Stitch'n'Bitch: Collective reflections on ageism, feminism, and creative resistance through hands-on cable weaving

This session invites participants to create something with their hands (no skills or materials needed!) and collectively reflect on technology, aging, and creative resistance.

Creative resistance refers to artistic practices that challenge structures of power and social injustice. Older adults, women, artists, and indigenous cultures all face mis- and under-representation in computing technology, where their voices and labour have continuously been diminished or invisibilized. This session aims to reframe their place as knowledge holders rather than as research subjects. AvantAGE, a Montreal collective of mature feminist artists, will teach us simple weaving techniques using outdated cables, and guide us in creating a collective artwork.

Weaving and other fiber arts represent traditionally feminine and indigenous crafts that have often become symbols of cultural resistance (e.g. Palestinian Tatreez & Tea, Chiapas Weaving for Justice, or Western Craftivism communities). Weaving consists in reconciling two panes and directions of threads to create a coherent and robust whole, reflecting the conference's focus on reconciling algorithmic systems with social justice. By creating art out of obsolete cables, AvantAGE invites us to reflect on the earlier days of technology, on the technical abilities of older generations, and on the connections between traditional art forms and modern technology.

To guide discussions while weaving, prompts and short videos from artists will be used to spark reflections and experience sharing. Explored topics will include the physicality of technology, invisible labour, and our expectations from technology as we age.

The session will be organized as follows: (1) Activity Hands-on cable weaving, facilitated by artists tocreate a collective art installation. (2) Small-group discussions, facilitated by researchers. (3) Recorded video presentations from artists, centering how they re-purpose tech tools for self-expression and creative resistance.

This session is inspired by the Stitch'n'Bitch crafting community, as an homage to feminist art groups where activists would historically meet to create, connect, and organize in a safe space. In a similar vein, the purpose of this session is to craft while having meaningful conversations in a warm, inclusive setting. We invite participants to join us in creating a common artwork, share experiences, and collectively imagine more inclusive futures for technology.

No registration needed, no materials needed, no skills needed. Just bring yourself!