There have been many reports of men using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to secretly film women in public, especially during pickup-style street videos, then uploading that footage online for views, comments, and harassment. WIRED, People, and other outlets have reported cases where women did not know they were being recorded, found the videos later, and asked for them to be taken down. Now, JioFrames is expected to bring AI smart glasses to the market at a much lower price, with Mint reporting that analysts expect them to be priced below ₹10,000, making them far more accessible, which is truly dreadful given the reputation of Indian men’s conduct towards women, especially in public.
From the rapid spread of AI-generated deepfake pornography to non-consensual image manipulation, living in a phallocentric culture means that even its technological ambitions can only reach as far as profit, control and subjugation of women and other minorities through surveillance and transgression of rights. What else can we expect?
Cat Zhang’s recent article ‘Tech Without Bros’ looks at a growing group of queers and femmes making their own cyberdecks, which are small, handmade computers built out of screens, keyboards, cases, 3D-printed parts, batteries, cables, old hardware, and whatever else people can put together. The movement represents a tangible, creative rebellion against the mainstream corporate tech paradigm. It stands against a male-dominated tech culture of data extraction, algorithmic control, and surveillance. So far many of these experiments have been highlighted for their creative and artistic goals, but it’s not difficult to imagine a more defensive purpose, where these custom-built devices and decentralized networks serve as vital counter-surveillance tools and build autonomous, secure digital worlds free from the creeps. I see a technofeminist revolution coming.
In the meantime, here's what we have for you this week:
Sambit Dattachaudhuri’s new short film uses Bengali folklore to tell a small, strange, and emotional story about climate anxiety. The film follows a man who returns to Kolkata after his father’s death during the pandemic and finds his family caught in a debate over an old mango tree that might fall during Bengal’s worsening cyclones. Through the talking birds Byangoma and Byangomi, the film brings in the world of Bengali folktales while asking what people owe the trees, animals, and living worlds around them.
Read about it here.
This month’s Homegrown Handpicked playlist brings together some of our favourite independent releases from June 2026, moving through Arushi Jain’s feverish remix of Lapgan’s Rodeo, Space Is All We Have’s cinematic Mafia, Peekay’s shape-shifting Cast In Chaos, Paal Dabba’s funky and self-assured Cheese, and more. The playlist also opens with a note on women in rap, desire, and the fun of turning hip-hop’s old machismo back on itself.
Check it out here.
Dhora is a Jaipur-based jewellery and lifestyle label founded by Aavriti Jain, who grew up around gemstones and traditional craft before studying fashion in Milan. Named after the Rajasthani word for sand dunes, the brand draws from desert landscapes, folk ornaments, tribal motifs, metalwork, pearls, chokers, bangles, talisman pendants, sculptural necklaces, and the work of local karigars. What began as handmade jewellery and leather accessories has grown into a larger design world through Teatro Dhora, the Jaipur concept store that brings together jewellery, fashion, home décor, books, art, music, and objects.
Find more about it here.
A Mild Case Of Mass Hysteria is an upcoming graphic novel by Singaporean writer Felix Cheong and Indian visual artists Ritwick Roy and Riddhi Trivedi, inspired by Singapore’s real 1967 koro panic. The book follows three young men during a bizarre public health scare where hundreds of men believed their genitals were shrinking into their bodies. Through a gangster, a closeted young doctor, and a military recruit, the story looks at masculinity, sexuality, class, social pressure, and the nervousness of a young nation trying to define itself.
Read about it here.
The zine collectives story looks at Indian groups using small, handmade publications to build communities around art, activism, queerness, everyday life, and local storytelling. It features Bazinega, the Bengaluru-based zine marketplace and publishing house founded by Ano Patel; Zinedabaad, which runs workshops and pop-up zine libraries; Cross Cat Collective from Agartala, which publishes comics, posters, stickers, and the annual anthology Psychera; and DelhiZine, a student-led collective making hand-folded zines, poetry collections, and art booklets while supporting relief funds and free library projects.
Check them out here.
UBIK’s Gaps In My Resume, on view at APRE Art House in Colaba, marks the New Delhi-based conceptual artist’s first solo exhibition in India and their first show in eight years. Through sculpture, text, neon signs, polyester banners, brass, iron, and red oxide, the exhibition takes aim at the art world’s obsession with value, status, aspiration, secondary markets, and social performance. The works are satirical, a little dry, and self-aware, using the language of the art market to expose the strange rituals that decide who gets seen and who gets left out.
Check it out here.
Barfind began as a hidden cocktail bar in Kolkata, tucked behind a patisserie with no signage, until the team was forced to shut it down after an unlawful eviction. Now, Elemental has turned it into a travelling bar residency, with Mumbai as its first stop for three months at Kitaab Mahal in Fort. The project brings a 10-drink menu developed with Matteo Ciarpaglini, who previously worked at Noma and Bar Paradiso, along with a food menu by KMC, collaborations with local chefs and restaurants, and the same idea that made Barfind exciting in the first place: a bar experience people have to seek out.
Make your reservations here.
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