Progress Report #3

This winter has been very busy for the Counting Sheep project — here are a few highlights of what I’ve been up to and what’s yet to come before the end of the year.

I was interviewed by Chris Speed for the first issue of new journal Ubiquity; I submitted a paper (co-authored with PhD student extraordinaire Catherine Caudwell) for a special issue of Digital Creativity on design fiction; and I submitted a paper for a special issue of the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media on emerging methods. We’re now at the mercy of our reviewers but hope to see all of these out soon. In less academic arenas, the amazing Sumit Paul-Choudhury and I wrote an article for Arc magazine on new and exciting connections between animals and technology.

With spring around the corner, we’re also headed back into the field to make some station visits – including to hundred-year old Mt Hay and Glenaan – interview some of the high country’s merino breeders and growers, and spend time with the sheep and dogs. (Yay!) We’re also looking forward to chatting with folks who are growing coloured merino and visiting Mangaiti, the only North Island merino stud.

I’ve also started working on the ethnographic write-up. I’d like to take the creative non-fiction course at the International Institute for Modern Letters next year, but in the meantime I’ll keep practicing and start looking at publishing options.

And last, but not least, our design work is also proceeding nicely. Stay tuned for Cybernetic Meadows: An Alternative History of NZ Merino Breeding and we’ll be announcing a summer scholarship opportunity next month.