{"id":587,"date":"2024-11-19T19:42:13","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T19:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/?p=587"},"modified":"2024-11-20T10:27:08","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T10:27:08","slug":"data-life-conference-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/?p=587","title":{"rendered":"Data Life Conference recap!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authors: Juliette Davret\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On November 5<\/span>th<\/span>, <\/span>Juliette Davret <\/span><\/b>organized the DATA LIFE conference, which brought together researchers and professionals for a day of thought-provoking discussions on the multiple dimensions of data life. Supported by <\/span>INTERSSECT<\/span><\/a> knowledge hub, alongside the <\/span>DATA LOSS<\/span><\/a> and\u00a0<\/span>DATA STORIES<\/a><\/span> projects, the <\/span>Centre for Culture and Technology<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Aesthetics of Bio-Machines<\/span><\/a>, the event provided a platform to critically explore the multifaceted dimensions of data. As big data and artificial intelligence reshape our world, the questions surrounding data production, management, and usage become ever more critical.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Credit: Kathrin Maurer<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference began with a keynote address by<\/span> Stefania Milan<\/span><\/b> from the University of Amsterdam, a leading voice in critical data studies. Milan\u2019s talk explored the dilemma of democracy through data, addressing issues of governance, data infrastructure and citizen action. She showed how data infrastructures make and un-make publics by producing data that guide and shape regulation, as well as by disciplining individuals as they participate in social and political processes. Her presentation set the tone for the day, emphasizing the importance of a critical perspective on the role of data in shaping social and political structures.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Credit: Juliette Davret <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The main discussions were organized around three sessions, each addressing different ethical and societal implications of data in our world.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first session critically explored the socio-political implications of data systems and communication across various societal contexts<\/span><\/b>. The session consisted of 5 papers. <\/span>Danielle Hynes <\/span><\/b>and <\/span>Samuel Mutter<\/span><\/b> (Maynooth University) presented an analysis of \u2018data narratives\u2019 of the <\/span>Irish housing and planning pipeline across a range of documents produced by different stakeholders, identifying three different narratives \u2013 governance, commercial and ideological \u2013 critically analysing their affordances and considering potential valences. The paper examined how these narratives, often overlapping and partial, shape the discourse around housing, planning and property, and highlighted the socio-political and theoretical implications of combining data and narrative in this context.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, <\/span>Matthias Leese<\/span><\/b>\u2019s (ETH Zurich) <\/span>paper examined how police information systems, often characterized by makeshift “silos,” reflect a creative, improvisational approach to managing data, particularly in relation to vulnerable populations. It argued that such bottom-up, bricolage practices, rather than rigid top-down control, can effectively support the care functions of the police, particularly in social services.<\/span><\/p>\n

Irina Shklovski<\/span><\/b>\u2019s (University of Copenhagen)<\/span> paper explored the complex and paradoxical nature of achieving data quality in the creation of training data for medical AI systems. Through an empirical investigation of data experts working in medical AI, the paper examined how dimensions of data quality\u2014accuracy, structure, timeliness\u2014are pursued within the constraints of regulatory compliance and practical limitations. It found that data quality functions as an aspirational yet unattainable ideal, shaped by compromises inherent in the production process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jef Ausloos<\/span><\/b>\u2019<\/span> (University of Amsterdam) paper critically examined the concept of the “academic data gaze,” exploring how academia\u2019s engagement with data and digital infrastructures is shaped by, and reinforces, power dynamics and extractive logics rooted in historical and contemporary political economies. Inspired by Beer\u2019s notion of the data gaze, it argued that academia\u2019s increasing reliance on data-driven methods legitimizes claims of objectivity, neutrality, and universality, while obscuring the historical complicity of scientific research in oppressive systems. The paper called for a reflective praxis that interrogates the costs and exclusions of data-centric knowledge production, urging academia to confront its role in perpetuating inequities and epistemic harm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Klaus Bruhn Jensen\u2019s<\/span><\/b> (University of Copenhagen) paper proposed a model of human-machine communication (HMC) that adapts Stuart Hall\u2019s encoding\/decoding framework to explore how humans and machines co-construct meaning through socially and computationally contextualized codes. By incorporating metacommunication, the study examined the political, ethical, and discursive dimensions of HMC, addressing challenges in aligning human-human, human-machine, and machine-machine interactions within communication theory.<\/span><\/p>\n

From police and urban planning data management to the role of data in academic research and healthcare, this session showcased the tensions between ideals of transparency and objectivity and the realities of data practices, while highlighting the ethical and political challenges associated with contemporary data infrastructures.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Credit: Juliette Davret<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second session brought together diverse explorations of data through artistic, curatorial, and critical research, examining how data practices intersect with human experience, memory, ethics, and psychology. Magdalena Tyzlik-Carver<\/span><\/b> (Aarhus University) introduced <\/span>Fermenting Data<\/span><\/i>, a curatorial and research project that blends fermentation practices with data processing to explore what it means for data to “get a life”. Through workshops, exhibitions, and open-access tools, the project reclaims data as a common, accessible practice, using fermentation as both metaphor and method to challenge extractive data practices. It proposes a symbiotic, more-than-human approach to data processing, inspired by the transformative properties of bacteria, to foster ethical, tangible, and inclusive engagements with data.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, <\/span>Kristin Byskov <\/span><\/b>and<\/span> Tina Ryoon Anderson <\/span><\/b>(Norwegian University of Science and Technology) examined the intersection of memory, intimacy, and technology through <\/span>Labyss <\/span><\/i>by<\/span> The Algorithmic Theatre<\/span><\/i>, an experimental performance that critiques “digital amnesia” and explores the implications of AI-driven memory-learning software. By combining performing arts, visual arts, and programming, the project investigates how memories can be digitized, the ethical and social dimensions of such practices, and how artistic research methods can deepen understanding of our evolving relationship with algorithmic technologies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shirley Chan\u2019s <\/span><\/b>(Lund University) presentation investigated the challenges of preserving and understanding the data generated by online fandom communities over time, focusing on how platforms like Reddit and Tumblr shape data creation, circulation, and representation. Through ethnographic methods, the work explored the infrastructure of fandom, its dynamic contexts, and critical events, offering insights into how preservation efforts can enable meaningful future access and interpretation of today\u2019s digital cultural practices.
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Finally, <\/span>Paul Heinicker\u2019s <\/span><\/b>(FH Postdam) paper introduced the concept of “data sadism” to explore the unconscious desires driving data production, arguing that alongside rational motivations like knowledge, economics, or power, irrational and pleasure-driven dimensions shape our engagement with data. By extending Jacques Lacan’s sadistic schema, it critiqued the often-overlooked psychological underpinnings of data processes, aiming to make these hidden dynamics visible and enrich psychodynamic critiques of data practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

From reclaiming data through fermentation as a more-than-human, ethical practice to exploring the implications of AI-driven memory and digital amnesia, this session highlighted innovative approaches that challenge traditional data processing and question the emotional and psychological dimensions behind our engagement with data in contemporary society.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Credit: Juliette Davret <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The third and last session of the day explored the evolving practices and political implications of data deletion and retention within state and law enforcement contexts, focusing on how digitalization reshapes governance, accountability, and power dynamics. <\/span><\/b>First, <\/span>Frederik Schade<\/span><\/b>\u2019s <\/span>(University of Copenhagen) paper examined the shift in state bureaucracies from “cultures of destruction” to “cultures of deletion” within the context of digitalization, focusing on how deletion, unlike destruction, is intrinsic to computational systems, reversible, invisible, and framed as sustainable. Using the Danish government as a case study, it explored the political and administrative implications of deletion\u2019s programmability and automation, highlighting its dual potential to enhance efficiency while complicating oversight, sovereignty, and accountability in digitalized democratic governance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next, <\/span>Megan Leal Causton<\/span><\/b> (Virje Universiteit Brussel) examined “archival frictions” in European law enforcement data governance, focusing on the tensions between Europol and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) over data curation and deletion from 2019 to 2024. Using a transdisciplinary approach combining archival studies, criminology, and critical data studies, it highlighted how these frictions shape institutional power dynamics and the socio-political dimensions of data governance, contributing to debates on data power, politics, and transparency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vanessa Ugolini<\/span><\/b> (Virje Universiteit Brussel) concluded the third panel of the conference with a presentation on how data dies. This paper explored the concept of the “death” of data within EU security and border management, analyzing socio-political and technical aspects of data retention, anonymization, depersonalization, and erasure. It highlighted the need to consider the lifecycle and decay of data, emphasizing its implications for power structures and the re-purposing of data across large-scale information systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the shift in bureaucratic cultures from destruction to deletion, to archival frictions in European data governance, and the “death” of data in security and border management, the session critically examined the socio-political and technical challenges of managing data lifecycles, highlighting the complex relationships between data, authority, and transparency.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Credit: Juliette Davret <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The conference concluded with an inspiring talk from <\/span>Rob Kitchin<\/span><\/b> of the University of Maynooth, who discussed the concept of data ecosystems and mobilities using the case study of the Irish planning system. He emphasized the fact that the data flow metaphor does not adequately reflect the sharing and circulation of data. Kitchin encouraged participants to develop more theoretical and conceptual frameworks for understanding data mobility, given its essential role in the management and governance of society.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>Credit: Juliette Davret <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The DATA LIFE conference underscored the importance of taking a multidimensional approach to understand the complex impact of data on our world. By examining power structures, quality, biases, historical contexts, and regulatory challenges, speakers offered vital insights into the influence of data. The gathering of researchers and practitioners highlighted the need for critical and collective reflection, emphasizing that data, far from being a simple flow of information, is both a reflection and a driver of social dynamics, setting the stage for future exploration in the field of critical data studies. <\/span><\/p>\n

A very special thanks goes to<\/span> Kristin Veel<\/span><\/b>, <\/span>Nanna Bonde Thystrup <\/span><\/b>and <\/span>Louis Ravn<\/span><\/b> from the University of Copenhagen for their help in organising this conference. <\/span><\/p>\n

Event page: <\/span>https:\/\/artsandculturalstudies.ku.dk\/research\/daloss\/events\/2024\/data-life-conference\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Authors: Juliette Davret\u00a0\u00a0 On November 5th, Juliette Davret organized the DATA LIFE conference, which brought together researchers and professionals for a day of thought-provoking discussions on the multiple dimensions of data life. Supported by INTERSSECT knowledge hub, alongside the DATA LOSS and\u00a0DATA STORIES projects, the Centre for Culture and Technology and the Aesthetics of Bio-Machines, … Continue reading Data Life Conference recap!<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-conference"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=587"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":597,"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587\/revisions\/597"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/datastories.maynoothuniversity.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}