This October, CETI turned 3. When we started at the end of 2019, we thought it would take us three years to learn to swim in the crazy new space—for interdisciplinary collaboration, advanced learning, and dialogue around emerging technology. Then the pandemic happened, we suspended all fundraising, and reimagined how access, collaborative creation and experiential learning worked remotely. The past year we finally were able to pilot/experiment and we are thrilled to see how much we have accomplished in this short window (thanks to so many of you!)
The CETI Lab: Open to All
We are so excited about our lovely lab at PSU open to all—come visit and experiment! We filled the space with all sorts of amazing tech/tools/materials and hosted 5 Open Houses, trainings, weekly open lab hours and 3 monthly hack days (to experiment, to get advice, to troubleshoot, and to meet amazing collaborators). Follow the CETI Eventbrite page for future workshops and events.
Festivals of learning and making
We held our second annual Summer Enchanted Technology Institutes (Enchanted Objects and Augmented Storytelling—five exciting weeks of 50+ workshops, speakers and collaborative experimentation in creative and emerging technology for over 100 students, educators, artists, technologists, professionals, and community members.
You can find the incredible workshops and speakers on our YouTube channel.
Collaborative Experimentation and Creation
In the past year, we have been working on a variety of projects, convenings, and creations (through commissions, contracts, and grants). For each project, we bring an interdisicplinary collective from the CETI community members to create something unique together. It has been a lovely model for skill-sharing, experiential learning, and mentoring through interdisciplinary critical making.
We were commissioned to create an exciting emergent technology work for the Welcome Dome in Pioneer Square to bring people back to downtown Portland. CETI Seed, enlivened the Square for the last week of May hosting thousands of visitors eager to experience these interactive/responsive emerging tech creations.
We are continuing to work on XRchive, our augmented storytelling around migrations and displacements in Portland. We were honored and delighted to receive an OCF Creative Heights 2022 Grant for this. We will be working closely with the regional Chinese community to create an augmented digital/physical garden and immersive installations—an XR storytelling of the Chinese families buried at Block 14 at the Lone Fir Cemetery nd their contributions to building Portland—a reflection on migrations, exclusion, and belonging. We also will be working on storytelling around the jazz and music clubs, and murals in Albina.
