“LIKE A FITBIT FOR YOUR ETHICAL PERFORMANCE, P@TCH IS A TEXTILE-BASED NEW MEDIA PROJECT THAT USES LIGHT AND SOCIAL MEDIA TO ALLOW THE USER TO TRACK THEIR PROGRESS AS AN ADVOCATE FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL, ETHICAL STANCE. P@TCH WORKSHOPS ARE BUILT TO CREATE A SPACE FOR CREATIVITY AND DISCUSSION SURROUNDING THE CONFLICT BETWEEN PERSONAL AND CORPORATE ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECT CHANGE.”
In the early 2000’s, the Maker movement hoped to open up technology to everyone in true DIY fashion However, makerspaces continue to have a gender gap and race issues that relate directly to the privilege of making and having the resources - time - money- energy etc. to experiment with new technologies. This leaves many women and marginalized groups feeling that the power structure in these supposedly structureless spaces is just a continuation of the power structures of the tech industry. In this short paper my focus is on finding ways to engage communities in civic action while honoring the integrity at the heart of DIY. By bringing together Maktivism and Craftivism in my work, I aim to forge an effective feminist political art medium that explores current exploitative economic systems controlling the production of textiles, and information and communication technologies.
By allowing artists to subvert physical spaces and expand on them through digital content in order to engage activist communities, I believe new media artists can create something that is more like the hybrid digital-physical lives we lead. In combining Maktivism (Maker +Activism) and Craftivism (Craft + Activism), a more effective political art medium is created. This combination serves to critique not only targeted political issues, and I feel this combination also provides a medium to question current exploitative economic systems that control the production of textiles, as well as information and communication technology (ICT), and our societal values expressed through our technologies.
