Featuring TV’s Small Wonder, futurist Brian David Johnson, and digital humanities scholar Jacqueline Wernimont
Small Wonder rewires the classic American sitcom with hilariously awkward circuitry, dropping an adorable humanoid robot, Vicki, into a wholesome suburban family. At this very special 1980s TV Dinner, we’ll revel in Small Wonder‘s dated gender politics, questionably written dialogue, painfully crispy bangs, and outrageously colored sweaters. We’ll also discuss the show’s insights about the rapidly changing relationships between humans and our “high technology” at the dawn of the age of the microprocessor.
Join us for a screening of the first season episode “The Grandparents” with futurist Brian David Johnson and digital humanist and feminist scholar Jacqueline Wernimont, an assistant professor in ASU’s Department of English and a fellow at the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics. The episode is surprisingly revealing about our anxieties and hopes – in the 1980s and today – about robots and computers in the workplace, as companions, and in our homes.
Don’t be afraid to wear your 80s best: fanny packs, scrunchies, perms, acid wash jeans, Members Only jackets, high-top fades, and (of course) blindingly bright neon apparel are all encouraged.
Food: Free dinner will be served to the first 150 guests to arrive.
Location: Need help finding the ISTB4 building? Visit the ASU Tempe campus map.
Parking: Paid parking for this event will be available in ASU’s Rural Road Parking Structure. The visitor entrance for the parking structure is on its north side, on Terrace Road.
Fabulous image created by Nina Miller