Making the Web Weird...AGAIN!

SAW Video will be hosting 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, let’s dive in and make the web weird again!  

Workshop facilitators, Conor Byron and Luisa Ji are co-producing an internet-connected participatory experience taking the form of a scavenger hunt. The participants will use their smartphones and tablets to access a real-time network and augmented reality experience (similar to Pokemon Go), which will be a website developed specifically for this event. In the process the audiences will engage 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 will be 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 workshop will be lead by

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. 

Materials 

Please bring a smartphone or tablet with you to participate. 

Registration 

See full event description and registration info, here. 

Free to attend! 

Maximum participants: 25