2023
As a visual and performance artist, I work on body data, including systematic self-reflection, such as through consumer self-tracking technologies; but extending to topics related to digital surveillance of human bodies. You can watch this talk for a detailed overview of the history and future of the work, or see my academic and experimental writings about it since 2008.
I currently work as Data & AI Strategist (at Phiture GmbH), and continue to teach workshops and courses related to my prior research on learning technical knowledge. You can stay tuned via LI for upcoming public event announcements, or get in touch to run a workshop for your organization.
- "Sharing Programming Knowledge"
April 1, 2023 @ varia (Rotterdam, NL)
March 16, 2023 @ Curve Labs (Berlin, DE)
Until 2025, I am studying as a part-time master's student public administration at the Hertie School of public policy and governance. I serve as Alumn* Coordinator for the School of Commons, an initiative at the Zurich University of the Arts dedicated to the study and development of self-organized knowledge. Since July 2021, I have been teaching yoga asana at KALAA Yoga Berlin.
2022
For the past several years, I conducted research on building body knowledge through artistic interventions including participatory performance, drawing exercises,
movement practice, embodied sonic exploration, and discussion. In 2022, this work was supported by the School of Commons; I also taught related courses in 2020-2021 at the School of Machines in Berlin.
Here is a flip-through of my art/research journal accumulated during this artist residency, including some readings on the subject of understanding unseen body processes and internal communications (specifically, hormones).
CRITICAL DATA PRACTICE AT HOME AND WITH FRIENDS was published in Critical Coding Cookbook. This methodology also informed a workshop at the Weizenbaum Conference in Alte Münze, Berlin, June 9-10, 2022; facilitated with with Minha Lee and Christel de Maeyer.
Created #Sergina's Choice-Free Survey Instrument v1.0 as part of an ongoing performance/art collaboration with artist Elly Clarke related to the collection and cleaning of personal data.
2018
Between 03.2018 and 02.2020, I ran Lost Mail, a monthly visual art and narrative puzzle, crowdfunded through Patreon. In collaboration with Cora Lee, and others.
For 3.5 years, starting in 2018, I was a software engineer and team lead working on B2B ("business-to-business") chatbots at jobpal Ltd (acquired by SmartRecruiters). I mostly worked with natural-language short-form text, mostly in English and German. I have led and contributed substantially to various technical aspects of GDPR compliance in this product, and am always happy to talk about it!
2016
Finished my PhD in Seattle and moved to Berlin, and during a number of major life transitions, started one of my favorite personal art projects, "Should I Do the Thing?".
2013
Published a couple of early research projects at major human-computer interaction (HCI) conferences: a qualitative study of technology for foreign language-learning, and automatically detection emotion in chat messages.
2011
Published and presented my first academic research work on online information seeking for chronic illness management. The mixed qualitative/quantitative methods I learned during this project, as well as different approaches people have to tracking and understanding their chronic health conditions, continue influence my artistic and research practice, especially when it comes to self-tracking and body data.
