Die Kunst, sich zu organisieren / The art of getting organised: Old Boys Network – aus einer anderen Perspektive / Approach to the old boys network

The world of technology is invariably associated with male figures. This blatant lack of diversity is now becoming a concern, as demonstrated by the host of initiatives aiming to address the issue. At the same time, women have played a major, yet underappreciated role in the development of computing. The exhibition Computer Grrrls and the publication of the same name are showcasing 23 international artists and collectives that are rewriting dominant technology narratives by asking: "What if we put the 'grrrls' back in computers?" The invited artists – women designers, makers, hackers and contemporary researchers – are reshaping the alliance between women and machines using an array of tools: 3D printing, YouTube tutorials, virtual reality, video installations, algorithms, promotional videos and more. Computer Grrrls takes visitors and readers on an intuitively plotted journey rich in history and thought-provoking experiences.

As hubs for post-Internet culture, it was only natural for the institutions involved – HMKV Hartware MedienKunstVerein in Dortmund, La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris and MU Hybrid Art House in Eindhoven – to embrace an exhibition that lies so squarely at the intersection of art, social issues and new technology. Indeed, the activists' perspectives presented in Computer Grrrls broach a range of topics: electronic colonialism, the place of minorities on the Internet, the sexist bias of algorithms, the dangerous dominance of white men in the development of artificial intelligence and digital surveillance, but also ideas for changing our way of thinking and ...