IA Collaboratory: Tools for the Undercommons Speaker Series

When: Wednesday, September 24, 2025, 12noon PT / 1pm MT / 2pm CT / 3pm ET
Where: Online via zoom

Drawing inspiration from Harney and Moten’s theorization of “study” as the “incessant and the irreversible intellectuality” present in myriad forms of collective knowledge production, this speaker series brings together scholars, artists, and other cultural workers to share field-tested tools that maintain alternate centers of gravity within (and outside of) academia, while also constituting an undercommons of its own.  We define tools broadly—including strategies, tactics, theories, case studies, methods, and more—that support ongoing efforts to develop new pathways for research and creative intervention that is meaningful to those most impacted and that demonstrates the value of creative work to diverse audiences and institutions. This IA Collaboratory is organized by professors Jacqueline Jean Barrios and Harris Kornstein (Public & Applied Humanities, University of Arizona), and each virtual event features two guest speakers in a salon-style conversation with attendees.

This month’s featured speakers are Roopa Vasudevan (Assistant Professor, Department of Art, UMass Amherst) and Feng-Feng Yeh (chef, artist, and founder of the Chinese Chorizo Project):

Roopa Vasudevan is a South Asian-American new media artist, computer programmer and researcher, whose work examines sociotechnical defaults; interrogates rules, conventions, and protocols that we often ignore or take for granted; and centers humanity and community in explorations of technology’s impacts on society.  More info: https://roopavasudevan.com/.

Feng-Feng Yeh is the founder of the Chinese Chorizo Project, which pays tribute to the 100+ Chinese grocery stores operating from the 1880’s to 1970’s in Yeh’s hometown of Tucson, Arizona, highlighting solidarity between Chinese and Mexican communities.  More info: https://www.chinesechorizoproject.com/.