Poetic Operations: Trans of Color Art in Digital Media

Micha Cardenas uses algorithmic analysis to explore how trans and gender-non-conforming artists rewrite algorithms to counter violence and develop strategies for liberation. She focuses on how these artists use digital media, artwork, and poetry to articulate trans of color strategies for safety and survival.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

Artist and theorist Micha Cárdenas delves into the realm of contemporary digital media, art, and poetry, exploring the intersection of trans of color strategies for safety and survival. Drawing upon decolonial theory, women of color feminism, media theory, and queer of color critique, Cárdenas develops a groundbreaking method known as algorithmic analysis. By viewing algorithms as intricate sets of instructions, akin to recipes, she dissects them into their constituent parts, known as operations. Through this lens, Cárdenas uncovers how trans and gender-non-conforming artists, particularly artists of color, rewrite algorithms to challenge violence and cultivate liberation strategies.

In her comprehensive analyses of Giuseppe Campuzano's holographic art, Esdras Parra's and Kai Cheng Thom's poetry, Mattie Brice's digital games, Janelle Monáe's music videos, and her own artistic practice, Cárdenas showcases how algorithmic analysis unveils novel modes of understanding the intricate dynamics of identity and oppression, as well as the complex intersections of gender, sexuality, and race. By delving into the intricacies of these artistic expressions, Cárdenas offers a profound exploration of the ways in which technology and artistic practice can be harnessed to challenge oppressive systems and promote collective liberation.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478017653