The computer is a writing system that organizes our worlds.
Clément Renaud works on how technological systems shape geography and the ways we live. He draws on experience in engineering, urban research, and long-term practice in China.
Since 2008, he has been embedded in the transformation of Chinese cities and digital infrastructure — building software, conducting field research, and writing about how these changes unfold.
He teaches a course on Chinese cities in the Governing Large Metropolis master program at Sciences Po's Urban School, and has collaborated with research institutions, governments, and cultural organizations internationally. He co-founded the Center for Blockchain and Generative Culture at the City University of Hong Kong and serves on the advisory board of the Fabricatorz Foundation (USA). He is the author of Realtime: Making Digital China (EPFL Press) and is currently writing a history of computers seen from Shenzhen.
Contact: hello@clementrenaud.com
Books
- (Un)Locked: Memories of Wuhan (Un)Locked: Memories of Wuhan is a collection of essays, poetry, fiction, photography, and drawings about life in Wuhan before and during the early days of the Covid19 pandemic.
- REALTIME: Making Digital China 'REALTIME: Making Digital China' is an investigation about China’s digital and urban infrastructure, practices and imaginary spaces.
- The Pirate Book A compilation of stories about sharing, distributing and experiencing cultural contents outside the boundaries of local economies, politics, or laws.
- Cost of Freedom Cost of Freedom is a collection of original writings about Free Culture born during a Book Sprint in an attempt to free Syrian open-source developer Bassel Khartabil.
Projects
Full list of publications, talks, and exhibitions →
Read the latest post: Observing Shenzhen: one-day fieldwork practice — February 16, 2025