A remarkable exhibit on the maker movement had been running since September at London’s Victoria and Albert museum, having just closed in January. A visit over the holidays to London gave me a chance to see the exhibit for myself. The show collects the products, processes, and tools from dozens of makers throughout the world, focusing on artistic, non-commercial, or just plain fun design, craft, and artwork. Each of the displays highlighted in the show demonstrated the set of maker skills needed to create it.
The displays ranged from wooden bicycles and hammered metal to DIY 3D printing and mobile robotics (with textiles, dolls, video, and the odd six-necked guitar thrown in). Overall, it paints a comprehensive picture of the many aspects of the worldwide maker community. The video below provides an overview of the exhibition:
Overall, the whole presentation was a celebration of the maker community and those in it. The hall was filled when I was there with crowds of interested and engaged onlookers, with a line waiting to get in. Between the presentation at the highest level of British museum curation and the viewer participation, it would be hard not to see that the efforts of makers worldwide are striking a chord with the public. Although the exhibit itself is closed, the catalog is still available, which has a summary of the works and the participating artists.
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