connecting through seams

connecting through seams brings together collective experiences and expressions that challenge challenge impersonal, techno-slick aesthetics prevalent in today’s digital design. This new installation we have conceptualized as a soft interface for e-ink readers that become activated by visitors to the installation — every visitor is prompted to join into the seams and reflect with us on their relationship to collective praxis.

Engaging in metaphorical and practical seams of collective technological praxis this work embraces collective authorship, imperfection and ongoing process. Reflecting a shared commitment to free/libre open-source principles – challenging impersonal, techno-slick aesthetics prevalent in today’s digital design. This work began at the moment where we re-affirmed a shared sense of urgency: we need to reimagine how we relate to technologies and to each other in the face of systems that are continually failing us. As a work activated by visitors we conceptualized the installation as paying attention to the tension and power dynamics charting the edginess of power dynamics (both the power relations among people and within the technologies we use) and the frameworks of collaboration that share our research practices. This work investigates the limits of “use”– especially when we hack and invent towards dismantling structures that don’t serve us - whether socially, or by engaging self-hosted servers.