creativity

What role do makerspaces play in China? How do they relate to the vast making ecosystem of Shenzhen, China’s famous manufacturing city? Why does China need makerspaces at all when making is a ‘national specialism’ and so embedded in both the culture and economy? These were among questions considered at a salon titled ‘On Design and Making in China’ held at the ICA, in London, on 22.4.16

The World Maker Faire is a great event to find out new emerging Do It Yourself technologies. 

Last October, OLO was announced in New York: OLO is a new 3D printer for smartphones. OLO hardens the photosensitive resin inside OLO's build chamber to print the 3D model, using the light released by the flat screen of the smartphone. 

The idea is born by two Italians, Filippo Moroni e Pietro Gabriele, reaching more than 2mln of funding to date.

Congratulations to Monza Makers for a great demonstration of some very important points of our research on DiDIY in both Creative Society and Education.

In a nutshell, these makers:

University of Texas spirit: a 3D-printed cryptex in true Longhorn style. CC BY-ND

Musings on Makerspaces as Jazz

These are the people that proudly call themselves ‘Hackers’ not as the term is now abused by journalists to mean a computer criminal, but in its true and original sense of an enthusiast, an artist, a tinkerer, a problem solver, an expert.

Raymond (1999:12)

I am curious about Makerspaces, what they are and why they are. As I understand a Makerspace, it is a physical place where people engage with digital technologies and computing hardware in spontaneous experimentation, tinkering and idea prototyping.

Figure 1. The +Lab corner with 3D printing facilities.

In this post we want to report some reflections drawn from an experience of reinterpretation of products intended purpose which may help to look at the digital DIY devices in a different way, with the aim of fostering people creativity and product innovation.