I spent yesterday up at the University of Sussex at a free symposium hosted by the Feminist Approaches to Computational Technology (FACT///.) research network.
Despite being one of my local universities I don’t make it up to campus nearly often enough, so it was great to meet some of the researchers based at the Sussex Humanities Lab and further afield who are also working on feminist technology projects.
The event (as well as the FACT///. network itself) had a focus on diversity and inclusion in technology practices and communities, and featured a diverse variety of talks and performances ranging from presentations on academic research projects, to practice-based tips on inclusion, to personal reflections on issues of identity when confronting technology.
As a nerd at heart, one of my favourite talks was about the algorave scene and the politics of having women visibly coding music at live events. Brighton has played a key role in the development of the international algorave scene so I’ll hopefully have a chance to check out a live show at some point 🙂
The symposium featured talks from:
- Lucy Robinson, University of Sussex
- Suze Shardlow, Women Who Code
- Judith Ricketts, independent researcher and artist
- Phoenix Perry, Code Liberation, University of the Arts London
- Shelly Knotts, Durham University
- Elly Clarke, Goldsmiths
- Renata Frade, Universidade de Aveiro
- Clareese Hill, Goldsmiths
The full programme is available on the symposium’s Eventbrite page.