Research Nights: connecting through seamsResearch Nights: connecting through seams

In their joint project, Hackers & Designers and Ren Loren Britton are developing a so-called ‘soft interface’: a cosy place where people can come together, log in and share their thoughts while socialising with past and future visitors. They base this on open-source principles, where knowledge is shared and technology is accessible to everyone. This approach is a response to technological systems that often do not work in the interests of people and communities.

During this Research Night, they will invite people into conversations to discuss how boundaries and 'seams' in technology can also serve as connection points. These can be connections between people, or between people and technology. Together, we will reflect on collaboration, power dynamics and how collective knowledge can be shared.

Using tools such as e-ink readers, we will explore different ways of using technology: shifting the focus from ‘use’ to experimentation, imagination and care. This will include exploring alternatives to large tech platforms, such as self-hosted servers.

As a participant in the workshop, you can expect an evening where access is the focus. We will be prototyping and discussing how technology 'seems' to us, poetically, materially and physically. No previous experience is necessary. Please bring your laptop or mobile phone.

connecting through seams was commissioned by the Nieuwe Instituut for the exhibition Dutch, More or Less.

Hackers & Designers (H&D) is a collective whose members bring together technology, art, design and education. The group organises learning programmes, builds open-source tools, manages its own technical infrastructure and creates experimental publications. H&D operates on the basis of collaboration and shared ownership.

Ren Loren Britton is a multidisciplinary artist and designer whose work addresses transfeminism, technology and disability justice. Through critical explorations of accessibility and inequality, they examine how we can interact differently with bodies, technologies and societal systems.

Combine this event with a visit to our exhibitions – admission to the museum is free on Thursday evenings. Fancy a bite to eat? Join us in the Nieuwe Café!