The Future of Memory exams the fact that language online has become the medium in which expression and activism arise in the US, in China, and globally.
In this workshop, we'll use Hanzimaker, a tool in the Algorithmic Censorship Resistance Toolkit, we built for The Future of Memory, to experiment with creating new words, phrases and vocabularies to document the past and think through the future. These new hybrid characters, a mash of multiple languages, just as diasporic as their creators will escape classification and recognition by automated systems. We see these characters as a form of visual poetry. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” What words will we be left with to describe the past? What words will build our future? What is the new vocabulary we need for different kinds of revolution?
The goal of the session is to help participants understand the current state of automated censorship and come up with creative ways to bypass the systems like OCR (optical character recognition). We’ll come together and discuss recent developments in internet policy throughout Mainland China and East Asia, especially under increasing political change.
The current plan for the 1-hour session is that there will be a 20-min presentation on why we need a “new language” for liberation, a 25-min hands-on workshop to make new Hanzi together, and 15-min review of the new words we make.
We're hoping that many efforts and discussions will continue after Mozfest. Share any ideas you already have for how to continue the work from your session.:Our capacity for change is shaped by our capacity for language: new phrases, words, and revolutions are created by our ability to imagine new worlds and vocabularies. From hashtags and political slogans, words serve as reminders and provocations of where we've been and where we are headed.
After the session, the participants can experience other tools in the Algorithmic Censorship Resistance Toolkit, like Mandarin Chinese homophone finder. If the participants want to know more about how does content moderation works, they can play the game The Future of Memory.
How will you deal with varying numbers of participants in your session?:The ideal number of participants for the workshop is around 20. We will have 2-3 facilitators for the workshop to make sure that everyone participant will get enough support during the session.
We will adjust the length of each session based on the number of participants. For example, if we have a lot of participants, we will shorten the presentation and lengthen the end review.
Qianqian is an LA-based artist and organizer, currently teaches at USC Media Arts + Practice. Trained as an architect, she explores the complex interaction between digital, architectural, and social spaces.
