[resource-net] CODE NL-D Symposium I: Reclaiming Digital Agency

[Rachel Uwa]

Dear Resource Community,

School of Machines have organised our first Symposium next Saturday, June
26. (14:00-17:30) in collaboration with IMPAKT Center for Media Culture in
Utrecht and we would love for you to attend! Brilliant humans will be
joining together to discuss how we can reclaim our digital agency. More
information below.

Come join us!

Warmly,

Rachel Uwa
*Creative Director | School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe
<http://schoolofma.org/>*


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*How can we reclaim digital agency?*

*Description*

Connected Digital Europe (CODE) NL-D is a collaboration between IMPAKT
Center for Media Culture in Utrecht, the Netherlands and School of
Machines, Making & Make-Believe in Berlin, Germany. CODE NL-D seeks to
bring together artists, concerned citizens, politicians, and policy makers
to engage in dialogue and critical discussion in the realm of digital
agency. Our desired goal is to influence public policy and define ways in
which we can improve laws and legislation that will protect us as digital
citizens and consumers.

The first symposium centers around the questions ‘What kind of change do we
want?’ and ‘How can artists inspire these changes?’ We will tackle each
topic separately through two panel discussions as we confront issues
relating to current and new technologies and their societal impact. With a
focus on the legislative landscape in Germany and the Netherlands, we want
to understand the potential of cross-disciplinary collaborations and
artistic intervention to catalyze system change.

Would you like to think with us about how to reclaim digital agency?

CODE NL-D is realised thanks to the kind support of Fonds Soziokultur,
Fonds Cultuurparticipatie, Botschaft des Königreichs der Niederlande,
Goethe Institute NL.

*Program*

14.00 – 14.05h Opening and introduction

14.05 – 15.00h PANEL 1: “What changes do we want?”

In this panel we will put forth several questions in order to dissect and
discuss the current state of our digital agency. How do our invited
speakers see the power imbalance between technology companies and us as
users and consumers? Which technological developments should we be most
concerned about? And what kinds of solutions are possible? What changes in
legislation need to be made? How can politicians, NGO’s, activists and
artists collaborate?

Participants: Evelyn Austin (Bits of Freedom
<https://www.bitsoffreedom.nl/english/>), Leonieke Verhoog (Public Spaces
<https://publicspaces.net/>), Queeny Rajkowski <https://queenyrajkowski.nl/>
(Digital Affairs Committee Dutch Parliament
<https://www.vsnu.nl/en_GB/news-items/nieuwsbericht/645-dutch-house-of-representatives-to-have-committee-for-digital-affairs.html>and
member of parliament for the liberal VVD party).

15.00 – 15.15h BREAK

15.15 – 16.00h SHORT KEYNOTE

Jillian C. York <https://jilliancyork.com/> is an author and the director
of International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier
Foundation.

16.00 – 16.15h BREAK

16.15 – 17.15h PANEL 2: “How can artists inspire these changes?”

In order to create the changes that are needed to improve our digital
agency we need to raise awareness on the issues we are most concerned
about. How can we inform the general public and inspire them to learn about
and seek alternative platforms and technologies? How can we contribute to
the surrounding discussion of these issues in the media? How can artistic
intervention lead to dialog with politicians and policy makers in support
of legislation that brings the interests of citizens and users to the fore?

Participants: Marek Tuszynski <https://tacticaltech.org/marek/> (Creative
Director and co-founder of Tactical Tech <https://tacticaltech.org/>), Sarah
Grant <https://www.chootka.com/about/> (Founder of the interactive media
studio Cosmic.Berlin <https://cosmic.berlin/>) and others.