We Are Data - Phase 2
A retrospective
In Egypt internet – based innovations and digital technologies have been presented as strong and effective tools for inclusive development and solutions to many current challenges in sectors like transportation, health, agriculture and education. This however also raises lots of pressing questions on how to deal with the ramifications of these new technologies and concerns about security, privacy, accountability, bias, agency, transparency, and ethics. We want to start a dialogue that responds to these important opportunities, questions and challenges and explores them in the specific Egyptian context. To start a critical reflection and analyse these new technologies in our data-driven society through the perspective of the arts the we need to investigate major questions such as Data Collection, Access to Data, Reusing and Archiving Data, Language and Data, and Artistic use of Data.
With this in mind, IMPAKT and Cairotronica set up an exchange platform with the aim of building an interdisciplinary community in the Netherlands and Egypt that integrated new technologies with the art and design practice. Within the program, important discussions were held about the effects of the current data-driven society on our world. Under the theme of WE ARE DATA we aim to connect researchers, technology experts, engineers and academics with artistic makers and designers. In a program that consists of workshops, meetups, presentations, designers. It explored and experimented with technologies related to these processes. Next to the more traditional and technical questions on ‘how’ to use these new technologies, it also wanted to generate attention for the more philosophical question of ‘why’ we use them, and how the way others use them can affect us.
In the months leading to Phase 3, the 6 Egyptian artists, mentored and facilitated by Sabrina Verhage, Coralie Voglaar, Jeroen Van Loon, developed individual projects. The projects are currently under further development and are to be exhibited at the Cairotronica Festival 2020 and as one of IMPAKT’s web projects.