From Ancestral Design to Future Aesthe/Tech (Session 1 of 2)

For this two-part workshop, each participant should think about (and if possible, come prepared with) some kind of symbol, motif, iconography, legend, or design concept from their own ancestral heritage(s) that resonates for them and from which they would like to reimagine and redesign something for the future by way of contemporary technologies, concepts, and/or materials into a physical object, installation, a multimedia audio/visual piece, a virtual experience—or anything else you can envision. This session is all about learning, sharing, and generating ideas for yourselves and in community.

I'll share some history and examples, and we'll look for inspiration to the Indigenous Futurism movement in contemporary art, design, and creative tech; a speculative exploration by Indigenous practitioners around the globe with regard to ancestral ideas, aesthetics, and creative practices, reimagined and manifest into the world via contemporary tools, technologies, and a decolonial vision for the future.

From this, you'll then begin to work through ideas from your own heritage(s) through collaborative group discussion, to help you to come up with a specific project to produce from this. [Session 2—Tuesday @ 6/16—will focus on further concept development and actual creation (if desired), based on your idea, into a prototype, project plan, or even finished piece of work to share during ITP Camp and beyond.]

*Pictured: My own reimagining of the face of a Tumi (a ceremonial knife typical of the Inca Empire and Pre-Incan ancestral cultures of my homeland, Peru) made as a futuristic abstraction from thick laser-cut acrylic, backed with silver enamel.