Programs & projects

In the second iteration of Edgelands Geneva, we are bringing together the Edgelands network for a series of six inter-city discussions on digital integrity and its implications for the urban social contract for security. We aim to bring together the diverse perspectives and experiences of different stakeholders in the Edgelands cities to build a collective understanding of this crucial issue.

Meet our Fellows from the Medellín Fellowship

The Edgelands Research Sprint 2023 explored the challenges and opportunities of increasing the digitalization of security in Nairobi, Kenya. This 8-week program was carried out in partnership with the Lawyers Hub, a Pan-African digital law and data governance think-tank headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya serving the Global South.

For Edgelands Institute’s Participatory Data Interventions program, we invited people living in Geneva to participate in “Dropping the Pin on Surveillance”. The project aims to co-create a catalog of security cameras in the city in order to reflect on its potential uses in research, policy, and art.

Hablemos Medellín is an initiative that promoted a survey for the citizens of Medellín to actively participate in shaping the future of their city.

In collaboration with Ideate Tech Policy, the Edgelands Nairobi team organized a Twitter space focused on highlighting the Diagnostic Report.

UNDER THE RADAR, the fourth project of the MATZA EDGELANDS initiative, invited local and international artists to reflect upon these themes, providing insights into the effects of digitalization on the social fabric of Geneva.

Held in March 2023, the project aimed to shed light on tensions and their far-reaching consequences, with a strong focus on identifying solutions to build a safer, more inclusive community. Throughout the project, our team engaged with young community members and stakeholders from the social, private and public sectors in Cúcuta to gather insights, share knowledge, and collaboratively seek solutions.

Following the MATZA EDGELANDS initiative, DIGITAL INFORMALITIES is the third project of the Edgelands Institute in collaboration with MATZA.

As a result of 8 weeks of work, the participants of the "We are recording you Cúcuta" research sprint, -students of the UFPS in Cúcuta- made four podcast episodes as outcome of the process and analysis of their research projects.

"Magnum x Edgelands Geneva" is a collaborative project between Magnum Photos and the Edgelands Institute, consisting of a series of chapters exploring the intersection of photography, technology, and urban environments.

A workshop was conducted in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta, organized by the Bitácora Ciudadana de Frontera Morada program. The event involved young participants from both Colombia and Venezuela, aiming to explore the implicit and explicit agreements within the city, focusing on relationships between locals and immigrants, as well as the dynamics between formal and informal authorities at the border.

New edition of Edgelands Mapping workshops in Cúcuta, in partnership with Fundación Pilar.

First edition of the Edgelands Maps Workshop in Geneva, in partnership with CFP SHR.

Throughout the year, fellows became members of a cohort of international academics and professionals dedicated to research investigating the intersection of security, cities and digital technology.

Over the course of eight weeks, the participants of "We are Recording you Geneva" had the opportunity to explore the issues of security, surveillance and technology in the city.

The “social lab” is Mi Sangre Foundation’s methodology for creating an ecosystem of transformation that relies on collaboration and capacity as modes of interrogation. In We Are Recording You Social Lab, we met with different community stakeholders to discuss and critique themes of security and surveillance and reimagine Medellín’s social contracts (the social dynamics and power between citizens and authority) that function between Medellín’s government and citizens.

Following the MATZA EDGELANDS initiative, BLURRED LINES is the second project of the Edgelands Institute in collaboration with MATZA.

OPPi is an online participatory survey to hear directly from individuals about their perceptions and thoughts about a specific topic.

Decoding Security, Coexistence, and Vigilance in Medellín were data workshops held over eight weeks in partnership with the Center for Political Analysis of EAFIT University. The project aimed to involve young participants in analyzing surveillance data to contribute to local conversations and public policies on security and coexistence in Medellín.

Magnum Edgelands Medellín, a project undertaken in collaboration with the photographer Peter Van Agtmael, delves into the interplay between observation, technology, and the public sphere, all through the lens of Medellín's streets and surveillance cabins.

During a two day workshop, we brought together 25 young people between 16 and 22 years old from different neighborhoods to discuss their perspectives on security and surveillance in urban and digital spaces in concrete scenarios.

With Derecho a No Obedecer (citizen activism organization) we carried out our signature workshop with young people from different parts of the city of Cúcuta.

This project is part of the effort of the Edgelands Institute to identify local regulations that are being consolidated around surveillance technologies in cities, especially given the rapid changes in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent years, which are applicable and applied in security operations.

The Edgelands Institute engages in creating a small cohort early-career scholars, artists and researchers to join the Institute. Fellows conducted an independent research project to help us better understand how the increasing digitalization of urban security impacts the social fabric of a city.

The 2021 Research Sprint of the Edgelands Institute, incubated at the Berkman Klein Center, and the EAFIT University, explored the intersection of security and civic coexistence issues, youth inclusion, and digital surveillance in the city of Medellin with the city's youth.