The discussion of open science has incited a pressing debate about the future of knowledge production and how science needs to open up more, both internally and towards society. Nudged in-between academia and civil society, critical thinkers and makers across the globe are currently establishing in/formal spaces for research and learning. They provide new terrain for inventing, making and tinkering – producing new materials, technologies, infrastructures and perspectives in a bottom-up manner. Using open-source software and hardware, and a Do-It-Yourself and Do-It-Together approach, they explore trans/feminist, decolonial and sustainable modes of producing a more heterogeneous and inclusive society. This talk will give examples of experimental transdisciplinary practices from Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa in order to discuss the potential of bending the boundaries of research, opening up the parameters of who produces knowledge and on whose terms.

Speakers:

Michelle Christensen and Florian Conradi share the visiting professorship for Open Science (Critical Culture / Critical Design) at Technische Universität Berlin and the Einstein Center Digital Future, as well as co-heading the research group ‘Design, Diversity and New Commons’ at the Berlin University of the Arts / Weizenbaum Institute. Combining their backgrounds in political-, conflict-, gender-sociology and design, their research, teaching and experimental design practice focuses on decolonial, feminist/queer and sustainable approaches to critical making and designing.