Who makes Cybersalon?
Many Cybersalon members and invited speakers deliver products for the creative industries or produce research within the broad field of the digital humanities. Their combined creative experience ranges across building networks, big data, the quantified self, social media, and privacy, the evolution of cyborgs, education, and gaming. Their familiarity with the technologies, trends, legal requirements and business logistics of the Digital Media sector comes directly from their daily working practice. Cybersalon also fosters a substantial academic and professional interdisciplinary cross-over, with key members holding senior academic posts at large London Universities and colleges of Further Education. Their interest in guiding the vocational development of Digital Media skills training should be seen as an extension and logical in these twin
Eva Pascoe is co-chairperson of CyberSalon and has pioneered ecommerce in the UK. She was a co-founder of Cyberia, the first global cybercafé chain and Easynet Internet Service Provider. She has recently co-authored digital retail policy papers on “Re-Imagining the High Street” and a new policy for West End of London in her “Surf and Turf” contribution to a recent publication commissioned by Centre for London and New West End Company. She regularly speaks at key retail industry events run by the Retail Institute and runs a weekly digital innovations blog “The Retail Bytes” at steering the sector through technological challenges. Eva has been at the forefront of the commercialisation of the Internet since the 1990s, contributing significantly to retail practice, public policy, training and education ever since.
Dr Richard Barbook is a trustee of Cybersalon, academic and author. His first published work on media regulation within the EU was 1995’s Media Freedom during his time at a research institute at the University of Westminster. In the same year, he became the coordinator of the Hypermedia Research Centre at Westminster’s Media School. With Andy Cameron, he wrote The Californian Ideology, a pioneering critique of the politics of Silicon Valley. In 2007, Richard moved to the Social Sciences School of the University of Westminster and published his study of the political and ideological role of the prophecies of artificial intelligence and the information society: Imaginary Futures. Imaginary Futures was selected by The Media Ecology Association as the winner of the 2008 Marshall McLuhan Award for Outstanding Book of the Year in the Field of Media Ecology. In November 2017, Richard Barbrook began working for the Labour Party as a Digital Democracy Strategist.
Dr Sophia Drakopoulou is a co-founder of Cybersalon starting with events at the ICA between 1999 to 2003, when she co-wrote the Cybersalon Manifesto (http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0010/msg00071.html) and Mobile Manifesto (http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0011/msg00062.html). Sophia orchestrated the relaunch of Cybersalon in 2013 together with Eva, Niki and Richard. During 2015 to 2016 Sophia co-run the the #DigitalLiberties campaign to introduce a Digital Bill of Rights in the UK. Sophia’s research explores space and time in location-based media, social and mobile media. She consults on social entrepreneurship and social media strategy.
Chair of Cybersalon events: ‘YouTube – The Dark Side’, 27 February 2018 ; ‘Human and Machine – dystopia or utopia?’, 7 December 2017; ‘Research Seminar – The Ethical Economy’, 17 February 2015; ‘Gaming’, November 2014; ‘Will We Be As Smart As Our Cities?’, 27 May 2014; ‘Reclaim the City!’, 26 November 2013; ‘Mobile Cultures from London Yuppies to #TaksimSquare’, June 2013.
Past Cybersalon events at the ICAinclude: Cybersalon ‘Mobile Futures’ at the Science Museum (Dana centre). April 2004. LEGACY 03 Exhibition and Cybersalon ‘Digital Learning’ at the ICA. Curator, Event Coordinator. March 2003. See www.hrc.wmin.ac.uk/legacy. Cybersalon ‘Educating In Pixels’ at the ICA with Douglas Rushkoff. Panel Speaker. June 2001. Cybersalon Cybersonica at the ICA with Jacques Attali. Chair of symposium and online Debate Moderator for the Net.Music Cybersalon. April 2001.
Benjamin Greenaway is a senior contributing member of Cybersalon. Benjamin is a mobile applications developer, a full-stack, world-wide-web engineer and educator with clients including The British Library, The Nominet Trust, OpenDemocracy.net and The Big Issue. In addition to his engineering and business background Benjamin has taught Hypermedia, HTML and WordPress to undergraduates at the University of Middlesex, HTML and JavaScript to adults through the adult learning code club Skillab and the City & Guilds courses in Social Media for Business. His writing on software development and business start-ups has been published in Web&PHP Magazine and phpArchitect.
Stefan Lutschinger is a creative professional, curator, lecturer and novel character in Lukas Jost Gross’ Black Ice – New Masters (2008) and Richard Barbrook’s Class Wargames. Ludic subversion against spectacular capitalism (2014). He has been holding a position as lecturer in Media, Culture and Communications at Middlesex University in London since 2010 and has taught at numerous international universities, among others at Art University Kassel, St. Petersburg State University and University of Applied Arts in Vienna.
Stefan has set up and participated in a wide range of international art events and conferences, managed cultural institutions and moderated the implementation of the NetzNetz Digital Arts & Culture Fund of the City of Vienna’s Cultural Department, a community-based distribution of municipal funding based on democratically agreed-upon rules. He has a particular interest in analytical philosophy, the Vienna Circle and Wittgenstein’s concept of ‘language-games’ because of the contention that our whole use of language is similar to game playing.
At present, Stefan is promoting his latest project Malevich – A Suprematist Board Game, which allows its players to re-fight the confrontation between the Suprematists led by Kazimir Malevich and their enemies. He is also working on a PhD on Learning Design Cultures.
Simon Sargisson Creative Technologist in-Residence for Cybersalon.org Digital Futures Think Tank (part-time) and UI Developer for Rocksteady Studios working on Batman Arkham Knight.
Simon has been investigating the visceral effects of the digital in both playful and political context as well as storytelling in the digital age.
Karolina Janicka is an E-commerce professional specialising in Client Services for web development agencies working with Shopify and Magento.
She supports Cybersalon as a Community and Events Manager as well as occasional speaker.
She is a Graduate of Creative Writing and Journalism from Middlesex University.
You can contact her on LinkedIn.
Alex Rowe, psychology student at Parsons School of Design/NewSchool in New York
DJ, interested in hiphop history and podcaster on Women DJs
Web Designer for musicians /DJs and Digital Art/Sonic Art Performance Projects
London/New York Contact email [email protected]
Instagram @Dilly.Rowe
Luke Robert Mason is a Researcher in Technology and Cyberculture. He is currently Director of Virtual Futures, a series of events that aim to retrospectively critique and challenge notions of ‘the future’ to understand the evolutionary processes that have given rise to today’s emergent web-culture.
His work has largely focused on the role media art can play as a tool for understanding one of the most important intellectual and cultural developments of our times – the technological extension of the human condition. In collaboration with philosopher of technology, Dan O’Hara, Mason provides research and consultancy for companies interested in understanding the wider techno-social impacts of the products and services they provide.
For the last 4 years he has been a member of the artist collective the Institute of Unnecessary Research, he currently curates an archive of mid-90s cyberculture and is a contributor to the Guardian, UK.
Interests include, #perceptualaugmentation #transhumanism #socialmedia #infomorphology
Fabian Tompsett overcame the shortcomings of a bourgeois education by gaining a proletarian education through the London Workers Group. This was accompanied by many years of practical experience working in several Print Co-ops in London during the eighties. During this period he became involved with Class War, leaving in 1985. During the nineties he initiated the London Psychogeographical Association and collaborated with Alastair Bonnett on Transgressions, A Journal of Urban Exploration. He also translated some of the works of Asger Jorn into English. His participation in Class Wargames is a culmination of his interaction with Situationism from a proletarian class perspective. Fabian helped to deliver Wikimania 2014 in London and is now an organiser for Wikimedia UK.
Lewis Sykes is a musician, interaction designer, digital art and media curator and producer and a qualified Youth & Community Worker specialising in the Arts. A veteran bass player of the underground dub-dance scene of the 90s he performed and recorded with acts such as Emperor Sly, Original Hi-Fi and Radical Dance Faction; was a partner in the underground dance label Zip Dog Records; and more recently composed for and performed with the award winning, progressive AV collective, The Sancho Plan. He is currently one-half of Monomatic – a collaboration, experimental playground and halfway house alongside the work of Nick Rothwell – exploring sound and interaction through physical works that investigate rich and sonorous musical traditions.
Lewis is Director of Cybersonica – an annual celebration of music, sound art and technology (now in its ninth year) – and between 2002-07 was Coordinator of the independent digital arts agency Cybersalon – founding Artists-in-Residence at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre and formerly based at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). Lewis is in the second-year of a practice as research PhD at MIRIAD, Manchester Metropolitan University exploring the aesthetics of sound and vibration.
Richard Boase is a crypto currency enthusiast and Bitcoin advocate who has been actively involved in the Bitcoin startup scene since mid 2012.
He has written for CoinDesk and Bitcoin Magazine, chaired the Bitcoin 2.0 Panel discussion for Cybersalon and spoken on Financial Inclusion at the Bitcoin 2014 conference in Amsterdam.
Richard’s past is in video and motion graphics production. He has always been a keen adherent of cyberpunk culture and wrote his first article on the history of the cypherpunks for Cybersalon in August 2013.
In early 2014 Richard conducted a research trip to Kenya with the Bitcoin Tablet Project, taking android tablets and bitcoin to 6 community and charity projects in Africa.
He has hands on experience of development work and a working knowledge of the potential and promise, and potential pitfalls, of introducing crypto-currencies like Bitcoin to the 3rd world.
Richard studied Journalism at MA level at Kingston University and has a BA Hons in Multimedia from Brighton, as well a diploma in Visual Communication from the University of Central England, Birmingham.
He has worked as a VJ, TV producer, editor and director, and is currently working in social media and PR.
Wessel van Rensburg launched RAAK – a social media agency – three years ago. RAAK puts organisations and business in touch with their customers, staff, suppliers through social & digital media.
Wessel is a digital and social media strategist. He has 15 years experience having worked on two start ups, and being New Product Development manager and Mobile Product Manager for Lycos Europe.
Wessel has appeared on the BBC and ITV regularly as commentator with regards to technology issues.
He also make documentaries (and blogs) in his spare time.
uk.linkedin.com/in/wesselvanrensburg
@wildebees
Niki Gomez has lived and worked in seven countries- across Europe, the US and Asia. She has worked in digital media for 15 years, first as an employee in creative organisations and then as a Marketing Strategy consultant for private and public sector clients.
Niki is a co-founder of the think-tank on Digital Futures, Cybersalon, and has an MBA from the Sloan School of Business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
She is a Senior Consultant for Delta – Brand valuation and quantitative analysis for rebranding.
Her expertise is in branding and marketing, strategy audience development and digital media and innovation.
Consultancy clients have included Douwe Egberts, Fitness First, IBM, the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG), Arts Council of England, Tate Gallery, Aga Khan Foundation, Godrej (India), iEnglish e-publishing, Royal London Society for Blind People, The International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies (CISAC), Laboral Art Centre (Spain) and World Wildlife Fund.
Niki is a co-founder of Cybersalon, a think-tank on digital futures, which produces digital insights for business and government and puts on regular events that bring together techies, artists, entrepreneurs, government, activists and academics.
In India she set up the first online 3D social network for a large conglomerate, Godrej.
The UK Sunday Times recognised her a ‘Technology Star’ in 2000.
Niki has worked in the European Parliament and Commission in Brussels and set up the Rich Mix Cultural Centre, London in 2004.
@nikigomez
Lidia Kurasinska is a freelance investigative journalist based in London. She writes about surveillance, security and counter-terrorism abuses with a particular interest in Central Asia and the Balkans. She worked at the Wikimania 2014 conference.
Lidia graduated from the University of Westminster with a degree in Modern Languages.
Kateryna Onyiliogwu moved from Ukraine to London to study Politics at University of Westminster. While at university, she managed a student led project and magazine that focused on the topics of migration and multiculturalism in London. Kateryna is currently working as a Business Support Administrator at the Open Data Institute.
Before joining the ODI, Kateryna participated in the work of Participedia, Cybersalon and Participatory Budgeting Network UK. Being passionate about grassroots politics, Kateryna is interested in the impact of technological innovation on local economic development.
Kateryna loves dogs, ping pong and spoken word. @katerynaon
James Moulding is a politics graduate of the University of Westminster. Formerly Community Manager at OpenSensors.io, an Internet of Things startup, he now works as a Political Analyst at Crowdpac UK, a new political platform and startup utilising big data to transform political participation. He was Event Coordinator at Cybersalon 2013-2015. James is also a member of Council and NEON. He has helped develop e-learning research at the University of Westminster and was Assistant Conference Director of Wikimania 2014. James is also a proud comrade of Class Wargames. He is developing an educational boardgame, Imperialism in Space.
Filip Janczak is a graduate of Middlesex University, skilled in Graphic design, he is interested in E-sport, Bitcoin and alt-coin. Filip also volunteered to support Wikimania 2014 London.
Adriana Smentek is a recent Graduate from Middlesex University, graduating with an honours degree in Media & Cultural studies. Having worked in events and PR, she has experience in organising numerous cultural events, including Art Fairs and festivals.
Originally from Poland , Adriana is now looking forward to the next chapter of her life in London, where she plans to forge a successful career using the skills and knowledge gained from her studies and previous employment experience.
Zane Raudina is Latvian audio-visual artist and VJ, based in Riga,actively performing and participating in exhibitions and venues in Latvia and abroad.She is a geometric artist who intends to share an experience of inner balance through the use of simple geometric principles, motion, color and sound. Her work is a symbolic manifestation from inside out.
Ilze Black is a media artist and producer. She has curated numerous media productions, art events and happenings in and around London during last 15 years. She is one of the co-founders of the innovative new media arts collectives AmbientTV.net and Take2030. In 1990s post-Soviet Latvia, Ilze cofounded the seminal art initiative art bureau OPEN. Her projects focus on network populism, free wireless, open communities and transnational society. For five years, Ilze led Waterman’s new media art programme and is also an associate of NodeL and HiveNetworks. She was the director of the Class Wargames film about Debord’s The Game of War. Ilze is at present studying for a doctorate in the Media and Art Technology at Queen Mary University London.
Is there a Cybersalon event this evening (25 Aug)?
Hello Erin!
There won’t be any events until late September, we will announce details closer to the date.
Thanks,
Cybersalon Team
Hi. I am a long time crypie and have been struggling with how to make encryption more secure. We have wonderful encryption algorithms and key management skeems, but I keep coming back to not enough variables to keep NSA and GCHQ out. The problem, as I see it, it that we only have about 80 variables that we use in encryption; that is not even a half-a-byte.
Look at what we are using for our ATM cards, just 4 digits; this is insane. We need to add variables to make our PINs more secure. One idea is to add 20 colors to the 10 numbers; that would give someone 200 variables to hack instead of only 10. The user does not have to colorize all four digits or any of them, but the hacker must now process all 200 variables.
I have an approach that can add 20,000 variables to any encryption algorithm as a “function” call. What are these additional variables? Sound, texture, color, images, graphics (Wing Dings), digital smells, etc. As an example, the encryption algorithms or key management could require the initiation of encryption to have certain colors and the reply to have other, associated colors or sound snippets, etc.
There has been a huge amount of work on Tor and Bitcoins and OTR, but no one, to my knowledge, has cracked how to add many more variables to make the keys unbreakable, even for NSA, even for parallel, super-computers with multi-processors and unlimited RAM and bandwidth.
Can someone here point me in the right direction? I do not want to give this technology to any Government; they will only mis-use it. All Governments are primarily about fear, force and control; that is Darkness and I am of the Light (freedom, choice, truth and doing-the-right-thing).