I see the praxis of crafting technological artifacts as an act of resistance against black box systems. One that contains embodied knowledge and carries with it oral histories of intergenerational practices. One that can transcend cultural and ethnic boundaries, and can be transmitted through direct engagement with materials. Likewise, I see the use of electronics, open software and hardware, and the act of creating collectively as means of cultivating digital commons that have the potential to empower individuals through shared knowledge.
Through practice-based research I probe the world of science by examining subject matters that require knowledge of physics, mathematics and engineering.
Liza Stark, Fabric Speakers Zine
Jie Qi, Dandelion
technology is often a foreign entity that is boxed away from the user, due to their fragility and potential hazard. However, by presenting technology through familiar means or unexpected media, like craft materials, we can nurture a sense of wonder and dispel the fear often associated with using, making or even understanding computational devices.
When we engage individuals in sharing their voices through building technology, a medium that was once open only to “trained experts,” what might they say? What new stories will be told? And in the process, what might we learn about ourselves and our relationships to technology?
Kelli Anderson, riso animation
Tyler Hobbs, Generative art