We asked the participants of Poetic Computation: Detroit to complete a list of surveys after the program. We are sharing them with their permission.
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.
It's difficult for me to pinpoint the most memorable conversation I had because in truth I am still processing my experience at SFPC Detroit. The topic of finding community came up frequently in my conversations. Like myself, many of my student peers came to the program hoping to connect with other artists, designers, teachers, and technologists. Through conversation it became clear that many of us shared a belief that we need to work towards a healthier and more sustainable community engaging in tech and art in Detroit.
I think that the program could improve if it were a bit longer. While the program felt very full and nourishing (the opposite of how a crash course feels to me), there was very little time to process the conversations we were having. More studio time and/or collective downtime would have been helpful for digesting all of the concepts we were discussing and learning about.
The most memorable lesson I took away from participating in the program was a reminder of how important it is to share work, discuss ideas, and organize in one's community. Somewhere between finishing art school and building a career for myself I lost sight of how critical this is. I can believe in the power of a collective when I'm by myself behind my computer, but I really feel it when I am actually sharing space with folks.
Ideally SFPC Detroit would be a 2-3 week program. Building off of the conversations we had about Project Greenlight and surveillance, I think the topic of "Public vs Private" expressions of technology is important to continue.
SFPC encourages regular people to view the digital world from a human-centric instead of corporate-centric perspective. SFPC reminds us that we can seize the means of production, that people can opt-out of the objectification, datafication and exploitation of the current tech world. We can decentralize the internet, we can program machines to relate on a more human-scale to create a caring network, we can express our creative selves fully without fear of reprisal. SFPC deconstructs all of the weird hierarchal mythology that surrounds computers and lets us re-approach computers on our terms. This idea is real and is as powerful as anything I've ever encountered.
So many - hard to narrow it down. The conversations prompted by American Artist's critical theory sessions vibrated with intensity - the kind of intensity to fuel us to stand up to the prison and academic-industrial systems and the exploitation of land and workers in California. I've already talked to folks about this consciousness raising that American delivered, and Book Suey has ordered Carceral Capitalism, Silicon Valley of Dreams, and also discussed creating a reading series around the Undercommons.
The curriculum was perfect. However, I would have enjoyed more hands-on meal preparation. The kitchen was small, but I feel that we could have rotated teams of 3-4 each day preparing a meal with pre-purchased locally sourced ingredients. Also, powerful yet quiet fans for those days over 85 degrees. And coffee!
When the screen lit up with my first code ever, "HELLO WORLD!"
-Maybe some AI/Machine learning topics (Future of Life/Oxford, Berkeley, MIT thoughts on where we're headed in that field)
A workshop about computing and poetry that requires experience in neither, and encourages all perspectives on both subjects.
Talking to Lauren / Nabil / American about education and what it means to study, and the conversation surrounding American assigning the Undercommons.
"I hope that it is in a more visible part of the city, where there is a chance that onlookers are able to come through and transportation is easier.(not that there is anything wrong with Talking Dolls, they're amazing)"
That things CAN be done, that its worth getting an idea out regardless of how silly you may feel it is, because people are more than willing to understand and guide you. I'm glad to help any way that I can.
Just longer, 2-3 weeks would be amazing. It was hard to cruise through a topic and not have a lot of time to let it sink in. I found myself writing about the workshops consistently after they finished, and have questions that I wished I would have thought to ask.
It was a special experience to meet up with a group of people in Detroit everyday and share a week of learning, conversation and experimenting. We had workshops about software, hardware, screen printing and critical theory. We got to eat food together. We got to know people from our own neighborhood as well as people that lives on the other side of the city.
"The conversation about identity with Neta and Carlo for the Zine interview. The conversation about minimalist and maximalist with Stephen and Katy. Conversation about ""worker"" with Melanie and Neta."
I wish it was a longer program, or more project oriented.
Critical theory by American and Banner making by Andrea and Danielle
Two to three weeks would be ideal for me. I'd like to have more conversation around surveillance, censorship.
Poetic Computation: Detroit was an opportunity to approach technology as a community. Rather than focus on building skills that led to placement as a worker in the industry, we were able to examine the stratification of power that dictates access and equity to technologies and also utilize our imaginations to explore what is possible.
I enjoyed our small group discussion using the worker's inquiry as a launching point to explore our personal workplace experiences with technology. We were not only able to open up about our grievances but then able to identify why we might be having them and how we might approach things differently to correct them.
I really loved the space and all the resources were excellent. I would have enjoyed more small group discussion time in the critical theory classes. It is important to speak as a large group, but small groups allow for conversations to flourish, and through these conversations we allow for a more intimate consideration of the text.
This was a really important experience for me. I have always struggled socially and this was a huge step in reminding myself that by reaching out good things will happen. I will find people who also are looking for connection. It's easy to feel disillusioned but it's hard to take action and find your voice. SFPC taught me a lot about technology and its industry, but I think the most important lesson for me was learning how to use my voice alongside others who share a common vision of an inclusive, creative city.
Detroit wants to be active and wants to be building. I think a theme focusing on building relationships, as brought up by Tawanna and Janice, as well as focusing on how to talk about the fundamentals of building equitable networks. I think a week was achievable for a lot of people who work full time, but i think ideally the course would be at least two weeks. Or perhaps more weekend time could be utilized for group sessions.
SFPC was a week-long educational program ran by artists, technologists, and creatives where we learned about theories directly and indirectly related to how we use technology. We touched upon the history of computing, how technology has affected our world, and ways for us to grow collective power in forms of teaching, education, and awareness-building.
Nabil's question "do we want a seat at the table, or do we want to flip the table?" sparked an interesting conversation, where we talked about our involvements and roles living in America. I spoke with Ann about radical Asian American organizing, and how we've found those communities either in NYC or online. I had an interesting conversation with Stephon about the development of Detroit, especially in relation to outsiders like me.
I wasn't able to make it to Taeyoon's class on Friday morning because I had work, and that was one of the classes I really wanted to attend. I know that the setup was primarily from 4pm-9pm so I was able to make compromises at work to attend a majority of sessions, though. I think the setup of fixed seating and chairs made it difficult to really get to know people who didn't sit in close proximity to you. I eventually got the opportunity to have the conversations I wanted with most of the participants in the program, and I think a more open seating arrangement could be a fun way to help facilitate that more effectively.
I would've also liked to have seen more of a discussion about class and privilege from the tech sector, especially coming into a city like Detroit. It's personally a topic that I have lots of thoughts and feelings about, and I think it would have been great for us to unpack what that looks like, especially with SFPC coming in from "outside". I think the program did a great job in its setup with that in mind—with acknowledging the land from a native/indigenous perspective, including Detroit based practitioners, and donating resources—and I think engaging the class in that kind of dialogue would be helpful and important.
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.
I also have a lot of friends who don't live in Detroit who are curious to visit. I wonder if there's an opportunity to have people from out-of-town come to experience the city and experience an environment that's probably very different from their worlds.
It was a critical reading group meets technology hands-on class meets writing workshop all rolled into a week. I met other creative technologists, writers, and organizers in the Detroit area, and left feeling more connected to my city, to a broader network of digital activists, and empowered to work on my own local tech projects as the week came to a close.
"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. "
"For all of the benefits of working out of Talking Dolls I truly feel bad making any kind of critique of the space. The instructors, community we were exposed to, and access to a creative space were incredibly amazing. My only concerns were around the inconsistent temperature of the space, and accessibility for future students that might require it in the future.
Aside from that, extending the period of the program would be amazing. While I do believe so much was accomplished in one week and there will be lots of ongoing work that this one week sparked, I wouldn't have minded additional time with the group :) "
I learned that the community of thinkers, artists, and activists in Detroit is large and there is a lot of work to do. I was reminded about why I'm so happy to live here, and why empowering each other to approach community issues creatively with art and technology is so important. I wished this kind of community lasted longer than the 1-week, but I believe it will be possible with ongoing communication and collaboration with the SFPC students in Detroit.
I would love a 1-month program to be offered in Detroit, and enjoyed the topic of Uncovering Technology for the community. The only benefits I could see would be in going on more field-trips and community visits to make these lessons come to life in the context of Detroit.
a whirlwind introduction to high tech with an emphasis on art, politics and above all, community, in contrast to so many programs which just focus on coding
the conversations in American's critical theory discussion course were deep, touching on debt, policing, self-policing, questions of who is "the public" in a white supremacist settler colony like the US and how that relates to private/public dichotomies, gender and racial dynamics, ecology and resource extraction...too much to summarize!
very hot the first few days, but no complaints other than that :)
from Melanie's class: it is possible to teach a very gentle intro to a highly technical topic and still have students produce a beautiful and interesting output! i want to update my python intro lesson to incorporate a theme of "choose your own adventure" and print a zine using only web design tools
i don't know if i could stay much longer than a week myself, if students can take the time off, if budget would allow etc. etc. but another week or even a few more days would count for a lot in terms of curriculum and community building