This exhibition will celebrate and highlight the work of the School for Poetic Computation (SFPC) from the past seven years. Located in the Westbeth Artists Housing, SFPC is an artist run school, residency and research community exploring the intersection of code, design, hardware and theory — focusing especially on artistic intervention. Our mission is to support and nurture a diverse community of artists and critical thinkers to shape more creative, humane and poetic forms of computation. In the past few years, the school prioritizes inclusion of women, QTPOC, and disability community, offering a range of free public programs. With classes and events focusing on environmental justice, disability and accessibility, intersectionalities and racial bias in algorithms, the teachers have expanded the conventional understanding of computation. To further reach the communities that have been traditionally marginalized from art and technology, the school is planning an exhibition titled Poetic Computation. This exhibition will showcase a group of artworks from our teachers and alumni, a group that now numbers more than 300. The exhibition will also present material from the school’s archives for the first time with displays about our pedagogy and philosophy towards teaching art and computation. The exhibit will specifically focus on computation as an artistic medium spanning visual art, systems art and poetry, as well as critical perspectives on how computation impacts different communities in dramatically, uneven ways. The exhibition is initiated by SFPC Steering Committee member Tega Brain in collaboration with SFPC community. Special thanks to Westbeth Artists Housing, Westbeth Gallery and Pioneer Works.

Public events
Sunday, Jan 12, 2 – 5pm Critical Theory Retrospective — RSVP
Thursday, Jan 16, 6 – 10pm Opening Reception — RSVP
Saturday, Jan 18, 6 – 10pm Performance Night — RSVP