Without a doubt, Maker Faire and Shenzhen are a natural fit, so it’s not surprising to see how this celebration of innovation and creativity has grown over the past six years in the Silicon Valley of Hardware. This year, the Faire is taking an exciting new turn: Shenzhen Polytechnic Institute is a new production partner, hosting the event on their campus, co-produced with Chaihuo Maker Space, the very first makerspace (among many now) in Shenzhen. The sixth annual Maker Faire Shenzhen takes place on November 10–12 at the Liuxiandong Campus. The theme this year: Go pro!

Last year, the Faire showcased 256 makers and included 6 performances, 32 presentations, and 18 workshops, attracting 100,000 attendees over the course of the weekend. As the trajectory goes, we can expect this year’s to be even bigger. Check out the video from last year for a glimpse:

Maker Forum

Among the key offerings this year is a Maker Forum with a full lineup of diverse and interesting speakers. Notably, there’s an impressive number of women, including:

• Sherry Huss, cofounder of Maker Faire
• Li Yu, researcher, designer, and new media artist
• Carrie Leung, director of Maker Education at SAIS
• Wenwen Xie, cofounder of MakerBeta
• Twila Busby, project-based learning leader & advocate
• Anby Wen, project director at x.factory
• Dawn Yu and Shirley Chen, project-based learning Chinese teachers at SAIS
• Katia Vega, assistant professor at University of California, Davis
• Rain Yu, maker education advocate
• Gui Qingxu, director of IT at Shenzhen Shekou Yucai Education Group No. 4 Primary School

Exhibits and Workshops

The creativity of the region is coming out in full force with an assortment of makers and workshops ranging from the low tech to the high tech. Here are just a few.

Art by Naozhendang

The maker duo behind Naozhendang are on a mission to create art installations and kits that focus on technology, the arts, and production. They advocate “play with seriousness,” committed to introducing tools, knowledge, and information in fun ways, with the purpose of helping more people free their creativity and their ability to become independent makers. Pictured above is their installation called Eyeballz; as people appear within the eyes’ field of view, they move to follow them. Pictured below is their Thinking Hand kit; once assembled, the fingers tap on the surface in sequence, as if they’re thinking.

Nerdy Derby Workshop

A favorite at Maker Faires around the world, Nerdy Derby encourages kids to come use their imaginations to build miniature cars and then race. For this very first Nerdy Derby in Shenzhen, the track was even built at Chaihuo’s x.factory by the community at a series of build sessions.

Suit Dreamz

Peru’s UTEC (Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología) hosts an annual design competition called Disrupton. This year’s theme is “Wearables for Space.” Students are encouraged to make projects for astronauts. While making the projects, they get suggestions/consultation from wearables experts and NASA researchers. The grand prize was a trip to Maker Faire Shenzhen, so the winning team, Suit Dreamz, and their space suit will be there, together with beauty technologist Katia Vega and NASA researcher Julio Valdivia.

Pinball Machine Championship

Design your own DIY pinball machines, complete with its own pinball scene. Then enter your creation in the pinball machine championship.

Fashion Tech Workshop: Upgrade Your Wardrobe

Join us and see what the future of fashion will be like, and see how easy it is to make your own fashion tech wearables with instructors Zeng Li Leah and Luke Henderson.

For all the information you need to attend Maker Faire Shenzhen this weekend, head to the site.