Alternative Technologies Workshop

We are excited to inform you about the series of Alternative Technologies workshops at the Pervasive Media Studio.

Often we hear grand statements such as ‘technology is the future’, or ‘technology x is the next best thing’. To unravel what this means and to challenge the assumptions made, we start each workshop by asking: What possible alternatives can we imagine and create?

The workshops will explore a number of technologies that are presented as inevitable parts of our future. Each workshop will run for one day on the topics below:

  • Metaverse (14 March)
  • Blockchain/cryptocurrency (9 May)
  • AI & Creativity (20 June)
  • Megaengineering (20th July)

Each workshop will be made up of four main parts: Welcome/Intro, Theme Exploration, Design Fiction & Messy Systems.

Thinking through why these technologies become popular, we will explore what desires are satisfied, what promises are made and what problems they ‘seem’ to solve. In response, we will think through what approaches can be created for alternative futures. Sharing ideas and thoughts on each theme, we hope that the workshops will develop a community of practice for those interested in digital futures. This can inform speculative work and help build a strong foundation for future ideas. 

We are really excited for these workshops- to have though-provoking conversations, challenge the conventions of technology, and reroute desires to imagine more meaningful futures!

This will be a series of day-long workshops, each focused on a particular technology, from the groups below:

  • Studio residents 
  • Watershed staff 
  • UWE Bristol researchers 
  • University of Bristol researchers 

You are welcome to apply for more than one workshop, applicants will have to submit separate applications they would like to join.

These workshops can be a stepping stone for those applying for the Alternative Technologies Seedcorn Funding Award. For more info on this, please email artf-cct@bristol.ac.uk

Drop a line to the Centre for any questions or queries!

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