Nieuwe Instituut
Nieuwe Instituut

Sonneveld House

Research Nights: connecting through seams

In their collaboration connecting through seams, Hackers & Designers and artist and researcher Ren Loren Britton explore ways of working that deviate from the sleek, detached style often associated with digital design. They create spaces for mistakes, collaboration and processes that don’t need to be ‘finished.’

25 September 2025 17:00 - 19:00

Photo: A series of online and offline experiments snake through the screen. Sewn lines connecting to wires that are sewn into fabrics connected to digital graphics depicting ESP modules move in and out of focus with a lot of movement between many parts of the image. It feels like an exercise in connecting very briefly where somethings come together and others fall apart. There are materials and textures and digital materialities scattered across the image in various connections and disconnections. There are also many icons of the app ’Signal’ indicating the messages are being received, and the backdrop for the collage is a Jitsi (an open source video conferencing system) call.

In their joint project, Hackers & Designers and Ren Loren Britton are developing a so-called ‘soft interface’: a softer, more human approach to technology. 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 demonstrate 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.

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

Language: English | Location: Nieuwe Instituut | RSVP (Free)

RSVP

Hackers & Designers

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

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.

Make your evening complete!

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!

Nieuwsbrief

Ontvang als eerste uitnodigingen voor onze events en blijf op de hoogte van komende tentoonstellingen.