At the northern foot of the Alps lies one of Europe’s largest lakes, situated such that it has shores in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Commonly referred to as Lake Constance, in German it’s called the Bodensee. This weekend, on July 15 and 16, makers of all stripes will convene on the northern shore, in the German city of Friedrichshafen, for the second annual Maker Faire Bodensee. This is the fifth Maker Faire that will take place in the region this year (preceded by Sachsen [Chemnitz], Salzburg, Vienna, and Berlin), with six more scheduled for later in the year. The organizing force behind this steady stream of area Maker Faires is Maker Media GmbH, a division of Heise Group, publishers of the German-language version of Make: magazine.
Be sure to peruse the full list of makers and the lineup of workshops and presentations for all the details on what to expect this weekend. We also love that the Maker Faire Bodensee team put together a “Maker Lexicon” guide (with terms like upcycling, casemodding, and Internet of Things) on the site in the spirit of inclusivity.
Wherever they are in the world, Maker Faires always offer a glimpse of the creativity taking place locally, the hours spent creating, whether in a private basement workshop or a centrally located public makerspace. And looking through the list of makers gearing up to exhibit at Maker Faire Bodensee, we see a robust cosplay, costume, steampunk, and upcycling-infused community, alongside the usual wonderful variety of workshops, robots, art, electronics, and young maker projects. Anyone donning a costume to the Faire will even get reduced admission (see the rules on admissible accessories). Sounds like a lot of fun! Let’s take a look at a small sampling of the characters that will roam the Faire this weekend.
OnePiece Cosplayteam
The OnePiece Cosplayteam will be dressed in full regalia and will be hosting a photo area where you can come take a picture with them.
Swiss Geeks
On a mission to unite the Swiss geek community, the Swiss Geeks crew rolls deep! When they say “group photo,” they’re not kidding!
Shinrai Cosplay
The Shinrai Swiss Naruto Cosplay Group has more than 50 members devoted to creating cosplay characters from the series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.
Swiss Superheros
Make sure you hashtag your pictures of the Swiss Superhero group of comic enthusiasts with #DontMessWithTheSwissSuperheros.
One Love Machine Band
Okay, so this one isn’t really just about costumes, but you could argue that Berlin-based artist Kolja Kugler made the costumes for his One Love Machine Band members, as well as everything else about them.
And finally, we just have to include these awesome costumes and pictures from Swiss maker and artist Sodiumcat (Silja Läng), who will also be at the Faire.
For all the information you need to be immersed in creativity this weekend, head to the Maker Faire Bodensee website.
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