Iyo Bisseck, a Cameroonian media artist and interaction designer, is pushing the boundaries of digital creativity and social impact. Through her work, Bisseck navigates the complexities of digital spaces, creating immersive environments, interactive installations, and narrative-driven games that address pressing social issues. As a member of collectives like Dreaming Beyond AI and Matri-Archi(tecture), Bisseck challenges conventional technology frameworks, advocating for more inclusive and caring digital ecosystems.
Exploring the Digital Archive and Decolonial Practice
A central theme in Bisseck’s work is the digital archive, a space she uses to reflect on how histories are collected, preserved, and shared. Her practice interrogates the materiality of the digital, shining a light on the colonial and exclusionary structures embedded within. Bisseck’s projects champion the preservation of diasporic narratives, particularly those that mainstream digital platforms have often overlooked or erased. Through interactive storytelling and sculptural installations, she reclaims digital spaces for marginalized voices, intertwining artistic expression with social advocacy.
Technology as a Medium for Empowerment and Justice
In her various roles as a web designer, programmer, and artist, Bisseck embraces technology as a medium for empowerment. She actively contributes to the creation of online spaces for political, cultural, and associative projects, ensuring that digital landscapes remain accessible and meaningful. Her projects are infused with a decolonial and queer perspective, pushing back against the status quo of the tech industry—a field that, as she notes, has historically upheld patriarchal and colonial values.
For instance, in January 2023, Bisseck presented AI, Can You See Me?, a lecture at Campus Fonderie de l’image in Montreuil, France, where she discussed AI’s role in reinforcing biases and its potential for inclusive reimagining. Next April, she will be hosting a workshop titled Raising Archives Collectively at Het Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam, where she will delve into collective archiving and memory as tools for resistance.
Collective Innovation: Dreaming Beyond AI and Matri-Archi(tecture)
Through her involvement with Dreaming Beyond AI, Bisseck examines AI’s social implications, especially its tendency to perpetuate structural inequalities. Collaborating with other artists, scholars, and activists, she critiques who benefits from digital innovations and envisions a decolonized tech future. This collective approach—grounded in community and care—represents a significant departure from the often individualistic and profit-driven tech industry.
Meanwhile, Matri-Archi(tecture) creates nurturing online spaces that celebrate marginalized identities, rejecting exploitative models and instead focusing on care, resilience, and solidarity. By imagining digital realms that embrace community-driven projects, Bisseck underscores the importance of moving away from harmful systems toward a tech culture rooted in empathy, sustainability, and equity.
Building Equitable Digital Futures
Iyo Bisseck’s work is as much about art as it is about reshaping digital spaces for collective well-being. She envisions a digital future that emphasizes justice, empowerment, and the dismantling of oppressive systems. Her vision for technology is one where artistry, programming, and social change intersect, creating a digital world that fosters connection, celebrates diversity, and advocates for a shared future. As digital spaces continue to shape our lives, the contributions of artists like Iyo Bisseck remind us that these spaces can be sites of care, creativity, and community transformation.
