Nella Piatek
Nella Piatek is a critical designer, researcher and cyberwitch challenging the evolution of the human in conjunction with digital technology, along with the implications and values that this entanglement conjures. Their practice is a multimedia chronicle of a coven, materialised through performances, films and haunted operated systems. Through the lens of ecofeminism, cyberfeminism, and post-humanism, they meditate on contemporary myths around archives, impermanence and hauntology.
Through the alter-ego Xris and the clan of cyberwitches/eco-priestesses, they meditate on anarchival practices, the consumptive relationship of the human species with nature and the cyborgist behaviour already present in our everyday interactions with information technology.
Research interests:
Cyberfeminism
Eco-feminism
Cyborg Theory
Anarchiving practices
Hauntology
Post-humanism
Speculative Design & Alternative Realities
Nella is also an academic at Goldsmiths University and University of the Arts London, and artist exhibited internationally at various exhibitions, festivals, and conferences including The Photographers’ Gallery (UK), Ars Electronica (AT) and Oddstream Gallery (NL).
CV
SPECIALISATION
Media Theory / Critical Design Practice/ Speculative Narratives/ Future Thinking / Film Making
THEORY
phenomenology of digital being / cyberfeminism / digital subcultures / cyborg theory
PRACTICE
anthropological futures / socio-technical imaginaries / scenarios / rituals / new media
EXPERIENCE
October 2022 - Present
Associate Lecturer, University of the Arts London
Associate Lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at the London College of Fashion (LCF) and at the London College of Communication (LCC) at the University of the Arts London.
Tutoring, lecturing, leading group seminars, workshops andsupervising the Masters Project across MA Interaction Design and MA Fashion Media and Communication.
MA Interaction Design ︎
MA Fashion Media and Communication ︎
October 2022 - Present
Associate Lecturer, Goldsmiths University London
Starting a new position as Associate Lecturer in the Design Department at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Teaching across various units on MA Design: Expanded Practice throughout the entire academic year. Tutoring, lecturing, leading group seminars, workshops and supervising the Masters Project. Units include 'Studio Expanded Practice' or as unit co-lead 'Transfocality'
staff profile ︎
MA Design: Expanded Practice ︎
July 2023 - Present
Course Leader and Consultant, Era Vision, Beijing
Course Leader and writer of a 7-day intensive art course called "Worldbuilding, Alternative Realities and Story Realms". In this week-long course, we explored radical ways of seeing as a means to create alternative story realms and practice short filmmaking to examine how these can serve as catalysts for envisioning alternative realities and future narratives.
Course Leader and writer of a 3 week multidisciplinary design course called “Interactive and Critical Design” . I offer a quick theoretical and practical dive into the world of speculative design, critical design, cyberfeminism, non-human design, psychogeography and many other topics that I’ve had the pleasure to engage with over the years. I prompt participants to re-think how we interact with technology, space, and other beings and explore ways how values can be translated into design experiences
October 2021 - October 2022
Guest Speaker/Special Lecturer (SL2), University of the Arts London
Guest speaker leading workshops, talks and group discussions.
2021, MA Interaction Design, LCC, University of Arts London.
2022, MA Fashion Media & Communication Summit 1: HYPERBODIES, LCF, University of Arts London.
July 2020
Modual: Open Futures Collaborative Workshop, University of the Arts London
Co-created a brief that imagined, developed and pitched a speculative project for positive social change.
June - July 2020
Post-Interia Initiative, Port 0: Future design research team, Escola Massana
Took part in a collective experiment aimed at critical inquiry and exploration of speculative practices for social re-stabilization post Covid-19. Was part of a working group focused on social practices around conviviality and their connection to the ecological transitions.
September 2019
Shift Summer School, Glasgow School of Art
Part of a progressive week of design innovation and creative project management workshops, in partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Queen Margaret University
TALKS
2025
“Digital Angels Are Watching You: They Kept Your Girlhood For Late” for Everyone is a Girl Online: Tumblr Symposium at Theatreship, London (UK)
2024
“Accelerationism and Fluid Cyber-Identities” Part of podcast series led by Andrea Evgenieva, London (UK)
"From Angels to Swamplings: The Sisterhood of Spectral Bodies”
Part of Cyber_Identities, at Hypha Studios, London (UK)
2022
"Praxis Plugged In: Applying Feminist Theory In An Increasingly Digital World" Feminist Graduate Student Association (FGSA) Conference, Florida Atlantic University, Florida (US)
2021
‘Witchcraft Made Science’ : Episode 4 Part of a podcast series led by Future Based (NL)
"Into the Ethereal: Speculative Post-Internet Narratives"at ‘Goodbye Internet’ Festival at Oddstream Gallery, Nijmegen (NL)
EXHIBITIONS
2025
‘Interstices of Inhabitance’ - Ethereal Maison Gallery, London (UK)
2024
‘Mudsimmer’ - Alt R x Gossamerfog Gallery, London (UK)
‘Eden Transcends Reality’ - Pushkin House, London (UK)
2022
‘What Are Men to Rocks and Mountains?’ - Oddstream Gallery, Nijmegen (NL)
‘Open Space AR’ - Photographers’ Gallery, London (UK)
‘Magic Mirrors’ - Oddstream Gallery and Extrapool Dubbelweekend, Nijmegen (NL)
2021
‘Visceral Realities’ - University of the Arts London, London (UK)
2020
‘A View from Somewhere’ - ‘A New Digital Deal’ Festival at Ars Electronica (AT)
‘Future Experiences’ - in collaboration with Glasgow School of Art and the Sustainable Futures in Africa Network at The Lighthouse, Glasgow (UK)
2019
‘Post-Interia 2020’ - published by Port 0, online
2018
‘わノべ (Wanovation)’ - at Kyoto University of Arts, Kyoto, (JP)
‘Synesthésie' - ‘Nuit Blanche Kyoto’ Art Festival, at 大垣書店四条店, Kyoto, (JP)
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Ongoing
Framing Cyberfeminist Hauntology as a Socio-Cultural Artefact of Cyberspace: Spectral Modalities and Traces of Presence in Internet Subcultures
2021
Through the Lens of Nonconformist Cyberwitches: Witchcraft as a Design Methodology to Explore Alternative Futures
Machine Visions: AI and ML Representation in BBC Media, in collaboration with BBC Research and Development andUniversity of the Arts London
Seeing the Invisible: Aestheticising the entanglements of Google’s reCAPTCHA (Research Project + Satirical Output)
The AI Blackbox: Theistic conceptions of artificial intelligence prediction (News analysis)
2020
Re-imagining Flânerie as a Design Tool (Epistemology)
IO: Future Responses to the Tensions of Fast-paced City Life (Participatory Design, Psychogeography, Spectrum Mapping)
Future Experiences: Sustainable Development and the Global South, in collaboration with Sustainable Futures in Africa Network (SFA), Innovation School at Glasgow School of Art and University of Glasgow
2019
Evolve: Sustainability and compactness in new forms of furniture that adapt and grow with the contemporary families, as they move towards a more volatile, temporary and closely packed living environment
*winner of the Annual Neil Morris Prize - Best Furniture Design 2019
RESIDENCIES
2025
MAYES CREATIVE DARTMOOR Residency at YHA Dartmoor: Creative Inspiration From An Ancient Landscape, Dartmoor, UK
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
ETHEREAL MAISON Residency - Resident at the Ethereal Maison Gallery, London, UK
2024
ERA VISION Residency - Beijing, China
commissioned by Era Vision to create ‘What Would They Have Wanted’ film
QUEERING NATURE: THE QUEST - A RANDOM KINGDOM Digital Residency
funded by the European Union, Goethe Institute, OFAJ DFJW, Insitute Francais, Lios Labs, Deathless Flowers
2022
OPEN SPACE AR - Digital Residency commissioned by the Photographer’s Gallery London and Hervisions (Zaiba Jabbar)
PUBLICATIONS
2024 Everyone is a Girl Online Vol. 2: Seduction - ‘loving_bytes’ piece published
EDUCATION
University of the Arts London, London College of Communication, England
Masters of Arts (MA) in Interaction Design Communication with Distinction
Glasgow School of Art, School of Innovation, Scotland
Bachelor of Design (B.Des.) in Product Design with Honours of the First Class
Dissertation Distinction - Published in GSA Library
Kyoto University of Art and Design, Japan
6 month Exchange Program in Advanced Design