On 22 June 2022, the public event Grassroots Data Wranglers took place as part of Cambridge Digital Humanities’ (CDH) Social Data School 2022. The main speakers in this public event were grassroots researchers who have challenged conventions of data collection and have done it, sometimes in opposition to established data gatekeepers, to shed light on areas where information is obscured or inaccessible.
CDH asked artist and scholar Jazmin Morris to produce creative documentation of the event. Grassroots Data Wranglers: A response is a piece of interactive non-fiction that blends together the Public Event’s interventions, the projects they showcased, and further information about their work.
Morris is a Creative Computing Artist and Educator at the University of the Arts London. Her personal practice and research explore representation and inclusivity within technology. She uses free and open-source tools to create digital experiences that highlight issues surrounding gender, race and power, focusing on the complexities within simulating culture and identity.
“This response aims to lead viewers on an interactive journey through the conversations and keywords/phrases that were shared at the event.”
Jazmin Morris
The microsite starts as a “data journey” that navigates through themes and questions discussed during the event, both by panellists and participants — from the problem of “parachuting” as a data collector, to the importance of contributing to processes of truth, justice, and memory.
The platform used was HTML5 and the interactions were made with Twine. You can access the piece here.
Screenshot from Grassroots Data Wranglers
