What is Experience? (2022-2024) reflected on six years—two trilogies—of the What is…? Series. Experience has a long history in philosophy and more recently in systems, intersectionality, networks, criticism, dialogue and debate, organizing, responsibility, care ethics, sociology, critical cybernetics, globalization, sense-making, planning, critical advertizing, and ecofeminism. Some areas of exemplary inquiry include autopoiesis, feminism, flow, activism, politics, organization, peace and justice, economics, relational ethics, science and technology studies, ecological futures, democratization, multimodal communication education, social ecology, transformational change and justice, as well as fusions of art-science-design, recognizing patterns in the world, and interplays of change and continuity in the 21st century.

Dedicated to the experience and memory of

Mitchell Block
Brenda Dervin
Todd Gitlin
Hazel Henderson

bell hooks
Richard Hunt
Don Ihde
Robert Irwin
Daniel Kahneman

Elihu Katz
Klaus Krippendorff
Janet D. Kwami

Bruno Latour
Paul Lester













Jerry Mander
Humberto Maturana
Jack McLeod
Maria Mies
Vincent Mosco
Antonio Negri
Nel Noddings
Anita Schiller

Herbert Simons
Annabelle Sreberny
James R. Taylor
Bill Viola
Peter Weibel
Herbert Zettl

And, All Those We Remember

2022-2024 marks the twelfth annual What is…? and recognition of collaborative transdisciplinary research networks cultivating experiences as the heart of culture, nature, and pluriverse. What is…? returns in 2025!


What is Media? (2016)
UO Portland • 2016
NW Film Center/Portland Art Museum

What is Life? (2017)
UO Portland • 2017
Portland Japanese Garden

What is Universe? (2018)
UO Portland •  2018
Newmark Theatre • Portland Center Stage
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

What is Technology? (2019)
UO Portland • 2019
Oregon Museum of Science & Industry
The Harry C. Kendall Planetarium

What is Information? (2020)
UO Cyberconference • 2020
Oregon Historical Society

What is Communication? (2021)
UO Remote • 2021
Speaker Series • Virtual Screening

TEAM