Algorithmic Rituals: Participatory and Embodied Explorations of Algorithmic Decision-Making

Algorithmic Rituals is a facilitated art experience in which visitors create collaborative movement-based “rituals” to reflect on their technology use habits. After generating a series of movements, attendees incorporate rules for how to relate their movements to those of other attendees, which allows patterns and feedback loops to form. The goal of the experience is to provide an embodied way for attendees to explore technosocial issues around algorithmic decision making and habitual technology use and discuss them in an open, facilitated context. The embodied aspects of movement creation provide a dedicated space for reflection and relation to others. The embodied approach exemplified by Algorithmic Rituals is particularly relevant to questions of bridging embodied methods of thinking about technology with the public in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.