Join the MAKE team along with Pixar and TechShop for the Young Makers program Saturday (2/27) from 11am to 3pm at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, CA.
Our “Meet the Makers” session will begin at 11 am in the McBean Theatre. Our goal is to explore the work of a variety of makers and gain insight into the maker mindset. I will ask some questions, but we hope kids will have their own questions to ask these makers. This program will feature smart fabrics, soft circuits, and wearables. We’ll see examples of how electronics is literally being woven into clothing and increasingly incorporated into the world of fashion.
Our featured makers are:
Adrian Freed
Adrian Freed is Research Director of the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) program at Berkeley. He uses smart materials to teach electronics to kids. He will also talk about how conductive fabrics can enable new ways of making music.
(For more, see Adrian Freed’s web page)
Grace Kim
A graduate of the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU, Grace Kim will talk about construction techniques in wearable technology (as in the garment shown above). Her work has been displayed at the Future Fashion Event, at Viaggio Telecom in Pisa, Italy, and the Gray Area Foundation for the Arts (GAFFTA) in San Francisco. (For more, see Grace Kim’s NYU Thesis Project)
Daniela Rosner
A Ph.D student at the I-School at Berkeley, Daniela will talk about recent developments of the Spyn project, which now uses a Nexus One mobile phone to capture the stories people associate with handmade objects. Her work was featured in this article [PDF] from CRAFT magazine. (For more, see Daniela Rosner and Spyn Project).
In the Open MAKE session that follows from 12-3pm, we’ll have several hands-on activities on the Exploratorium floor demonstrating “soft” circuits and working with conductive fabric and thread. (We think that these activities are geared toward ages 12 and above but younger kids can participate but might need some additional support from parents.)
- Build Your Own Bling – Make simple circuits (LED-battery) for rings, barettes, or pins.
- Sew-a-circuit – Learn embroidery techniques with inspired by electronic designs.
As I’ve mentioned previously, the goal of the Young Makers program is to demonstrate to kids different modes of making and encourage them to make things. We also hope the program will develop young makers who exhibit their own work at Maker Faire. Members of the Maker Faire team will also be present. Come by if you have questions about how you, your school or organization can participate in this year’s Maker Faire.
Gather your kids and their friends and join us at the Exploratorium this Saturday.
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