Paper short abstract:

By slowing down and claiming time for collective action informed by trans*feminist theory, NEoN Digital Arts is exploring alternatives to neoliberal models that are fast-paced and metric-oriented, aiming to implement new strategies that emphasise collaborative, collective, and communal approaches.

Paper long abstract:

NEoN believes the arts can be a powerful platform for social change, and strives to include a multitude of voices and perspectives in its programming and operations. Bringing together like-minded emerging artists and well-established artists, we aim to influence and reshape the genre with an organisation founded on trans*feminist values.

In 2022, NEoN hosted a gathering aimed to address the desire among participants to reduce reliance on commercial cloud services. Participants included cultural actors from NEoN, Varia from Rotterdam, In-grid from London, and the Transnational Institute for Technology in the Public Interest (TITiPI). Together, they explored the evolution of NEoN from a festival-based organisation to one capable of addressing ongoing demands in the realms of technology, environment, economics, and social dynamics.

The aim is for NEoN to collectively define our position on digital infrastructure for ourselves and others, to become a reference for other grassroots organisations, and to initiate conversations with other arts organisations and community groups on forming the choices they make in relation to tactical digital ethics.

As NEoN transitions towards becoming an organisation focused on research and encounter, with a specific emphasis on trans*feminist exploration of digital technology, the gathering aimed to foster dialogue and collaboration. The goal is to reimagine NEoN's computational infrastructure to better support programming and prioritise care in digital interactions. This involves learning from slow feminist and queer server practices, encompassing areas such as storage, videoconferencing, collaborative tools, low-power graphics, and other relevant practices within the digital arts and community organising spheres.