Monki Gras

Monki Gras is a recurring conference in London which explores the intersection of craft, software, and the tech industry. I’ve been attending since 2018 and I’ve always enjoyed it. Everyone I’ve met there has been friendly, personable, and it attracts a more diverse range of attendees and speakers than a lot of tech conferences.

The 2026 theme was “Prepping craft” – in a world where safety and normality are slipping away, how do we make our code, our communities, and our lives truly resilient? I wrote an article with some thoughts and reflections on the event, and notes on the individual talks.

The 2025 theme was “Sustaining craft” – in a period of intense change, how can we keep doing our work and find purpose in doing so? I gave a talk about Building to Last, drawing on my experience working in cultural heritage and long-lasting software.

The 2024 theme was “Prompting craft” – how do we incorporate prompts for generative AI into our art and culture? I gave a talk that compared generative AI to learning to dance.

The conference skipped 2020–3 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to this day you still need a negative COVID test before you turn up at the event.

The 2019 theme was “Accessible craft” – how do we create great experiences for everyone? I gave a talk about the Curb Cut Effect, the idea that making something better for disabled people makes it better for everybody. The reality is more nuanced and I’d give a different talk today than I did in 2019.

The 2018 theme was “Sustaining craft”, and it was the first Monki Gras I attended. I don’t have any publicly accessible notes from that event.

Monki Gras is organised by James Governor and RedMonk.