digi-gili (digital spark) @ Web Directions 2014
It’s been a few weeks now since digi-gili at Web Directions. As a pre-curser to IDX’s Innovation Lab, Web Directions and IDX worked together to create a conversation space for Indigenous Entrepreneurs at the conference. Individually developed strategic pathways were created to facilitate connections with the stellar line up of Web Directions delegates and our deadly mob. Secondly, and most crucial, was the objective to lay the foundations for Indigenous digital innovators to connect as a savvy, creative community of Digital Leaders while sharing our cultural experiences and creating support for each other.
And that we did!
John and Maxine from Web Directions created a space for digi-gili, strategically placed to invite the 800 odd delegates into our ‘lounge room’ and yarn up. We created a digital ephemeral continuation of Uncle Max’s, (pictured above) Smoke Ceremony to rotate on screen in the lounge room. I think its safe to say, digi-gili defied typical Indigenous stereotypes with our representation of Excellence: central to the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.
The program for Web Directions blew my mind. A common theme with the conference’s speakers naturally evolved around Human Centred Design. From Erin Moore’s (Twitter) Convenient Fictions and her poetic philosophy on time and experiences to Matt Webb’s Interconnected: aligning science fiction and pop culture with the contemporary design of products to create new meaning in our lives. But, for me it was hearing, then meeting the amazing Anthropologist, Genevieve Bell, (pictured below).
Her talk, Being Human in a Digital World enlightened me with my own, ‘ah-ha’ moment. Genevieve is an Australian working for Intel as the Director of User Experience Research, she is a Vice President of Intel Lab and is an Intel Fellow. Bell is based in America, however uniquely Australian with a longstanding connection to Indigenous communities and culture. She grew up on country in the outback desert in places such as Ali Curung within Warlpirri and Warumungu Aboriginal communities, on the Kaiditch lands with her mother, a highly regarded Anthropologist (Diane Bell). It’s no surprise that she so successfully bridges the digital and anthropological worlds to work with human centred design after hearing about her father and Grandmother (both engineers) combined with her childhood learning traditional lore, our culture and our old ways.
Needless to say, Bell understands our work facilitating digital innovation and connections which are self determined by our mob, and from a culturally relevant paradigm.
Genevieve talked about our transition from human computer interactions to human computer relationships - something that one of our invited digi-gili's understands innately.
Biologist and Cabrogal woman, Mikaela Jade from [Paramodic.com] and pictured below, brought along her beautifully painted boat paddles representing 100 Indigenous nations linking 55 custodian communities through the stories technically embedded within the individually painted paddles, brought to life with Augmented Reality and your Smart Phone. She used the paddles to demonstrate the AR also part of their Digital Rangers project, which she talked at length about to a number and range of people - all impressed with her concept, vision and creative design and delivery of Digital Rangers. Mikaela has written here as part of her experiences of digi-gili @ Web Directions.
Liam Ridgeway (Gumbaynggirr) and John Saulo (Wergaia, Wemba Wemba & Gunnditimara) pictured above, from Ngakkan Nyaagu presented an array of ways how the two men can provide all services required for your digital identity. “We believe all Indigenous businesses and organisations should control their digital presence. Through the use of platforms, tools and succinct strategy NGNY will work will you to achieve your goals and give you the skills to manage your presence into the future, no matter what stage your at currently”. With only having started out within the year, NGNY has taken on the design and development of Indigenous online solutions by storm. John and Liam recognised the value of forming an advisory committee to capture the expertise all small to medium enterprises require of a business. Through our digi-gili workshopping process they were able to identify and then meet a range of people they are now currently developing relationships with.
The other Indigenous Entrepreneurs and their project’s ranged from app’s developed for youth engagement to culturally specific web applications combining an innovative and divergent blending of practical search functions, social and open sourced. Progressive, and yet culturally grounded is what our mob are all about.
Furthermore, what unifies all the digi-gili people and their projects is their ability to represent our diverse backgrounds: contemporary, yet traditional - re-contextualisation of our old ways, and hence, emancipating our cultural identity. Yet, in my opinion, the most critical factor digi-gili achieved was to communicate our ability to self-determine how Indigenous Entrepreneurs are creating and navigating our way through the digital landscape, while inviting the Web Directions delegates to come on board for the journey.
The invitation remains open so, please contact us to find out more about how you can be involved in Indigenous Digital Excellence.
Maxine Shirin from Web Directions and Palawa woman, Angie Abdilla from National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.