Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition was a co-produced enquiry between Pervasive Media Studio and the Digital Cultures Research Centre (DCRC), which sought to integrate our previous work looking at responsible and inclusive innovation and a creative just transition into a new climate action wayfinding methodology. This enquiry centred voices of marginalised individuals within our shared studio community. Guided facilitation was used to support community-led conversations on the intersection of creative technology and climate and to interrogate our position as advocates within this transdisciplinary sector. 

This blog shares some elements from the enquiry through live illustrations by Jasmine Thompson and video recordings of poetry and musings from some participants and members of the delivery team.

Drawing of four women seated on chairs, with two holding mugs in their hands. All of them are wearing glasses.

WHAT IS A TECHNOLOGY?

The climate crisis is a crisis of culture. It is not just an apolitical environmental issue, but a result of a society that prioritises individualism and disconnection from one another and the earth. This crisis will not impact everyone equally; it will disproportionately harm those who have contributed the least to it, worsening the lives of already marginalised communities. 

Drawing of a Black man wearing a bandana, with his eyes closed.

Who gets to sit in the room and why? Who will be most affected by these conversations? Most of the time, not the people sitting in the room...A lot of the Western perspective around climate [crisis] comes from a place of distance.

Participant, Ifẹ Grillo, sits with his eyes closed in reflection, during a session

Technology plays a crucial role in this crisis. It can alienate, exploit, but also connect, and regenerate. At the heart of the problem is a world where technological development is driven by wealth and power accumulation, synonymous with high tech products, and a field where only ‘experts’ can innovate. 

A Black woman, wearing a face cap with her head titled down so her face is hidden. She's holding her baby, balancing hin on her hip, as he plays with her hair.

Is a baby's bottle a technology? ...Is my body a technology? ...I think it is.

Participant, Natalie Hyacinth, holds her baby while he plays with her hair 

A Just Transition offers a framework for shifting from an extractive society to a regenerative one. To achieve this, we need to build economic and political power through diverse forms of expertise, especially from those who are locally based, marginalised, or most affected by the climate crisis. But when bringing people together to discuss technology, an ‘imagined expert’ in the space often discourages engagement.  

Drawing of a young white person with short curly hair, smiling, and with their hands clasped at the side of their face.

How can technology be used for collaborative storytelling?

Participant, Kai Charles, clasps their hands next to their face while they pose questions during a session

We began by questioning the concept of technology itself, examining who designs, profits from, implements, and uses it. This approach challenges the notion of the "expert," breaking down the association of technology with "big tech," and we collectively opened space to for us redefine the parameters of what technology is and can be. 

Drawing of a Chinese woman, wearing a beanie and playing with some play dough.

It's interesting how people gravitate to things that are lo-fi, not super shiny high tech.

Participant, Kexin Liu, moulds some play dough during a session

Drawing of two people facing a whiteboard and placing post-it notes under six headings which say: "how do we want to be together", "how do we want to behave", "how do we want to share", "what do we need from each other", "how can we support each other's needs", and "what are our fears".
Live illustration depicting the co-production of terms of reference within this enquiry. You can find out more about how to create terms of reference in your own projects in our Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition report.

NARRATIVES OF WATER

A Just Transition must be local because the impacts of the climate crisis are felt most acutely at the community level, and local communities have the best understanding of their unique challenges and resources. By focusing on local expertise and leadership, especially from marginalised groups who are often most affected by climate change, we create futures that are more effective and equitable. For us, this meant thinking about where we sat - ie  Bristol and harbourside-based- linking our work to global histories and realities; also, acknowledging that the city of Bristol was involved in the transatlantic slavetrade

Drawing of five people hunched over something we can't see. They are beside a harbour, with water immediately behind them and a ship visible in the distance.
Live illustration of some members of the Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition collective, being led in an activity of using hydrophones to listen to sounds under the water's surface in Bristol Harbour.

Our surroundings became prompts for us to think about our complex histories and current realities. The nearby body of water ensured nature was always present, but also provided an example of something that is both extractive and regenerative (much like technology) due to its complicity as a medium for slave trade and its simultaneous potential as a continuous source of life. 

Drawing of an anchor with a chain attached.

Ralph Hoyt- a Bristol-based poet, writer, and located audio designer- delivered a session grounding us in an awareness of our location; Bristol harbourside. Ralph’s bespoke, deeply emotional and educative performance which incorporated call-and-response had an unanimously moving effect on the whole group. Ralph also led an activity using hydrophones, during which participants had the opportunity to listen to sounds from under the water in the harbourside.  

Drawing of an elderly Black man, wearing glasses and holding an open notepad.
Live illustration of Ralph Hoyte, leading the collective in a call-and-response performance piece.

THE FUTURE

Imagining a future together is hard, especially for those who expend so much energy trying to survive and even thrive in the present. But there are many possibilities, many alternatives, many ways to forge ahead with a shared feeling and diverse, harmonious intentions and skills. We continue this way-finding mission for a future that is plural, complex and shared. With new tools and processes that reflect the values of the world we want to build, we can collaboratively shift how we define, create, and use technology.

Drawing of a Black woman leaning onto her palm. She's wearing glasses and has her hair in braids, with some bantu knots.

So much of our society dictates what is or isn't possible, and I'm in a place of reimagining.

Participant, Emmanuella Blake Morsi, rests her head on her palm whilst sharing thoughts during a session

Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition is already having an impact on our internal ways of thinking and doing in Pervasive Media Studio, DCRC, and Watershed as a whole. In addition to proactively joining up our thinking and exchanging knowledge on best practice within and amongst our colleagues, we expect our findings, community, and praxis to continue to be foundational to our future work.  

Drawing of a Black woman, wearing glasses and her hair in a messy bun. One arm is raised with her palm open in the air, while her other hand holds a disposable coffee cup.

Regenerative processes take time...and there is a cost to that time.

Participant, Fozia Ismail, is standing and holding a coffee cup whilst sharing thoughts during a session

Mural of many faces and objects and quotes, all drawn across a pastel background of peach, green, blue, and yellow. In the middle of the image are the words, "A Just Transition"

THANKS

Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition was co-produced by: Furaha Asani, Zoe Rasbash, Erinma Ochu, Melissa Blackburn, Amy Densley, Lawottim Anywar, Tony Bhajam, Martin O’Leary, and Jo Lansdowne. Thank you to the whole delivery team. 

With special thanks to Dr. Erinma Ochu for believing in and setting the framework to resource this enquiry, and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Engaging Environments programme for funding it. 

We are also very grateful to Joyce Ternenge (University of Reading), Matt Burrows (University of Reading), Hilary Geoghegan (University of Reading), Cindy Regalado (Tekiu Ltd) and Hannah King (UKRI). They believed in what we wanted to do and helped get the funding out the door. 

Thank you to all the participants for co-creating this work and for their generous sharings in the workshops. The Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition participants are: Alisha Morenike Fisher, Allie Joy, Beloved Sara Zaltash, Emmanuella Blake-Morsi, Fozia Ismail, Ifẹ Grillo, Imwen Eke, Jackie Head, Kai Charles, Kexin Liu, Lucy Reeves Khan, Natalie Hyacinth, Olamiposi Ayorinde, Roxana Vilk, Tay Aziz.  

Drawing of a white woman wearing glasses and a puffer jacket, talking, and holding a disposable coffee cup in one hand.

...the approach, intelligence, sensitivity, and creativity in this group, yeah...it’s amazing to have this oasis of space and time to explore the themes and topics, and impact of these things.

Participant, Allie Joy, sits and holds a coffee cup whilst sharing thoughts during a session

Thank you to Jazz Thompson for beautiful live scribing, which has formed the basis of this Zine.  

We are also grateful to Jazlyn Pinckney for holding wonderful decompression spaces, Ralph Hoyte for such an inspirational session, and Houria CIC for delicious catering. 

A very BIG thank you to Prince Taylor for producing the videos within, design, and narrative arc of this blog.

Read the full report here:  Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition 

Inspired by the learnings from this enquiry around reparative rest- which were informed by Rising Arts Agency's Resourcing Racial Justice work- Watershed has now encoded reparative rest leave within our organisational policy.