Grants and residencies

Research and art

Visual Peacetech: Digital Visual Images as Security-Building Tools

Application summary

This is research about visual peace technology (peacetech), the way digital technologies and artistic innovation can be designed to support peace efforts. Peacetech as an industry is so nascent, that no academic research has been published to fill the notion with precise peace-centered content. This research aims to accomplish this by exploring technology at the intersection with artistic image-design as part of peace efforts. More specifically, this research explores 1) digital visuality of peace and security in war-affected communities, 2) virtual reality design for user-experience-peacework and 3) augmented reality image-making as a guerilla peacebuilding strategy. This research of technologies in peacework is ever more important in the times of full-scale war against Ukraine, its hi-tech grassroots-driven defense, and the implications that the war against such technologically-advanced society as Ukraine has for peacebuilding. This means that after the war ends - Ukraine wins, defending and building up (digital) peace will require more and more technological prowess and strategic use of technologies for peace. This research is a preparatory step for such strategic use of peacetech. The research effort also includes theoretical advancement of (visual) peace technology and practical tool-development (the digital media products the researcher/artist creates as part of research experiments) for digital peacebuilders seeking to employ visual peace technology already now.

Yelyzaveta Glybchenko’s Ph.D. Research “Visual PeaceTech” (https://projects.tuni.fi/visualpeacetech/) investigates the ways in which intersections of off-digital technological innovation and artistic innovation can strategically support the design and implementation of sustaining quality peace. The research project develops the theoretical framework of sustaining quality peace in the context of Ukraine and its ten-year-long defense against Russian terrorism (2014-2024). Employing an autoethnographic approach to researching International Relations, this dissertation investigates the conceptual and practical potential of employing digital visual images as visual peace technology to enhance security as part of sustaining quality peace efforts.

This research conceptualizes the notion of visual peace technology by examining four relevant areas of theory and practice. The conceptualization starts from examining digital visuality of images and image transformation strategies for supporting those actors who already work for security and peace but whose efforts may be made invisible by the prevailing power relations. The development of visual peacetech continues through the investigation of virtual reality technologies as peace technologies, focusing on VR initiatives designed for and applied to supporting Ukraine. Then, the project explores augmented reality technologies as tools for futures design of sustaining quality peace arrangements in Ukraine. To conclude the conceptualization of visual peacetech, this research project investigates the systems where visual peacetech may be further developed and employed: peace research and Internet governance.

Parts of this research (in)directly received international awards: the 2024 Prize for Transformative Futures in Peace and Security (3rd place, Geneva Centre for Security Policy); 2023 Jon Rieger award (International Visual Sociology Association); 2023 Creative Achievement Award (International Visual Literacy Association).

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