daria loi
about
about
Senior technical leader, with a 20+ years industry and academic experience and the goal and passion to mix design strategy with agile user experience (UX) research and innovation to enrich people’s everyday life and humanize technology.
My current focus is Artificial Intelligence (AI), with an emphasis on smart spaces, sensor technology and aging in place. Prior to Intel, I worked as architect in Italy and Senior Research Fellow at RMIT University in Australia.
I am committee member and reviewer for several international journals, institutes and conferences and conducted research and presented in 6 continents. In 2018 I was recognized as one of Italy's 50 most inspiring women in tech (InspiringFifty initiative).
Senior technical leader, with a 20+ years industry and academic experience and the goal and passion to mix design strategy with agile user experience (UX) research and innovation to enrich people’s everyday life and humanize technology.
My current focus is Artificial Intelligence (AI), with an emphasis on smart spaces, sensor technology and aging in place. Prior to Intel, I worked as architect in Italy and Senior Research Fellow at RMIT University in Australia.
I am committee member and reviewer for several international journals, institutes and conferences and conducted research and presented in 6 continents. In 2018 I was recognized as one of Italy's 50 most inspiring women in tech (InspiringFifty initiative).
bio
I am a participatory artist and designer with a track record in arts-based research and a passion for mixed media and interactive art.
I exhibited and presented my work in the US, Canada, Italy, UK and Australia, published numerous articles, and mentor emerging artists and innovators. My latest art exhibition, titled THEY SAID: workplace netherworlds and other stories, explored themes of workplace bullism, patriarchy, mobbing and betrayal. I recently co-edited the book Routledge International Handbook of Contemporary Participatory Design, which offers a comprehensive overview of key themes and agendas in contemporary Participatory Design across diverse disciplines, continents, communities, and practices.
Besides being Arts Commissioner for the City of Oregon City, I hold executive roles in a number of creative organizations and tech-for-good endeavors, including Portland-based CETI Institute and Democracy Lab. In my “Waiving Voices” column for ACM Interactions, I write about art, design, participation and technology. I am the founder and curator of Imperfecta, an art and design gallery focused on women artists and minority creatives.
artist statement
As an Italian immigrant that moved to the pacific Northwest after almost a decade in Australia, my art practice reflects diversity in the stories I tell and the materials and forms I explore. I love painting, drawing, and making, yet what I love the most is reflecting through art.
My architecture degree and Italian background deeply influence my work and I love using art to share stories that I believe are meaningful. Because of my arts-based research studies, my artworks – while witty in appearance or even colorful – are rarely created with the pure intent of satisfying one’s eyes. I rather make one's mind think and one's heart leap.
In 2024, for instance, I created work to reflect on my experiences as a senior high tech executive. Currently, I am focusing on femininity as well as my experiences as an immigrant. Storytelling, reflectiveness and connecting the dots are at the core of my work.
From a medium and technique point of view, I love working in 3D or with textures. My mixed media artworks frequently incorporate acrylic mediums, found objects, recycled materials, fabric vintage paper and photography, human hair and what I termed “3D lacing,” which is a lace I create using a 3D pen. I love using mixed media to explore ways to reach out and protrude from the wall – offering layers and shadows that shift depending on the light source or concealing details, inviting viewers to see what is inside or beyond.
.....
I also love the art community and diverse types of artistic expressions. Because of that, in 2023 I left my high tech life and made my childhood dream come true, opening imperfecta, an art and design gallery dedicated to women artists and minority creatives.
I have the privilege to be one of the many artists in the gallery, and such a privilege means that I get to make art when I feel and want.