Paper short abstract:

‘Black box’ is a common term in STS theory that usually refers to processes that remain unnoticeable. However, it may also refer to the ‘stage black box’ in a theatre. This paper aims to explore the ways in which domestic space can be a testing ground for challenging the concept of ‘black box’.

Paper long abstract:

'Black box' is a common term in STS theory that usually refers to a set of invisible processes and technologies that are taken for granted, that generally remain unnoticeable. However, a 'black box' may also refer to the 'stage black box', that is, the space within a theatre that is formed by the stage, the stage machinery and the backstage. In summary, the 'stage black box' is an architectural device where any fiction can be brought into life.

This paper aims to explore the ways in which domestic space can be a testing ground for amplifying and challenging the concept of 'black box'. This is done through a set of domestic case studies that transfer stage and performance strategies from live art to domestic spaces in order to 'open the black box. The tension between this two ways of understanding the 'black box' is an opportunity not only to rethink the conceptual repertoires of STS and ANT, but also to rethink nowadays domestic spaces.