split faces with computer mouse print over

EVENTS

 

Like the rest of the world, CDCS had to adapt quickly to producing online events this year. While this involved more work initially, it has brought real advantages which we hope to hold onto going forward. Our virtual seminar programme brought together speakers and participants from all over the world and our audience grew dramatically, with nearly 1400 registering to attend events over the course of the year. We also began recording seminars and are delighted to be able to share these videos on our website.  We offered support to our research community through online socials and informal gatherings, and we experimented with new events, notably with our Cancelled Conference Conference in May 2020 and our inaugural Annual Lecture in December. 

Aimee Morrison

Hello World: Or, How we Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love The Computer

We were absolutely delighted to host Professor Aimée Morrison (University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada), who delivered our inaugural annual lecture on 15 December 2020. Aimée's paper was an enthralling whistle-stop tour through the cultural imaginary of the late 20th century. Focused on the history of personal computing, the lecture explored how new popular representations of computers and computing emerged in films, advertising and media, and how these imaginary engagements continue to influence our relationship with technology. Almost 150 people registered to attend, and we were delighted to be able to share a little seasonal cheer by posting small Christmas gifts to those who signed up.

  

The best event I've 'zoomed' so far - funny, enlightening, fabulous.

- Attendee, CDCS Annual Lecture 2020

SEMINAR SERIES

Collaborative Events

CDCS and UCL Centre for Digital Humanities logos, next to book cover

One Origin of Digital Humanities: Fr. Roberto Busa In His Own Words

Jointly hosted by the Centre for Data, Culture & Society and the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities, this event featured contributors to the new volume One Origin of Digital Humanities: Fr Roberto Busa S.J. in His Own Words, edited by Julianne Nyhan and Marco Passarotti (2020).

Multi-coloured graphics and AI Archives logo

Artificial Intelligence & Archives: What Comes Next? (AURA Project)

We supported the final workshop of the AURA project (Archives in the UK/ Republic of Ireland and AI), which brought together all key actors in the archive “circuit”: from creators of data, to archivists and to users, for a full day of discussions on artificial intelligence in the context of archives.

typewriter mashup

Racial Infrastructures Workshops

This two-day event was jointly hosted by Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA), the Centre for Data, Culture & Society, and RACE.ED. It aimed to contribute to this growing body of scholarship and establish conversations that push critical thinking on the relationships between infrastructural systems, materials and arrangements and systemic racism.

conference poster showing figure with face mask

The Cancelled Conference Conference

As conferences around the world were cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we decided to try to provide a platform for our community to share their latest ideas. We got a great response to the call for papers and were delighted to be able to showcase work from across the disciplines, including a performance screening of work by audio artist Jules Rawlinson who is based in ECA. 

"Great facilitation overall."

"Brilliant event!"