We are happy to announce, that the Design Fair »Digital:Sovereignty« is featured in the Tagesspiegel Background.

In the winter term 2021/22, the practice project »Coding IxD« took place for the sixth time – this year on the topic of »Digital:Sovereignty«. »Coding IxD« is a cooperation of the Human-Centered Computing Research Group led by Prof. Dr. Claudia Müller-Birn (Freie Universität Berlin) and the Embodied Interaction Group led by Prof. Carola Zwick, Prof. Judith Glaser and Prof. Thomas Ness (Weißensee School of Art and Design Berlin) and is part of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«. 

In interdisciplinary teams, students from the disciplines computer science and design have explored the possibilities of self-determination through the embodiment of individual decisions for a sovereign interaction with sensitive data through neo-analogue artifacts, i.e., products that represent a synthesis of the virtual and the material in form and function.

The semester project »Digital:Sovereignty« intends to uncover, explore, and reshape the socio-material aspects of digital sovereignty. Digital sovereignty describes the ability of an individual or the society to use digital services (such as cloud/payment services or digital media) in a self-determined manner. Self-determination should encompass both individual capabilities and material conditions including legal, political, and infrastructural issues. Our goal is to facilitate new forms of interaction between people, material, and code to emerge that enable sovereign decision-making by empowering individuals to critically reflect on their digital practices critically.

We are pleased that the Design Fair »Digital:Sovereignty« is featured in the Tagesspiegel Background including a portrait by Prof. Judith Glaser. We also thank the Digital Autonomy Hub and the Weizenbaum Institute for their support.
An overview of the six student projects with detailed project descriptions and videos can be found on our project page.