Rachel Uwa, founder of the School of Machines, Making and Make-Believe, presented as a guest of Thoughtworks Arts in Germany. The event took place about two weeks before Berlin began shuttering public gatherings due to COVID-19.

Rachel’s talk looks at the origins of the school, drawing from her childhood in Texas, her rejection of the political and military status quo and subsequent immigration to Germany in the early-to-mid 2000s. The projects highlighted cut across technologies, including depth video and body tracking, virtual reality, machine learning, physical computing and the Internet of Things.

The philosophy of the school throughout this journey has taken a considerably more personal tone. The school looks deeply at human connections, branching outwards through art, technology, design and creative practices. Some of Rachel’s personal work looks at issues such as intimacy and digital technology.

The Berlin office of Thoughtworks hosted the event with the support of community manager Stephanie Kunsleben. Andrew McWilliams, one of the Directors of Thoughtworks Arts, also spoke at the event.