Manifestations

Manifestations was a group exhibition featuring work by ten artists working within or adjacent to the digital arts, exploring themes such as trans revolutions, sex work, the disabled body and queer futures.

 

The curation of Manifestations was prompted by three interrelated concerns. Firstly, it responded to one of the research project’s central questions, which concerns the benefits of the decentring of ‘traditional’ voices in the digital arts and humanities. Secondly the curator’s research into ethical curatorial activism and curation as an act of care and, finally, to the interests he developed for the Messy Edge conference for Brighton Digital Festival showcasing the strengths of bringing together artists and thinkers that are less often seen in this context.

 

The exhibition was entitled Manifestations for two primary reasons, the Full Stack Feminism in Digital Humanities project seeks to foreground intersectional feminist thinking in its research and that is reflected in the artists and work selected for the exhibition. These ideas can often seem somewhat abstract and difficult to grasp but the work seen here embodies those abstract ideas, it manifests them in concrete ways that can be considered and explored by the viewer.

 

Manifestations are also linked to activism, to demonstrations, to demands for change and this exhibition reflects the project’s recognition of the injustices baked into digital arts and humanities both via the technology that is used and the systemic prejudices that are inherent in the art world. The project calls for change and this exhibition is a response to that call.

 

Manifestations features new work commissioned for the project from the two Full Stack Feminism artists in residence, Roibí O’Rua from Ireland, and Jamila Prowse from the UK. Alongside them, the exhibition features existing work from Lauren Kelly (Ireland), T Braun & Marie Hinson (Canada/US), Whiskey Chow (UK), Yarli Allison & Letizia Miro (UK), RA Walden (Germany), and Kinnari Saraiya (UK).