Visual Peacetech

Lisa Glybchenko’s PhD Research “Visual PeaceTech: Digital Visual Images as Security-Building Tools” at Tampere University, Finland, explores digital visuality of security/peace, VR as a tool of digital diplomacy and peacebuilding, AR technologies as  tools for implementing peaceful futures, Internet governance and ex-/in-clusion within digital peace design. A strong emphasis of this research is on supporting Ukraine, Lisa’s home country, and building peace in non-colonial ways there – peace as Ukrainians see it. As such, the project is a strong force for de-colonization and de-weaponization of the very fields of peace/security-building and peace/security-research/studies (weaponization of these fields means that colonial and badly designed peace practices become instruments of war and otherwise foster war). Being the first-ever thorough academic investigation of peace technologies, the project theorizes “Visual PeaceTech” and develops original artistic-technological tools, which practitioner peacebuilders can start using already now.

“What could happen if developments in digital technology, visual art-making processes and security practices were by design directed at achieving sustaining peace? Could we, then, rightfully speak of ‘peace technology’ – or even ‘visual peace technology’ – as enhancing experiences of security for people in war-affected communities? What would the role of digital visual images be in such security-building work?

These questions, in their first and most basic form, appeared in my head as, partly due to the pandemic, I found myself increasingly immersed in digital technologies in general and, as my interests go, digital visual art-making. The questions eventually turned into a research plan… And then many things turned around for me because of russia’s full-scale invasion against Ukraine…”

Yelyzaveta (Lisa) Glybchenko