About this Event
In 1921, the councillors of Poplar used every tool at their disposal — pamphlets, processions, the press, and the power of a community united — to challenge an unjust system. They controlled their own narrative, organised collective resistance, and forced a change that reverberated across the country.
A hundred years on, the tools have changed. But the questions haven't. This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore how digital technologies and artificial intelligence are transforming the way communities organise, communicate, and resist. Drawing on the story of the Poplar Rates Rebellion as a starting point, we'll examine what it means to campaign, advocate, and build solidarity in the digital age — and what the rebels of 1921 can still teach us about doing it well.
Through a mix of discussion, practical activities, and live experimentation with digital tools, participants will explore how movements craft and spread their messages across platforms, how AI can support activists in research, legal navigation, and holding power to account, and how to recognise and respond to the disinformation and digital tactics that can be used to undermine collective action. A critical discussion around the usage of AI will also be explored.
No technical knowledge is required. Whether you're an experienced organiser or simply curious about the relationship between protest and technology, this workshop is designed to be accessible, participatory, and grounded in a rich local history.
Derek Curry and Jennifer Gradecki are media artists who critique the dominant technological powers by hacking technologies to reveal underlying assumptions and effects. They recreate technologies used for social control, including open-source surveillance systems, financial technologies, and artificial intelligence. They are Associate Professors in Art + Design at Northeastern University in Boston.
Sam Kemp is a poet and lecturer at Northeastern University London. He teaches creative writing to students of all levels and disciplines and leads the Electric Frontiers Digital Writing course. He also co-leads the Art of Protest project and runs the Radical Writing Podcast, and his collection on the Wapping Dispute, , was published by Culture Matters in 2025.
This workshop is part of The Art of Protest project, exploring the legacy of the Poplar Rates Rebellion, which also includes a walking tour of the sites and stories of the 1921 rebellion in Poplar, East London, by Sam Kemp.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Tower Hamlets Local History Library & Archives, 277 Bancroft Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
