CALL FOR PARTICIPATION – Activist Tech Demo Day at Eyebeam Art & Technology Center, January 28 3-6pm.
http://demo-day.org/
An Invitation to an Activist Technology Demo Day.
From Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, technology has played an important role in shaping contemporary resistance and the representation of these events in the media.
We do not believe technology is the main force behind these events and disagree with mainstream media’s phrases such as “Facebook Revolution” as it can lead to a misguided perception of the different movements in general and overshadow the more complex social conditions and regional characteristics specific to each. However we do believe technological innovation has always played a role in social movements and there is a need for collective investigation into the current potential of technologies deployed for activist purposes. Learning from Occupy Wall Street in the fall of 2011, we can collaboratively plot a blueprint for works in near-future.
By using the term Activist Technology, we want to focus on tools of protest and occupation for this event. We are curious about anything from strategic use of social networking sites to bicycle powered generators, instant architecture to anti-police violence suits, real-time video streaming to counter-surveillance tools. Our interest extends to the creative use of technology and designing its social implications.
We invite activists, technologists, artists, designers, and community organizers who have a working prototype or a proposal for collaboration to occupy a desk at Eyebeam Art and Technology Center, NYC on Jan 28 3~6pm. The Activist Technology Demo Day will be open to the public and promoted through Eyebeam and collaborators’ media channels. It will be an opportunity to meet with other makers with similar interests. The day will culminate with a discussion with members of the Eyebeam Urban Research Group and The Public School New York at 5pm.
Please send a brief introduction to your project with a URL of its website by January 20th to ActivistTechnology@gmail.com
Desk space and technology support will be limited and we may not be able to accommodate all projects. You will be notified by January 22nd.
