of improving efficiency.

As a product of technological success, blackboxing conceals histories of invention, trail-and-error, and tooling knowledge. By examining the effect of blackboxing in the arts, historians can explore the relationship between innovation, deskilling, and reskilling among labor groups, as well as less visible intersections of tools, makers, and materials. 

Additional Resources:

Bruno Latour. Pandora’s Hope: Essays on the Reality of Science Studies. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1999.