Neural Networth : Community Arts-Based Research, Data, Beading, and AI

Neural Networth is a mixed-media beaded art piece that embodies an Indigenous expression of neural networks, the foundational information and communication technologies of artificial intelligence (AI). This research creation project couples the art with a scholarly article, including an artist’s statement detailing the contexts of Indigenous technology and tradition, creative choices, and the specific community art-based research (ABR) practices engaged. Completed in stages over years, the piece was catalyzed by participatory beading sessions at KōKwel Tribal gatherings, the intergenerational sharing of data on beadwork traditions, and engagements with Indigenous software engineers and artists. Neural Networth contributes by addressing the lack of epistemological diversity and cultural responsiveness in design practices associated with extant neural network visualizations. This article also indigenizes methods of ABR and prompts more ABR engagement in the Indigenous communication subfield.