Participation and democracy form the basis of SHAPE’s seminar series, the Sociotechnical Data Studies Saloon, on multiple levels: with inspiration from the Danish ‘assembly hall’, the ambition is to facilitate presentations and open discussions on digitization, democracy, and citizenship. At our latest seminar, Dr. Arne Hintz, Co-Director of the Data Justice Lab at Cardiff University, presented his work on digital citizenship and social justice.

Ultimo 2022, Professor and Director of SHAPE, Peter Lauritsen, and Associate Professor and PI at SHAPE, Peter Danholt, received a 500.000 DKK grant from AUFF NOVA - Aarhus University Research Foundation for one of their research projects on 'The Digital Double'. The project is conducted in collaboration with Aarhus Municipality and aims to widen the theoretical and empirical knowledge on citizens' digital representation. On this occasion, the researchers here share what is in pipeline for 2023.

Last week, SHAPE had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Makoto Takahashi as speaker at our second Sociotechnical Data Studies Saloon – a series of seminars seeking to facilitate dialogues on the digital and democracy across various disciplines.

As part of the 2023 transmediale festival in Berlin on February 1-5, SHAPE has co-organised a twofold research workshop on the notion of 'scale' in a technological context – thinking through the ‘bigness’ of data and technology, and the potentials of a small and minor (or minority) tech that operates at human scale. 'Toward a Minor Tech' took off in January with a three-day workshop in London and will conclude at transmediale festival in Berlin on February 2.

As of January 2023, Kirsten Brohm is the new Academic Employee at SHAPE. She has the leading role in SHAPE's internal and external communication as well as administrative tasks in collaboration with the Student Assistant and Center Director of SHAPE.