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Christine Clark (BFA - New Media '10, MFA '14) & Melissa Shouting (BHSc '19) | January 25, 2024
Weaving World Views: The Web as a Space for Cultural Vitality
The web is an integral part of our digital lives and like all media, how websites are designed and developed is a reflection of cultural values. This influences what we see and what we don’t see, what we can do there and what we can’t do. The late Narcisse Blood, a Blackfoot Elder, had said, “Technology can work against us, or we can harness it and use it … from a perspective that’s ours as Blackfoot people.” This talk will explore how the web is being reshaped in Indigenous worldviews for cultural revitalization, renewal and relationship building. It will also look at how these activities connect with holistic conceptions of health and well-being for Indigenous communities.
Melissa Shouting (BHSc '19) is a registered member of the Kainai (Blood) Nation. She holds a faculty position in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Her research interests include Indigenous women’s health, gender-based violence against Indigenous populations, Indigenous harm-reduction approaches and incorporating museums and objects as a means of health promotion for Indigenous Peoples. Shouting has been recognized internationally by the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry as the 2022 Emerging Indigenous Researcher & Scholar. Locally, she provides Bias and Cultural Sensitivity Training to organizations within the City of Lethbridge.
Christine Clark (BFA - New Media '10, MFA '14) is an Associate Professor of Web Design and Development in the Department of New Media. She is a descendant of prairie settlers and was born and raised on Blackfoot Territory. Clark’s research and creative practice are rooted in design collaborations that promote decolonization and environmental sustainability at local levels. She is currently working with Melissa Shouting and many others on the Mootookakio'ssin [MOO-DOO-KAK-IO-SIN] research project, an international collaboration exploring how to provide access to Blackfoot items held in museums in Europe using digital technologies, like photogrammetry, RTI and web-based interfaces. You can explore the Blackfoot items and learn more about the project at mootookakiossin.ca.