work in progress documentation guideline, deadline October 1, 2019
School for Poetic Computation's first offsite session 'Poetic Computation: Detroit' is intended to contribute to the growth of Detroit's arts and technology community through public programs that combine technical knowledge with artistic rigor. Since 2013, the School for Poetic Computation has offered learning opportunities and international community for artists exploring the intersection of art, design, literature and technology in New York City. With support of the Knight Foundation, the school collaborated with Detroit educators and community organizers to produce a 10-day workshop for local artists to learn software, hardware, poetry and critical theory for artistic expression. Through lectures, field trips, and hands-on making, students explored and respondeded to topics including navigating computer with the command line, object oriented programming, electronics, and a critical theory of technology. The curriculum of "Unconvering Technology" was designed for a friendly, expressive, critical and joyful relationship with technology. The participants were a diverse group of Detroit residents ranging from artists, technologists, writers, community organizers and students without previous experience with technology. This zine contains a selection of documentations and resources on the program, and is intended for Detroit based organizers and international community to use as a reference and inspiration to organize similar programs.
"What were the key outcomes of the project?"
- The Poetic Computation: Detroit was initiated by School for Poetic Computation and Taeyoon Choi as the principle investigator in the fall of 2018. From spring of 2019, a group of four SFPC co-organizers, each responsible for 1. Curriculum (Melanie Hoff), 2. Documentation and Community (Neta Bomani), 3. Production (Taeyoon Choi), and 4. Logistics (Lauren Gardner) realized the program. These roles were lead and shared by the co-organizers
- A group of SFPC teachers from New York and San Francisco, and Detroit based teachers designed their syllabus and activities in response to the overarching curriculum. More on how we approached and worked with the teachers.
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We designed a new curriculum and theme on Unconvering Technology based on two research trips and survey of Detroit residents. The curriculum focuses on providing technical literacy, combining critical theory and practice, rather than creative coding for visual art. More on designing a community specific curriculum.
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Technology is usually made available to us after many layers of abstraction have been imposed. In the process of abstraction, it’s inner workings are obscured and most people are excluded from understanding it. If we can’t understand it, we can’t fix it, take care of it or truly own it. What would it look like to cultivate a more caring and imaginative kind of tech for ourselves and each other? - Full description
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We invited Detroit-based teachers and speakers. SFPC teachers lead technical classes covering key computing concepts, function, variable, state based programming in Python, as well as artistic and conceptual inquiries. Integrate critical theory, community technology and code, i.e. Power, in electricity and in politics, undercommons inside of academic institutions and cities, operating systems as a poetic media, peer to peer, decentralized protocols to change our relationship with technology. The organizers and teachers developed original syllabus, slides and tutorials which are available via the session repository on GitHub.
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We focused on providing equitable access to tools, donate all hardware and software. For example, teachers set up Raspberry Pis customized with a static IP and Dat: Tutorial and more on providing equitable access to tools and knowledge.
- We conducted field research in February, 2019 to meet with potential collaborators and survey community's interest.
- We organized 4 public events in Detroit between June and August, that were free of charge.
- We offered 7 days of full time classes for students accepted through an open call, that were pay-as-you-wish.
- We inivited diverse student body that represent the Detroit community. We intended to build a community of students, teachers and friends. We hoped to inspire the Detroit community with art, design and technology via class projects, zines and showcase. More on the principles of community outreach.
- We collaborated with local partners, PR agencies and community leaders to bring more diversity and inclusivity and representation and visibility.
- We lead an initiative for class notes, hired professional photos and videographers, recorded audio files and made them available for the students and researchers
- Website sfpc.io/detroit
- Research trip 1
- Research trip 2
- Meet the students
- Tawana and Nabil
- Ann and Melanie
- Final reflection by Taeyoon
- Student feedback
"What did you learn that you’d like us to know?""
We learned
- How to enter a city as an outsider, in conversation with local organziers and curators. Read more on research trip 1
- How to build trust with the community leaders, through our interaction with local partners. Read more on research trip 2.
- How to sustain a project, 'What is easy is sustainable' - adrienne maree brown
- How to package our philosophy and pedagogy in a week
- How to onboard students and staff
- How to take notes
- How to localize a code of conduct
- How to balance structured learning and exploration
- How to create a safe space without jargons
- How to provide equitable access to tools and knowledge.
- How to, and how not to, delegate and decentralize
- How to define roles and responsbilities of co-organizers
- How to support local organizers continue the work
- How to hear and local voices: Critical theory class generated intense debates about the tech industry and gentrification, debt and surveillance.
- We learned about, and connected with a variety of Detroit and Michigan based artists, educators and organizers. We hope to highlight their work via blog postings and future programs.
- SFPC Salon in Detroit [Photos]
- Student Showcase [Photos]
- Oral History zine by Neta Bomani [Link and Photos]
- Critical Theory of Computation zine by American Artist
- Folder Poetry zine by Melanie Hoff
- 6 minutes video documentation [Work in progress ]
- Final report [This document!] How we organize the Poetic Computation: Detroit 2019, inspired by How we organize the AMC zine.
Q: How would you describe Poetic Computation: Detroit program to a friend who couldn’t participate?
A: The Poetic Computation: Detroit program was a space for both community building and learning. Being among a group of teachers, organizers, and fellow students with varying life experience, skillsets and engagement in tech was extremely refreshing. SFPC Detroit was one of the most unique learning experiences I've ever had. Imagine if the best parts of traditional school were distilled into one week of critical discussion, hands-on learning, and radical organizing.
Q: What are some memorable conversations you had?
A: "I was incredibly impacted by members of the Detroit Community Technology project visiting and sharing their research and advocacy around facial recognition technology in Detroit. Their work is monumental, and it informed my own perspectives on the importance of local organizing and activism around this technology. Also, I really enjoyed a workshop inspired by The Worker's Inquiry. During this workshop, we sat in small groups and discussed our individual experiences in the workplace. Through this, it was intriguing to find that each of us had experienced frustrating, and in some cases, inhumane scenarios from our employers, fellow workers, and more. This kind of community building was so fast and so impactful, and I felt impassioned to use similar tactics to align community members around issues that affect us collectively.
Q: What is the most memorable lesson you learned from the program?
A: Collective power and action is the way to go! Everything from the literal subject matter to the ways in which we learned and grew from each other helped reinforce that.
We experienced a strong need and interest for an inclusive art and tech community and learning opportunities in Detroit. In order to provide equitable access, we (art and tech teachers and organizers) need to support cities other than centralized nodes such as NY, SF or LA, build relationships with local organizers and support the local community. We created a mission statement for organizing an off-site session. We hope the documentation and mission statement can be a tool for future organizers to adapt and develop for their local community. We are thrilled by the community feedback and excitement, and want to return to organize a longer program in the future.
