[ISEA96] Panel: Janice Cheddie & Roshini Kempadoo – Beyond The Digital Diaspora: Flame Wars

Panel Statement

Together we make-up an organisation entitled ‘Displaced Data’. ‘Displaced Data’ is an evolving associatron of artists and writers of colour working with digital technology The association arms to encourage and foster debate concernrng issues of cultural diversity, cultural democracy and digital technology and to encourage to the use and development of digital technology by artists of colour.

The paper will use a visual illustration of my (Janice Cheddie’s) work on the net – which examines the intricate and complex system of hierarchy both in race and power – economic and the power of knowledge being developed within media/cyberspace. The work ‘Sweetness and Light’ produced for the project La Finca/The Homestead in April 1996 is the result. As the inevitable exploration of media/cyberspace, information networks and the use of new technologies takes hold I begin to look at analogies and comparisons. My thoughts and experience takes me to that of colonialism and the European expansionist past. While using the project as a example of some of the issues being raised and stated by black practitioners about and within cyberspace, I will expand these thoughts to look at ways in which the structures being put in place still presents a space time and new location for black expression and reasons why. In other words the issue of ‘leaky’ technologies’.

  • Roshini Kempadoo, UK, is an image maker and part time lecturer in Photography at Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland. Roshini Kempadoo has moved from working primarily with stall photography and now works with digital technology on photo installations and web based projects.
  • Keith Piper, UK, is a multi media artist who started his visual arts practice as a painter. Keith Piper has subsequently moved into traditional mixed media onto video art and now works with CD-ROM interactive and web based projects.
  • Derek Richards, UK, is a musician/performer ,sound designer and theorist with experience in theatre, popular music and film currently working as a multi media artist and producer on a range of projects.
  • Janice Cheddie, UK, chair

Full Paper p.145-146