BA Interactive Media Design (IMD) alumni Pamela Varela and Ella Hebendanz ( sWitches) in conversation with moderator Louis Braddock Clarke

"embodying technofeminism, reclaiming science & transmitting magick"

18:00-18:05 walk-in – Stéphane & Louis introduce Ella & Pamela

18:05-18:15 short performance of the work "Ωma" *

18:15-19:15 presentation of Pam-Ella’s works relating them to the track of the talk; technology and feminist practices

19:15-19:45 Pamela Varela + Ella Hebendanz in conversation with Louis

19:45-20:00 wrapping up, questions, ending

Pamela Varela, artist (@pavamere.la) + Ella Hebendanz, artist (@ellahbndnz) & Joris Koene,

Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (@joris.koene) with re-c(O)unting**

sWitches (Pamela Soria Varela and Ella Hebendanz), they have recently won: BAD Award winner 2023 🏆

* Our work "Ωma" is about resistance as an electrical, political, and physical force. We use a DIY synthesizer to connect with each other and with the audience. Each of us connects to one side of the circuit and when we touch, sound is produced in the speakers (therefore, we need to be able to connect to the sound system; we can bring a sound card or directly use an in-site mixer. Please let us know the set up). We narrate the concept of the work through spoken word and connect with each other. Eventually, we invite the audience to join our circle. Since they grab our hands as well, the sound is also produced. One by one they join. The message of the piece is "we are stronger together".

** Our work re-c(O)unting is an artistic-scientific research questioning how we can transform the production of knowledge; it is a decolonial healing journey into the transgenerational trauma our lands and bodies store. Deconstructing the binarisms between nature/technology, science/spirituality, male/female, we zoom out and into the relationship between Europe and Latin America. Re-"discovering" our female-assigned bodies, we create an extended-video installation accompanied by a live performance. We delve into our deepest insides to reveal the magick of science and retell the stories.

We use cunt to refer to vulva while reappropriating the swear word. "Count" means to acknowledge, to tell a story, and to count numbers, so it links to "computation". The O alludes to the "big O", which refers to the orgasm but is also an algorithmical term. The circle is a hypnotic shape. re-c(O)unting encompasses the stories to be retold, the cunts to be acknowledged, computation as a field to be reclaimed, and the altered states to be experienced.

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellahbndnz/

https://www.instagram.com/pavamere.la/

https://www.instagram.com/___ssswitchesss___/