Science Fiction Workshops: Registrations open for the first Hackathon!

As part of Artsformation, we are happy to launch the first online series of workshops on the topic of science fiction, including one Hackathon.

Artsformation will organize in total five science fiction workshops. The first three sessions, including the first Hackathon, are organised in collaboration with Catch, a practice-based and open-door approach to learning, offering year-round workshops, institutional and independent collaborations. Under the title ‘Digital Alchemy: Workshop Series’, the first 3 online workshops are created in relation to the current exhibition at Catch “Digital Alchemy: Future Technology Products Inspired by Diverse Voices in Science Fiction” created by Mirabelle Jones. Right now the exhibition is closed due to lockdown and instead they’ve created an online workshop format to be able to work with the themes of the exhibit, including our Science Fiction Workshops.

There has been a long and rich history between science fiction and the development of new technologies. From virtual reality to teleconferencing, science fiction has left its ongoing influence on our present day device-driven world. But technologies are not neutral: they are imbued with the values and interests of their creators.

What are the implications, then, if many of the works of science fiction which we see attributed to modern technologies were penned by white cisgender heteronormative male authors? What are the implications if the same dominant voices are overwhelmingly centered in the design and development of new technology products? Who gets a voice in creating the future and who is excluded?

Hackathon: Diverse Voices In Science Fiction

In cooperation with Catch, we invite you to this online hackathon where we will create a forum for reflection on how we can be a part of expanding the narrative of science fiction and technology and who creates it. We will among other collectively redefine the Wikipedia page describing science fiction and science fiction technologies, to highlight the voices of a more diverse body of science fiction authors, technologists, scientists, artists and inventors.

Date/Time: 16. February 2021 from 17-19 (online event)

Workshop led by Mirabelle Jones.

Registration: Register for the workshop via this link, deadline to register 14 February: https://forms.gle/CAQZjBbK11fWJ4rN7

Max. 20 Participants.

A link for the event will be sent to you the day before the event begins.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/239819580951020

Artsformation will use this Hackathon as part of its data collection. This means that a member of our consortium will be doing participant observation during the workshop. We may also approach you to ask if you would be willing to participate in an interview following the workshop. All data collected will be anonymised.

Upon registration to the workshop you will receive detailed information about the research conducted. If you have any immediate questions, please do not hesitate to contact Post Doc Kirsti Reitan Andersen, Copenhagen Business School, on email: kra.msc@cbs.dk

About Mirabelle Jones

Mirabelle Jones is a queer, non-binary creative technologist, interdisciplinary artist, and researcher based in Copenhagen investigating critical, creative practices in technology. Their work explores the immersive storytelling potential of sensors, spatialized sound, LEDs, animatronics, XR, wearables, artificial intelligence and computer vision.

A proponent of STEAM education and interdisciplinary development, they are a frequent speaker on the subject of accessible, ethical, intersectional, and feminist design practices. Their works have most recently been featured at the Museum Meermanno and the Center for Performance Research and appear in several collections including the One National Gay & Lesbian Archives and the Center on Contemporary Art’s historic Hear Our Voice collection.

Their performances and visual works have been heralded by the Huffington Post, ArtNet, Ms. Magazine, Ingeniøren, Bustle, ATTN, Refinery29, Inquisitr, Mic., Sleek Magazine, Feminist Magazine, Deutsche Welle, Google News, Yahoo News, PBS, Roundtable Journal, Tip, Berliner Zeitung and elsewhere. They are a Research Assistant at The University of Copenhagen in the Department of Computer Science (DIKU) within the Human-Centered Computing section. They possess an M.F.A. in Book Art & Creative Writing and are an active book artist, interactive storyteller and analog novelist investigating the contemporary role of the book in our digitally-saturated world.

www.mirabelleJones.com

https://vimeo.com/user23276886

Digital Alchemy is a part of Feral Labs Network and supported by Creative Europe.