For every winter I take my basket and ride down the river

May 26, 2023 8:46 AM

Indigitalization [slYT, 1h9m] is a talk by digital artist Jon Corbett (not that one) on the creation of a computing framework that honors and applies Indigenous culture to computing--including a new programming language and hardware using Cree syllabary.

Some of Corbett's related work includes Four Generations, a set of digital bead portraits that has been shown in the Smithsonian.

Bonus from the same conference is a talk by Ramsey Nasser on telling a joke that will still be funny in 2000 years. Nasser's work on Qalb, an Arabic programming language, was part of the inspiration for Corbett's work.

posted by Four String Riot (5 comments total)

Interesting work! Also this artist seems like the platonic form of a Mefite: clearly brilliant, socially conscious, into technology and art. Surely Corbett has scanned a cat or two in the past.
posted by vorpal bunny at 11:18 AM on May 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

thank you. this is very much in my interests
posted by infini at 12:01 PM on May 26, 2023

This is super!, thanks for posting Four String Riot.

I've watched all three quarters of vid so far. and taken many notes.

Also found this http://computationalculture.net/interview-with-jon-corbett/ which is a slightly earlier text-based version of Jon's conference presentation.

I've tweeted the video (several Maori software people and other IT narrative folk here will be very interested).
posted by unearthed at 3:51 PM on May 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

This is fascinating.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 6:06 PM on May 26, 2023

Perhaps is the is a good semi-private space for discussing how or if to talk about the video, since I'm not indigenous and neither are the vast majority of the people I'd be talking to.

The thing is, I'm impressed by the project, and I think typifying a variable as a basket (such as one would use for gathering berries) is possibly a way of thinking about variables which would be clearer for people in general. Normally I would just tell people about that.

However, there's this matter of context. I'm thinking that hammering on that it was hard work to figure out a Cree approach, that the basket (and much else) had to be checked with elders, that working with a culture isn't a matter of detachable concepts. Any thoughts about how I can do the thing justice, or better to not talk about it, or what?
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 12:59 AM on May 27, 2023 [3 favorites]