Menu
Conor Byron and Luisa Ji
Digital Arts Resource Centre (DARC) hosted Speculative Futures Ottawa for their exploration of a scenario where the weird web intersects with the normative reality.
If you found this event somewhere by browsing the internet, you’ve probably heard of things that made the web we know of beautiful – HTML, CSS, JavaScript or something like that. With an abundance of tools at our disposal, we have more resources to create, to express, and to commune virtually than ever. Empowered by the limitless possibilities to make the web an enjoyable place for all, what we are looking at through the browser is becoming more and more… normal?!
No time for being nostalgic about the good old 90s and the vibrant place the web once was. This workshop invited participants to dive in and make the web weird again!
Workshop facilitators, Conor Byron and Luisa Jico co-produced an internet-connected participatory experience taking the form of a scavenger hunt. The participants used their smartphones and tablets to access a real-time network and augmented reality experience (similar to Pokemon Go), which was a website developed specifically for this event. In the process the audiences engaged in a discussion mediated by mechanics and interactions resembling those of social media applications, inviting them at the same time to reflect on the dynamics of our different online interactions. The discussion was directed toward how these platforms could be altered or improved, how our interactions with and perceptions of digital media could/should be different, and how our understanding of ourselves and the world around us has already changed and will continue to change as a result of the changing technological landscape.
This event was free. We asked participants to bring a smartphone or tablet to the event.
Conor Byron is a software artist. He is interested in the performative, participatory and sensory aspects of engaging with digital media. In addition to building applications for the web and mobile platforms, he designs and develops interactive installations for musical performances and theatre projects. Inspired by a lifelong interest in the tools and techniques of animation and electronic music, he pursues the exploration and creation of intimate and meditative audiovisual software experiences. He studied Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa.
Luisa Ji is a designer and creative strategist. Her research and work span disciplines including architecture, culture, and studies of the future. Aside from developing conceptual frameworks for digital products, Luisa looks into emerging practices in fields outside the profession of design, keeping an eye on forces shaping possible futures. With broad interests and curiosity, Luisa worked on civic tech, installations, and performances alongside artists and community-builders.
67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B9