Biography:
Heidi Biggs (they/she) is a PhD candidate in the College of Information Sciences and Technology studying Human Computer Interaction and Design. They are an interdisciplinary sustainability scholar, holding a B.A. in English Literature and a Master of Design (MDes) in interaction design from the University of Washington. Stemming from an interest in the Anthropocene Era, climate change, and queer theory, and inspired by speculative and research through design traditions, their work has used making, somatics, first-person exploration, design ethnography, and performative engagement to shift their own and other’s awareness of their ecological imbrications via aesthetic experiences with environmental or ecological data. Carrying this work forward, they look to understand the relations that emerging, intelligent data applications build (both materially and ideologically) between humans and their environment and how those mediations might be part of larger systems of power and oppression.