Tech, TEK and Tea

Significant technical interventions were required to conduct and live-stream Coral Harbour TEK interviews in a way that followed local Covid-19 protocols, and allow southern BearWatch team members to participate remotely.

“This new practice evolved from an expressed desire of the community, adapting available technology, revised ethics approval from Queen’s University, and agreement on Covid-19 protocols that exceed local requirements” (LSARP report, March 2021),

Nevertheless, its material execution did not function in a satisfactory way when executed.

Piloting Remote Interview Technologies

The interviews were conducted at a large dining table in Leonard Netser’s living room, which provided for the required distancing between “interviewer” and “interviewee”. A third, locally hired research assistant, was also present in the room to attend to several recording devices, streaming platforms, battery levels and communication channels. All three people present in the room were masked and physically distancing from each other.

After a successful technical pilot, in which Leonard was interviewed remotely by multiple Bearwatch researcher on the basis of a collaboratively designed semi-structured interview guide, we proceeded with the first formal interview.

This interview, was to be conducted in Inuktitut by Leonard, with several moments of summary in English during the interview, and more elaborate translation of marked timestamps afterwards. This decision was made in response to the fact that the interviewee did not speak English.

Disruptive Dynamics

The go-pro livestream recording of the map was “choppy” during this first interview and hard to follow due to poor internet connection.

This, in combination with the use of Inuktitut, resulted in much feedback and questions from the Southern researchers that were attempting to follow and participate with the interview remotely across different channels. In turn, this required physical interference from the research assistant in the room, who was also attending to multiple battery, and storage functionalities.

These disruptions, in combination with the material realities of adhering to Covid-19 protocols in the form of wearing masks and physical distancing proved enough reason for Leonard to pause and change course halfway the interview.

He suggested, after about an hour, to finish the interview with a cup of tea, and without the use of a map or cameras - and therefore without the presence of the SOuthern researchers.

This invokes questions on the matter of who is present- and how (our) presence matters.

Check out "Wrecksite" of "Optic Matters", to contemplate the im/possibilities of a disembodied gaze.

Wrecksite: Optic Matters