SHL week returns with a programme focused on Digital and Data Futures
By: Elena Dennison
Last updated: Thursday, 28 May 2026
SHL Week will run 16–19 June 2026 offering an interdisciplinary programme of events by the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab community. Part of the wider Sussex Summer of Research 2026, SHL week is open to anyone interested in exploring pressing questions at the intersection of digital technology, knowledge, and society.
This year’s programme is an exciting mix of artistic practice, academic discussion, and public engagement. Highlights include the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab annual keynote which this year will be delivered by Anasuya Sengupta and Bareya Khan, founders of global campaign Whose Knowledge?. A PhD-led symposium on Digital Sovereignty, and a UK premiere of Domestic Light by international artist and researcher Ian Winters.
PhD Community Leads Digital Sovereignty Symposium
On Tuesday 16th June from 10am, the PhD Community Symposium: Digital Sovereignty, organised by PhD community advocates Sandy Di Yu and Tatiana-Lynn Makhoul. The symposium aligns with the University’s research theme of Digital and Data Futures, spotlighting critical questions about control, access, and governance in digital environments.
The event will feature contributions from leading voices in the field, including:
- Jim Killock, Executive Director of the Open Rights Group
- Jonathan w. y. gray, researcher at King’s College London and author of Public Data Cultures
Together with participant PhD researchers, speakers will examine how digital infrastructures shape power relations and what it means to reclaim agency in the age of data.
Click here to book your place for the Symposium.
Annual Keynote: “Whose Knowledge? Towards liberation through knowledge and tech justice”
A major highlight of SHL Week 2026 will take place on Wednesday 17th June at 3:00 pm in Arts A1, with the Annual Keynote 2026. This year’s keynote, titled "Towards liberation through knowledge and tech justice: the Whose Knowledge? story and practice", will be delivered by Anasuya Sengupta and Bareya Khan, co-leaders of the global initiative Whose Knowledge?. The keynote will address fundamental questions about representation, inclusion, and inequality in knowledge production, particularly in digital spaces, challenging institutions to rethink whose voices are amplified and whose are excluded.
Click here to book your place for the Keynote.
Domestic Light exhibition, a UK premiere.
At the heart of SHL Week 2026 is Domestic Light, an innovative installation by international artist Ian Winters, which will be on exhibition throughout the week at the Sussex Digital Humanities Lab (Silverstone Building, Level 2, SB211). Marking its UK premiere, the work offers an immersive exploration of light, technology, and everyday domestic spaces. The exhibition will culminate in a special installation performance and Q&A with the artist on Thursday 18 June at 2:00 pm, an opportunity to experience the work in action and engage directly with Ian.
Click here to book your place for the performance, talk, and Q&A.
Part of Sussex Summer of Research
SHL Week is part of Sussex Summer of Research 2026, a two‑week festival of researcher‑led talks, workshops and events, supporting and sharing our fantastic research here at Sussex. Find out about and sign up for other exciting events here!