CulturePlex
The Humanities of the Anthropocene
THE HUMANITIES OF THE ANTHROPOCENE
Since its creation in 2010, the CulturePlex has strived to evolve and expand the tools of the Humanities to help solve the challenges faced by humankind in the 21st Century.
Focused on the digital condition, these efforts developed digital tools and formed crucial partnerships with industry, researchers, and organizations in Canada and internationally.
We are now using some of these tools and our partnering experience to understand and help mitigate the impact humans have in the Anthropocene.
The Anthropocene “a geological epoch of our own making.”
ANTHROPOCENE PRINCIPLES
The humanistic project of the Holocene has been interrupted
The Humanities of the Anthropocene need to concern about environmental threats
In order to contribute, it is essential to reinvent the tools of the Humanities.
For our survival we must understand our kinship with nature and machines.
TEAM MEMBERS
Ana Ruiz-Segarra
Engineer & Humanist, Video Game Enthusiast, YouTube
I am a first-year PhD student in the Hispanic Studies program. My research focuses on video game fans and online communities. I work at the CulturePlex as a data analyst, and graphic designer. My previous experience working at the Complex Systems Modelling group in Quito, inspired me to dive deep into the humanities.
Zeina Dghaim
Arts Education & Cultural Development, Cultural Literacy, Museums & The Digital Experience
My PhD research project is an act of creating beauty. An unimaginative and aesthetically starved life diminishes hope and humanity. I activate objects from the Aga Khan Museum’s permanent collection and transfer their stories into inspiring learning experiences through digital art and motion design.
Daniel Varona-Cordero
Computer Scientist, AI Specialist, Believer in the Law of Attraction
I work in design techniques that prevent traditional bias and foster equity in AI processes. Graduated from the University of Informatic Sciences in Havana, Cuba. Over ten years of teaching and industry experience in software engineering, software project management, software quality and research methods.
Tata Méndez-Mahecha
Hispanic Studies M.A. Student, Digital Creative
My curiosity led me to immerse myself in the digital world. I understand the relationships between Multimedia Communication, Design and Digital Humanities as the roots of creativity. They allow me to create user experiences that inspire design and strategic decisions in different scenarios.
Juan-Luis Suárez
Director, Curious, Explorer, Reader, Runner, Food Aficionado
Juan-Luis Suárez started the CulturePlex Lab in 2007 with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation with the goal of establishing a creative place to help define the digital transformation. His work focuses on advancing digital innovation and building a theory of cultural networks.
María Paula Espejo
PhD Student in Hispanic Studies, Peace Building, Government, Partnerships
I am building a trans-disciplinary method that leverages innovation to strengthen reconciliation in post-conflict contexts. I hold a Master of Arts from Universidad de Los Andes in Peacebuilding, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis on Conflict Resolution and Peace Research from Universidad Javeriana.
Yadira Lizama-Mué
Computer Scientist, Project Manager, Passionate About Science
I am a PhD student in Hispanic Studies with specializations in Scientific Computing and Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Resolution. I have a degree in Software Engineering from the Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas in Havana, Cuba.
Bárbara Romero-Ferrón
Art Historian, PhD Student, Digital Collections, Exhibitions
I am an Art Historian interested in cultural networks and data analysis. I use a data driven methodology to unearth the Spanish art shown in exhibitions in the UK, US, and Spain during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Emilio Calderón
Avid Reader, and Coffee Aficionado, Big Data in the Humanities
I am in my first year of the PhD in Hispanic Studies at Western University working on digital innovation and cultural networks. I completed my undergraduate studies in Literature and Humanities at Los Andes University, Bogotá, and my M.A. at Western on Natural Language Processing and civic journalism.
PUBLICATIONS
Curation, Content, Creation: Computer Approaches to the Fine Arts
The Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities and Art Historyh ArticlePublication AuthorsAbstractThe Routledge Companion to Digital Humanities and Art History offers a broad survey of cutting-edge intersections between digital technologies and the study of art...
Victims of Language: Language as a Pre-condition of Transitional Justice in Colombia’s Peace Agreement
Transitional Justice in Comparative Perspective. Preconditions for Successh Book sectionPublication AuthorsAbstractThis chapter focuses on the specific language used to talk about victims during the peace negotiations in Havana, and in the Final Agreement. The...
Entrepreneurship and the Mass Media: Evidence from Big Data
Academy of Management Discoveries h ArticlePublication AuthorsAbstractDoes the mass media promote entrepreneurship? Using big data in combination with a machine learning aided analysis we discover a positive sentiment bias associated with entrepreneurship present...
DATA POINTS
The Four Components of the Waterfront Doctrine
The CulturePlex has identified four areas of interest in the still emerging Waterfront Doctrine. These areas result from the set of decisions adopted by the three-levels-of-government (municipal, provincial and federal) corporation as well as from the positions taken by each of the different stakeholders.
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The Waterfront Doctrine
Author: Juan Luis Suárez
The CulturePlex proposes that the current multi-stakeholder, multi-phase process being used to decide the future and scope of the development of Toronto’s eastern waterfront by Sidewalk Labs, is best described as the Waterfront Doctrine.
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The Waterfront Doctrine
Author: Juan Luis Suárez
The CulturePlex proposes that the current multi-stakeholder, multi-phase process being used to decide the future and scope of the development of Toronto’s eastern waterfront by Sidewalk Labs, is best described as the Waterfront Doctrine.
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PARTNERS
