Bring Your Own Biodata (BYOB): Feminist, Corporeal and Collective Approaches to Datafied Bodies

Quantitative representations of the body have become increasingly commonplace, a requisite for many navigating complex health issues, yet also heavily scrutinized under feminist lenses for flattening embodied experiences and perpetuating norms. How might designers and researchers navigate this tension, engaging with quantified (bio)data in corporeal, sensory, collective, and anti-solutionist ways? This 1-day workshop will bring together HCI researchers, practitioners, and designers to solidify the role of design in shaping how we interact with, know, grasp, and enjoy our data, while staying true to critical feminist values. Attendees will be invited to Bring Your/their own (Bio)Datasets (BYOB) as well as any tools or data physicalization crafting techniques they want to employ. The intended outcome of this workshop is a plurality of datasets, data tools, and data representations that empower people to engage with their data in ways other than the ones afforded by screens and dashboards, emphasizing agency, embodiment, and community.